BGSU Battles Broncos in Saturday Matinee in Kalamazoo

BOWLING GREEN AT WESTERN MICHIGAN
Saturday, February 18, 2023 • 12:00 p.m.
University Arena • Kalamazoo, Mich.
Video: ESPN3 • Audio: BG Falcon Media
Live Stats: WMUBroncos.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb

• For the first time in six weeks, the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is looking to bounce back from a loss. Head coach Robyn Fralick and the Falcons travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a Saturday (Feb. 18) meeting with Western Michigan University. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at University Arena.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2022-23...

• TV/VIDEO: Saturday's WMU game will be streamed via ESPN3.
• RADIO/AUDIO: All of BGSU's remaining 2022-23 games, both home and away, are slated to have an audio stream thanks to BG Falcon Media (the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization [BGRSO]).
• LIVE STATS: Live stats are scheduled to be available for all BGSU games in 2022-23.
• TWITTER: In-game updates, along with key graphics and information, can be found on the BGSU women's basketball twitter account, @BGSUwbb.

• For all of the pertinent links to any and all ways to follow the Falcons, go to BGSUFalcons.com and navigate your way to the "women's basketball schedule" page on game day.

BIG LEX
• Lexi Fleming has been a B!G part of the Falcons' success since arriving at BGSU. The MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020-21, Fleming missed the entire '21-22 season due to injury, but returned to the court this season.

• Following Wednesday night's NIU contest, Fleming has now played in 50 games as a Falcon. BGSU has a record of 40-10 in those 50 games, including a 24-6 ledger in MAC regular-season play, a 26-7 mark in all games (regular season and tournament) against conference foes and a 19-3 mark in home games.

CLEVELAND ROCKS!
• For the Falcons, last Saturday's win over Kent State clinched a trip to Cleveland next month. The top-eight teams will qualify for the MAC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, March 8, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

• And, after Wednesday's action around the league, BGSU will be no worse than the number-four seed for the tournament. With five games to play, the Falcons are five games ahead of fifth-place Akron, and BGSU holds the tiebreaker with the Zips by virtue of a win in the teams' lone head-to-head meeting.

FALCONS' STREAK SNAPPED AT 11
• BGSU saw an 11-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, with an 85-81 loss to Northern Illinois. The streak was tied for the 11th-longest school history.

• BG has put together a total of 13 double-digit winning streaks in program history.

ROAD WARRIORS
• Before the calendar flipped to 2023, the Falcons already had topped the road win total for all of last season. Last year's team went 4-7 in true road games and 8-11 in all games played away from home (4-4 in neutral-site contests). And, before January came to an end, BGSU had more than doubled last season's road win total.

• With wins at both Ohio and Kent State last week, the 2022-23 Falcons are now 11-2 in true road games and 12-2 in all games played away from home.

HAMPTON = DEFENSE
• Nyla Hampton had 86 steals last season, the fourth-highest total in BGSU history. She ranked second in the MAC and 17th in the nation in that category. With 2.69 steals per contest, Hampton finished third in the league and 23rd in the country.

• This season, Hampton has a team-high 74 steals through 25 games. She had at least three steals in a game 17 times last year, and this season, she has had at least four steals in 11 games to date. That includes six contests with at least five steals.

• Currently, Hampton ranks 11th in the nation in both total steals and 16th in the country in steals per game (2.96). She leads the MAC in both categories.

• Hampton now has 216 steals in 81 career games played. Her average of 2.67 career steals per game puts her on pace to obliterate the school record – no other Falcon has had more than 2.19 career spg.

• In just her third year with the Falcons, Hampton has moved into a tie for fifth place on the BGSU career steals list. In addition to steals per game, Hampton is on pace to break the school record for total steals in a career.

• And, Hampton is now sixth on the single-season steals list and second on the seasonal steals-per-game chart. All of the aforementioned lists are on page 8 of the PDF version of these very notes.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
• The Falcons turned the ball over just nine times at Kent State, and forced the Flashes into 19 turnovers. And, BG was +9 in the turnover department vs. NIU. The Falcons have committed fewer turnovers than the foes in 23 of the first 25 games.

• Entering the WMU game, the Falcons are ranked second in entire nation in turnover margin (+8.76), and BGSU is eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.38).

• BG has forced the opposition into at least 15 turnovers in all 25 games to date. The Falcons have averaged 12.64 turnovers, while the foes have turned the ball over 21.40 times per game.

• BGSU has had a single-digit turnover total eight times this season to date.

• And, BG has turned the opponents' turnovers into buckets. Through 25 games, the Falcons have outscored the opponents, 588-254, in points off turnovers.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE BRONCOS
• Western Michigan is 10-14 on the season, and the Broncos are 5-8 in the MAC. WMU is looking to snap a three-game losing streak, which includes a 75-44 loss to Toledo on Wednesday evening.

• Individually, Lauren Ross is averaging 21.8 ppg, but is out for the remainder of the season due to injury. Taylor Williams has 14.4 ppg along with a team-leading 8.7 rpg, while Hannah Spitzley has 8.9 ppg and is one of five players on the team with 22 or more three-point field goals made this year.

• Head coach Shane Clipfell's club is 6-4 at home and 4-10 on the road this season. WMU is 3-3 at home and 2-5 on the road in MAC games. Clipfell welcomed back a total of 13 players from a 2021-22 team that went 16-14 overall and 10-10 in MAC regular-season play.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead WMU, 40-36, in the all-time series, and BGSU won this season's first meeting. The Falcons pulled away late to post a 74-56 victory at the Stroh (Feb. 1, 2023). The teams split last season's two matchups, with the Falcons picking up a 67-51 win in BG (Jan. 26, 2022) and the Broncos taking a 72-64 decision in Kalamazoo three weeks later (Feb. 16, 2022).

• The Falcons are 22-14 at home, 15-21 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites vs. WMU through the years.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following Saturday's WMU matchup, the Falcons will return to the state of Michigan for a midweek contest against Central Michigan. The teams will meet on Wednesday night (Feb. 22), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face Buffalo next Saturday (Feb. 25). That game will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, with Senior Day festivities taking place prior to tipoff.

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Lexi Fleming

Nyla Hampton

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