Wednesday, January 17
Bowling Green, Ohio
7 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
Akron
Photo by: Brayden Goins, BSU Athletics
Falcons Host Akron in a Wednesday-Night Blackout
January 16, 2024 | Women's Basketball
BGSU battles the Zips before heading back out on the road
BGSU vs. AKRON
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 • 7:00 p.m.
Stroh Center • Bowling Green, Ohio
TV/Video: ESPN+ • Audio: Falcon Media Sports Network
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb
JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, after losing a Mid-American Conference regular-season game for the first time in 318 days, returns home for a Wednesday (Jan. 17) matchup with the University of Akron. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, face the Zips in a 7:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's UA game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: All of BGSU's 2023-24 games are scheduled to have an audio stream thanks to the Falcon Media Sports Network.
• LIVE STATS: Again this year, live stats for all games will be available.
• TWITTER (X): In-game updates, along with key graphics and information, can be found on the BGSU women's basketball Twitter/X 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.
EVENTS / PROMOTIONS
• Wednesday's game is a 'Black Out' at the Stroh Center. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game, and the first 500 students will get a 'Black Out' shirt.
VELASCO GOES OFF
• Junior Amy Velasco exploded for a career-high 28 points at Ball State on Saturday, going 10-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from the stripe. It marked her third career game of 20-plus points, and her first such game since her freshman season.
• Two of Velasco's three highest-scoring games as a Falcon have come at Worthen Arena. She scored 21 points in a pair of games just seven days apart as a freshman, including in a contest at Ball State on Feb. 5, 2022. Velasco also had 21 points against Toledo at the Stroh Center on Jan. 29, 2022.
THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering Wednesday's Akron matchup, BGSU has gone 451-260 (.634) in league regular-season games. The Falcons have the second-highest winning percentage of all MAC institutions, and the second-most conference wins of all 12 programs.
• BGSU has won 15 MAC regular-season titles, which is the highest total of any conference institution. And, the Falcons have won a league-best 11 MAC Tournament titles.
• BG leads the all-time series with all 11 conference foes, making the Falcons – obviously – the only team in the league with a winning record against every other school. BGSU also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.
THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons enter the Akron game with an overall record of 9-5 on the season, and BGSU is off to a 3-1 start in MAC play. Three of the Falcons' losses have come to nationally-ranked teams, and the five teams who have beaten BGSU currently have a combined record of 70-12.
• BGSU is 4-1 at home, 3-4 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games. In MAC play, the Falcons are 2-0 at the Stroh and 1-1 in front of hostile gatherings.
• The Falcons rallied to beat Cleveland State, 89-86, in the season opener at the Stroh, and after a loss at Texas State, BG bounced back with four-straight wins. The victims during that stretch included Xavier on the road, Mercer and Lehigh at a neutral site (Savannah, Ga.) and Duquesne at the Stroh. The latter game saw the Falcons win, 68-66, on Amy Velasco's buzzer-beater.
• BGSU went 1-3 in December, with all three losses coming to nationally-ranked teams (#4/4 Iowa, #1/1 South Carolina and #16/15 Indiana).
• The Falcons began the 2024 portion of the schedule with a 65-64 win at Central Michigan in the MAC opener, before returning home and picking up wins against Western Michigan (75-69; Jan. 6) and Eastern Michigan (69-57; Jan. 10).
• On Saturday (Jan. 13), BGSU lost for the first time in league play, falling at Ball State by a 76-61 count.
• A total of 13 Falcons have seen action this season, with nine of those 13 averaging over 11 minutes per contest. Velasco leads the team with 35.2 minutes per game, while Paige Kohler has played 31.0 mpg.
Lexi Fleming averaged 31.4 mpg over the first 10 contests of the season, before leaving the Indiana game (Dec. 22) due to injury. Fleming also has averages of 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, and led the Falcons in all three categories at the time of her injury. She was averaging 16.7 ppg prior to that IU game, in which she played just 1:10.
• Velasco and Morgan Sharps have scored 13.5 and 12.6 ppg, respectively. Kohler, who scored a career-high 28 points at CMU, has 11.0 points per contest, while Erika Porter has 8.3 ppg to date. Sharps (19) and Porter (18) combined for 37 points in the win over Western, and Velasco went off for a career-best 28 points at Ball State.
• Velasco paces BG with 3.9 assists per game, followed by Kohler (3.2 apg).
• Velasco and Sharps each are shooting over 43 percent from three-point range, as Velasco has gone 21-of-47 (44.7%) from the arc, while Sharps has made 43.5% (27-of-62) of her long-distance tries.
• Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan each have 4.2 ppg. Dziekan made her first collegiate start at Wright State (Dec. 12) and responded with her first career double-double, as she had 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the win. She started five-straight games before missing the last two contests due to injury.
• Hill is one of three Falcons (joining Kohler and Velasco) who have started all 14 games this winter. After going 0-for-1 from three-point land in her first 59 games as a Falcon, she made not one, but two, long-range shots at Xavier. Hill is now 8-for-24 from the arc this season to date.
• Kohler has a team-leading 18.0 ppg in MAC play, with Velasco averaging 14.8 ppg, Porter 10.8 and Sharps 10.3. In addition to scoring, Velasco is second on the Falcons in rebounding (4.8 rpg) in conference games, and she leads the Falcons in assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.3 spg).
• Freshmen Taya Ellis and Keiryn McGuff have seen both their minutes and their production increase in conference play. McGuff had a career-high 11 rebounds at Ball State, and leads the Falcons with 6.3 rpg in MAC games. Ellis has 1.5 blocks per outing in the MAC, and also has 4.3 rpg. Both players have 3.5 ppg in league games.
• The Falcons' group of returnees for the 2023-24 season also includes Jasmine Clerkley, Jasmine Fearne, Emily Siesel and Jaci Tubergen.
• Five newcomers joined head coach Fred Chmiel's first BGSU squad. That quintet includes Baylor transfer Porter as well as freshmen Ellis, Kohler, McGuff and Abbie Riddle.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE ZIPS
• Akron is 6-8 on the season, and the Zips are 1-3 in MAC play to date. UA fell by a narrow 59-57 count on Saturday at Buffalo, after picking up a 70-62 victory over Central Michigan last Wednesday. The Zips are 3-2 at home, 2-5 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites to date.
• Individually, Reagan Bass has 19.6 ppg and 11.9 rpg, leading the league in boards and ranking second in scoring. Morgan Haney and Lanae Riley are averaging 10.6 and 9.3 ppg, respectively.
• Head coach Ryan Gensler is in his first season with the Zips. UA was picked to finish sixth in the league in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, after finishing 17-13 overall and 8-10 in conference action in 2022-23.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR (PLUS THREE DAYS) MAKES
• The last BGSU-Akron meeting saw the Falcons rally for a 71-66 win in the Rubber City last season (Jan. 14, 2023). Of the 10 starters in that game, only two – BGSU's Morgan Sharps and Akron's Reagan Bass – remain with the Falcons and/or Zips.
• Players on the 2023-24 BGSU and UA rosters combined to score just 28 points in last year's meeting. Sharps had 13 points and Bass 11, while BG's Sophie Dziekan and Akron's Alexis Stewart each came off the bench to score two points.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Akron, 58-14, in the all-time series, and BGSU won the last meeting. In last season's lone matchup, the visiting Falcons rallied for a 71-66 victory (Jan. 14, 2023), with Morgan Sharps scoring all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter. The previous season saw Akron defeat the Falcons in all three meetings, including a narrow 72-70 decision the last time the teams played at the Stroh (Feb. 23, 2022). The Falcons won the first 26 series meetings, and after Akron won two of the next five, BGSU reeled off 19-straight wins before UA's next victory in 2013. Akron has won 11 of the last 18 meetings after BG's 51-3 series start.
• The Falcons are 30-5 at home, 26-8 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites vs. the Zips through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 28.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the Akron contest, BGSU hits the road for the next two games, beginning with Saturday afternoon's (Jan. 20) meeting with Miami at Millett Hall. The Falcons and RedHawks meet in a 1:00 p.m. start.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Buffalo for an 11:00 a.m. game next Wednesday (Jan. 24), before returning home to face Kent State three days later (Jan. 27). The KSU game is set for a 4:00 p.m. tip, on Alumnae Day at the Stroh Center.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
For more information on BGSU women's hoops, be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 • 7:00 p.m.
Stroh Center • Bowling Green, Ohio
TV/Video: ESPN+ • Audio: Falcon Media Sports Network
Live Stats: BGSUFalcons.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb
JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, after losing a Mid-American Conference regular-season game for the first time in 318 days, returns home for a Wednesday (Jan. 17) matchup with the University of Akron. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, face the Zips in a 7:00 p.m. start at the Stroh Center.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's UA game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: All of BGSU's 2023-24 games are scheduled to have an audio stream thanks to the Falcon Media Sports Network.
• LIVE STATS: Again this year, live stats for all games will be available.
• TWITTER (X): In-game updates, along with key graphics and information, can be found on the BGSU women's basketball Twitter/X 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.
EVENTS / PROMOTIONS
• Wednesday's game is a 'Black Out' at the Stroh Center. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game, and the first 500 students will get a 'Black Out' shirt.
VELASCO GOES OFF
• Junior Amy Velasco exploded for a career-high 28 points at Ball State on Saturday, going 10-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from the stripe. It marked her third career game of 20-plus points, and her first such game since her freshman season.
• Two of Velasco's three highest-scoring games as a Falcon have come at Worthen Arena. She scored 21 points in a pair of games just seven days apart as a freshman, including in a contest at Ball State on Feb. 5, 2022. Velasco also had 21 points against Toledo at the Stroh Center on Jan. 29, 2022.
THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering Wednesday's Akron matchup, BGSU has gone 451-260 (.634) in league regular-season games. The Falcons have the second-highest winning percentage of all MAC institutions, and the second-most conference wins of all 12 programs.
• BGSU has won 15 MAC regular-season titles, which is the highest total of any conference institution. And, the Falcons have won a league-best 11 MAC Tournament titles.
• BG leads the all-time series with all 11 conference foes, making the Falcons – obviously – the only team in the league with a winning record against every other school. BGSU also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.
THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons enter the Akron game with an overall record of 9-5 on the season, and BGSU is off to a 3-1 start in MAC play. Three of the Falcons' losses have come to nationally-ranked teams, and the five teams who have beaten BGSU currently have a combined record of 70-12.
• BGSU is 4-1 at home, 3-4 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games. In MAC play, the Falcons are 2-0 at the Stroh and 1-1 in front of hostile gatherings.
• The Falcons rallied to beat Cleveland State, 89-86, in the season opener at the Stroh, and after a loss at Texas State, BG bounced back with four-straight wins. The victims during that stretch included Xavier on the road, Mercer and Lehigh at a neutral site (Savannah, Ga.) and Duquesne at the Stroh. The latter game saw the Falcons win, 68-66, on Amy Velasco's buzzer-beater.
• BGSU went 1-3 in December, with all three losses coming to nationally-ranked teams (#4/4 Iowa, #1/1 South Carolina and #16/15 Indiana).
• The Falcons began the 2024 portion of the schedule with a 65-64 win at Central Michigan in the MAC opener, before returning home and picking up wins against Western Michigan (75-69; Jan. 6) and Eastern Michigan (69-57; Jan. 10).
• On Saturday (Jan. 13), BGSU lost for the first time in league play, falling at Ball State by a 76-61 count.
• A total of 13 Falcons have seen action this season, with nine of those 13 averaging over 11 minutes per contest. Velasco leads the team with 35.2 minutes per game, while Paige Kohler has played 31.0 mpg.
Lexi Fleming averaged 31.4 mpg over the first 10 contests of the season, before leaving the Indiana game (Dec. 22) due to injury. Fleming also has averages of 15.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, and led the Falcons in all three categories at the time of her injury. She was averaging 16.7 ppg prior to that IU game, in which she played just 1:10.
• Velasco and Morgan Sharps have scored 13.5 and 12.6 ppg, respectively. Kohler, who scored a career-high 28 points at CMU, has 11.0 points per contest, while Erika Porter has 8.3 ppg to date. Sharps (19) and Porter (18) combined for 37 points in the win over Western, and Velasco went off for a career-best 28 points at Ball State.
• Velasco paces BG with 3.9 assists per game, followed by Kohler (3.2 apg).
• Velasco and Sharps each are shooting over 43 percent from three-point range, as Velasco has gone 21-of-47 (44.7%) from the arc, while Sharps has made 43.5% (27-of-62) of her long-distance tries.
• Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan each have 4.2 ppg. Dziekan made her first collegiate start at Wright State (Dec. 12) and responded with her first career double-double, as she had 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the win. She started five-straight games before missing the last two contests due to injury.
• Hill is one of three Falcons (joining Kohler and Velasco) who have started all 14 games this winter. After going 0-for-1 from three-point land in her first 59 games as a Falcon, she made not one, but two, long-range shots at Xavier. Hill is now 8-for-24 from the arc this season to date.
• Kohler has a team-leading 18.0 ppg in MAC play, with Velasco averaging 14.8 ppg, Porter 10.8 and Sharps 10.3. In addition to scoring, Velasco is second on the Falcons in rebounding (4.8 rpg) in conference games, and she leads the Falcons in assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.3 spg).
• Freshmen Taya Ellis and Keiryn McGuff have seen both their minutes and their production increase in conference play. McGuff had a career-high 11 rebounds at Ball State, and leads the Falcons with 6.3 rpg in MAC games. Ellis has 1.5 blocks per outing in the MAC, and also has 4.3 rpg. Both players have 3.5 ppg in league games.
• The Falcons' group of returnees for the 2023-24 season also includes Jasmine Clerkley, Jasmine Fearne, Emily Siesel and Jaci Tubergen.
• Five newcomers joined head coach Fred Chmiel's first BGSU squad. That quintet includes Baylor transfer Porter as well as freshmen Ellis, Kohler, McGuff and Abbie Riddle.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE ZIPS
• Akron is 6-8 on the season, and the Zips are 1-3 in MAC play to date. UA fell by a narrow 59-57 count on Saturday at Buffalo, after picking up a 70-62 victory over Central Michigan last Wednesday. The Zips are 3-2 at home, 2-5 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites to date.
• Individually, Reagan Bass has 19.6 ppg and 11.9 rpg, leading the league in boards and ranking second in scoring. Morgan Haney and Lanae Riley are averaging 10.6 and 9.3 ppg, respectively.
• Head coach Ryan Gensler is in his first season with the Zips. UA was picked to finish sixth in the league in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, after finishing 17-13 overall and 8-10 in conference action in 2022-23.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR (PLUS THREE DAYS) MAKES
• The last BGSU-Akron meeting saw the Falcons rally for a 71-66 win in the Rubber City last season (Jan. 14, 2023). Of the 10 starters in that game, only two – BGSU's Morgan Sharps and Akron's Reagan Bass – remain with the Falcons and/or Zips.
• Players on the 2023-24 BGSU and UA rosters combined to score just 28 points in last year's meeting. Sharps had 13 points and Bass 11, while BG's Sophie Dziekan and Akron's Alexis Stewart each came off the bench to score two points.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Akron, 58-14, in the all-time series, and BGSU won the last meeting. In last season's lone matchup, the visiting Falcons rallied for a 71-66 victory (Jan. 14, 2023), with Morgan Sharps scoring all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter. The previous season saw Akron defeat the Falcons in all three meetings, including a narrow 72-70 decision the last time the teams played at the Stroh (Feb. 23, 2022). The Falcons won the first 26 series meetings, and after Akron won two of the next five, BGSU reeled off 19-straight wins before UA's next victory in 2013. Akron has won 11 of the last 18 meetings after BG's 51-3 series start.
• The Falcons are 30-5 at home, 26-8 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites vs. the Zips through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 28.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the Akron contest, BGSU hits the road for the next two games, beginning with Saturday afternoon's (Jan. 20) meeting with Miami at Millett Hall. The Falcons and RedHawks meet in a 1:00 p.m. start.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Buffalo for an 11:00 a.m. game next Wednesday (Jan. 24), before returning home to face Kent State three days later (Jan. 27). The KSU game is set for a 4:00 p.m. tip, on Alumnae Day at the Stroh Center.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
For more information on BGSU women's hoops, be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
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