Falcons Face Flashes on Alumnae Day

Saturday, January 27

Bowling Green, Ohio

4 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

Tickets

Amy Velasco tied her career high with 11 assists on Wednesday at Buffalo

Photo by: Brenna Orton, BGSU Athletics

January 26, 2024 | Women's Basketball

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BGSU & Kent State meet for the 100th time in a 4 p.m. start at the Stroh

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

BGSU vs. KENT STATE
Saturday, January 27, 2024 • 4:00 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 returns home for the next two games, beginning with a Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27) matchup at the Stroh Center. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, face Kent State University in a 4:00 p.m. start at the Stroh.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...

• TV/VIDEO: Saturday's KSU kerfuffle 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.

ALUMNAE DAY / BANNER UNVEILING
• Saturday's game is the women's basketball program's annual Alumnae Day game, with a large number of former Falcon greats expected to be in attendance. The alums will be recognized in an on-court ceremony at halftime.

• To recognize some of those more recent alums (as well as some members of the current team), the 2022-23 WNIT banner will be unveiled in a brief ceremony prior to the game. That '22-23 club went 31-7, with the last four wins coming in the WNIT as BGSU reached the semifinal round of that 64-team tournament.

YOU CAN PUT THE SUITCASES AWAY FOR A WHILE
• After playing three of the last four games on the road, the Falcons now return home for the next two games. In fact, beginning with Saturday's Kent State contest, BGSU will play five of the next six games inside the Stroh Center. And, the sixth game will be a same-day trip up I-75 to face arch-rival Toledo.

• The Falcons host Northern Illinois on Wednesday night (Jan. 31), and after that trip to the Glass City on Feb. 3, the Orange and Brown will play three-straight home games, facing Ohio (Feb. 7), Troy (Feb. 10) and the Rockets (Feb. 17).

• BGSU will not make another overnight trip until late February, when the Falcons head to Northeast Ohio on Feb. 20 to face Akron the following evening (Feb. 21).

BGSU SAAC TO HOLD CLINIC FOR NGWSD ON FEB. 7
• BGSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is proud to announce a sports clinic for National Girls and Women In Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 7. The clinic, which will run from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., will feature members of each of BGSU's women's athletic teams interacting and engaging with children to teach the importance of sport participation, leadership and leading a healthy and active lifestyle.

• After the event, all participants are invited to join BGSU women's basketball as the team hosts Ohio University at 7:00 p.m. Registration is limited to the first 75 children grades 1-8. More information can be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.

All participants will receive a complimentary ticket to the game and a bottled water for use during the clinic.

FALCONS' PLAY4KAY/PINK GAME SET FOR FEB. 10
• BGSU will host Troy University on Saturday, Feb. 10, in the program's annual Play4Kay/Pink Game. The Falcons are inviting Survivors, Thrivers and those standing in the gap for a loved one who is battling or has battled cancer to come to the Stroh Center for that day's game, which begins at 2:00 p.m.

• Former North Carolina State head women's basketball coach Kay Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease. The vision of Play4Kay came directly from Coach Yow. Through Play4Kay, she saw a way to bring communities together and honor cancer warriors in the fight against ALL cancers affecting women.

• All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game.

PORTER'S PROLIFIC PERFORMANCES (PLURAL)
• Erika Porter added her name to the BGSU record book in each of last week's two games. Porter went an eye-popping 10-of-11 from the field en route to a game- and career-high 24 points in the Falcons' win over Akron (Jan. 17). Porter's field-goal percentage (90.9%) is tied for the fifth-best performance in a game in BGSU history.

• Then, three days later (Jan. 20), Porter pulled down no fewer than 19 rebounds at Miami. That total tied her for eighth on that BGSU list.

• Porter had the most rebounds in a game by a Falcon in nearly 28 years, since Charlotta Jones had 22 boards (also against Miami) on Jan. 31, 1996.

• The school record is 24 rebounds in a game, set by Joelyn Shoup vs. Northern Illinois (Feb. 27, 1985).

PORTER'S PERCENTAGE PACES THE MAC
• Erika Porter went 5-for-6 from the field in Wednesday's (Jan. 24) game at Buffalo. Porter leads the MAC in field-goal percentage in conference games, at 63.3%.

• Over the last four games, Porter has gone 23-of-32 (71.9%) from the floor.

THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering Saturday's Kent State contest, BGSU has gone 452-262 (.633) 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.

BE READY WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED
• The Falcons have utilized six different starting-lineup combinations through 17 games this season, after employing a total of five different lineups during all of last year (38 games).

• Nine different players have started at least one game in 2023-24 to date, after a total of seven different Falcons were in the starting lineup last season.

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons enter the Kent State kerfuffle with an overall record of 10-7 on the season, and BGSU is 4-3 in MAC play. Three of the Falcons' losses this season have come to nationally-ranked teams.

• BGSU is 5-1 at home, 3-6 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games. In MAC play, the Falcons are 3-0 at the Stroh and 1-3 in front of hostile gatherings.

• The Falcons rallied to beat Cleveland State in the season opener at the Stroh, and after a loss at Texas State, BG bounced back with four-straight wins, downing Xavier, Mercer, Lehigh and Duquesne. The latter game saw the Falcons win, 68-66, on Amy Velasco's buzzer-beater at the Stroh.

• 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).

• BGSU lost for the first time in league play on Jan. 13, falling at Ball State by a 76-61 count. The Falcons bounced back with a 70-59 home win over Akron last week (Jan. 17), before losing at Miami, (56-47; Jan. 20) and at Buffalo (82-72; Jan. 24).

• A total of 13 Falcons have seen action this season, with nine of those 13 averaging at least 13 minutes per contest. Nine different players have started at least one game so far in 2023-24.

• Velasco, a junior, leads the team with 35.1 minutes per game, while freshman Paige Kohler has played 32.0 mpg.

• Fourth-year Falcon 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 13.8 and 12.2 ppg, respectively. Kohler, who scored a career-high 28 points at CMU, has 10.6 points per contest, while Erika Porter has 10.0 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 before Porter scored 24 points (going 10-of-11 from the field) vs. Akron. Then, Porter had 16 points and 19 rebounds – the highest total by a Falcon in 28 years – at Miami.

• Velasco paces BG with 4.3 assists per game, followed by Kohler (3.2 apg).

• Velasco has gone 28-of-66 (42.4%) from the arc to lead the Falcons in three-point accuracy, while Sharps, despite missing the first four games of the season, leads theteam in triples made, having gone 32-of-90 (35.6%) from long distance.

• Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan have 4.5 and 4.1 ppg, respectively, this season. 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 has made five starts this season, including a pair of MAC matchups.

• Hill started the first 14 games this winter before missing the Akron and Miami contests due to injury. 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 9-for-25 from the arc this season to date. She had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting at UB.

• Velasco has a team-leading 14.9 ppg in MAC play, with Kohler and Porter averaging 14.1 and 13.9 ppg, respectively, and Sharps 10.4. Porter has a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game in MAC action after recording double-doubles in the last two games, with freshmen Keiryn McGuff and Taya Ellis at 5.2 and 4.9 rpg, respectively.

• Velasco leads the Falcons in assists (5.0 apg) and steals (1.6 spg) in MAC games, while Porter is shooting a team- and MAC-best 63.3% (38-of-60) from the floor.

• McGuff and Ellis have seen both their minutes and their production increase in conference play. McGuff is averaging 22.6 minutes per game in league contests, with Ellis at 17.2 mpg.

• Last year, the Falcons went 31-7 overall, and 14-4 in MAC play. BGSU tied Ball State for second in the conference, earned the number-two seed for the MAC Tournament and advanced to the championship game. Then, the Orange and Brown won four games in the WNIT to advance all the way to the semifinal round of that tourney. A total of nine student-athletes returned from that team in 2023-24.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE FLASHES
• Kent State is 12-5 on the season, and the Golden Flashes are 6-1 in MAC play after Wednesday night's 66-57 win over visiting Eastern Michigan. KSU has won eight of the last nine games. The Flashes are 6-1 at home, 5-3 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. In MAC games, KSU is 3-1 at home and a perfect 3-0 in hostile territory.

• Individually, Katie Shumate has 13.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg, with Jenna Batch averaging 12.9 ppg to date. Five different Flashes average at least 8.3 points per outing.

• Head coach Todd Starkey welcomed back 10 letterwinners from a 2022-23 team that finished 21-11 overall and 12-6 in conference action.

THE SERIES
• According to BGSU records, Saturday's game marks the 100th all-time meeting between the Falcons and the Golden Flashes. BG has played KSU more than any other opponent.

• The Falcons lead Kent State, 62-37, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won the last six meetings. Last season, the Falcons picked up a pair of single-digit wins, including a 66-57 decision at the Stroh Center (Jan. 21, 2023) and a 75-69 win in Kent several weeks later (Feb. 11, 2023). Before BGSU's current six-game series win streak, KSU had won seven of the previous nine matchups.

• The Falcons are 31-13 at home, 24-22 on the road and 7-2 at neutral sites vs. KSU through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 30 of the PDF version of these very notes.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the KSU contest, BGSU will prepare to face Northern Illinois on Wednesday night (Jan. 31). That game will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh.

• Then, the Falcons will make the short trip to the Glass City to face Toledo on Saturday, Feb. 3. TIpoff for the next edition of the 'Battle of I-75' is set for 2:00 p.m. at Savage Arena.

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.