Stand up & cheer, because the Falcons are back at the Stroh on Wednesday night
Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics
EMU Comes to Town for Wednesday-Night Matchup
January 09, 2024 | Women's Basketball
BGSU puts 2-0 MAC record on the line against the Eagles
BGSU vs. EASTERN MICHIGAN
Wednesday, January 10, 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, off to a 2-0 start in Mid-American Conference play, wraps up a brief two-game homestand with a midweek matchup at the Stroh Center. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, host Eastern Michigan University on Wednesday evening (Jan. 10), with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's EMU 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 theme will be a Welcome Back Party for students returning to campus for the spring semester. The first 250 students at the game will receive a free hat.
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS TOP WMU, 75-69
• For the second time in as many MAC games, the Falcons made key plays down the stretch en route to victory. BGSU picked up a 75-69 win over Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 6) inside the Stroh Center.
• Morgan Sharps scored 19 points for the Falcons, while Erika Porter had 18 points, including 12 in the third quarter alone as BGSU erased an eight-point deficit.
• Amy Velasco and Paige Kohler rounded out the Falcons' quartet of double-digit scorers, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Kaitlyn Zarycki had a game-high 23 points for the Broncos, with Jasmine Elder and Alli Carlson adding 10 points apiece.
• BGSU led for just 32 seconds during the first half, and the Broncos took an eight-point lead – Western's largest of the game – early in the third quarter. But, the Falcons responded with a 10-2 run, capped by six-straight points from Porter. Zarycki gave the visitors a 48-46 lead with a driving layup, but Kohler found Porter for another hoop down low, and BG never trailed again.
• Much more information on the WMU game, and on many other BGSU women's hoops-related topics, can be found in the PDF version of these notes.
CLOSE CALLS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons are now 3-1 at the Stroh Center this season. The lone loss came to the number-one team in the country, South Carolina.
• Each of the other three games at the Stroh has been tied in the final 90 seconds or later, and all three games – contests against Cleveland State, Duquesne and WMU – were within two points or fewer with under 10 seconds to go.
FRESHMEN FLOURISH IN FIRST FORAY(S) IN THE MAC
• Three BGSU freshmen saw action at Central Michigan, and all three made B!G contributions in the road win. That trio – Paige Kohler, Keiryn McGuff and Taya Ellis – combined for 38 of the Falcons' 65 points on the night.
• Kohler exploded for a game-high 28 points, the highest total of her young career. She hit four three-pointers, went 6-of-7 at the free-throw line and added four assists.
• McGuff had career-best totals of six points and seven rebounds, while Ellis had four points and five boards. Both players blocked two shots in the win.
• Ellis and McGuff combined to score a total of 15 points in the Falcons' first 10 games of the season, before teaming up to score 10 against the Chippewas.
• And, all three players were on the court during key stretches of the game. Kohler played a total of 32:54 in the win, including 7:39 of the fourth quarter. Ellis and McGuff each played over 20 minutes on the night, with McGuff on the court for 7:50 in the final quarter. She had a plus/minus rating of +10 in that period alone.
• Ellis played the final 2:44 of the contest, and all three players were on the court for the final defensive sequence, when the Falcons got a stop to preserve the win.
• Against Western Michigan, Ellis played nearly 23 minutes, with McGuff playing 24 and Kohler 25. Kohler played the entire fourth quarter, with McGuff playing 9:10 and Ellis 8:02 of the final 10 minutes. BGSU held WMU scoreless for the final 2:37, and – with the Falcons leading by two points and just 10 seconds left – Ellis blocked a potential game-tying layup attempt by the Broncos.
SPEAKING OF DEFENSE
• BGSU allowed Central Michigan to make just one field goal during the entire fourth quarter last Wednesday night. After a layup by the Chippewas gave the hosts a 60-51 lead with 8:20 left in the game, the BG defense forced Central to go 0-for-16 from the field during the remainder of the contest.
• CMU shot just 5.0% (not a typo – five percent) from the field in that fourth quarter.
• Then, against WMU, the Falcons held the Broncos scoreless for the final 2:37 and put together a 6-0 run to end the game.
BLOCK PARTY: ELLIS IS IN ELITE COMPANY
• Taya Ellis blocked four shots against Western Michigan, tying her career high. She also had four rejections in the Texas State game (Nov. 11).
• Ellis is only the second freshman in school history with four blocks in two or more games. BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Honegger had four such games during her freshman season (2003-04).
THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons enter the Eastern Michigan game with an overall record of 8-4 on the season, and BGSU is off to a 2-0 start in MAC play. Three of the four losses have come to nationally-ranked teams, and the four teams who have beaten BGSU currently have a combined record of 52-7.
• BGSU is 3-1 at home, 3-3 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games.
• 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 last Wednesday night's (Jan. 3) MAC opener. Then, BGSU won another close contest, downing Western Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 6), 75-69.
• A total of 13 Falcons have seen action this season, with nine of those 13 averaging over 10 minutes per contest. Velasco leads the team with 34.8 minutes per game, while Paige Kohler has played 30.3 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.
• Morgan Sharps and Velasco have scored 13.8 and 12.3 ppg, respectively. Kohler, who scored a career-high 28 points at CMU, now has 10.1 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.
• Velasco paces BG with 3.9 assists per game, followed closely by Kohler (3.6 apg).
• Sharps is shooting nearly 46 percent from three-point range, having gone 25-for-55 (45.5%) from the arc in her eight games. Velasco has made 39% (16-of-41) of her long-distance tries.
• Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan have 4.3 and 4.2 ppg, respectively. 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 started each of the last five games.
• Hill is one of three Falcons (joining Kohler and Velasco) who have started all 12 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 7-for-17 (41.2%) from the arc this season to date.
• Freshmen Taya Ellis and Keiryn McGuff have seen both their minutes and their production increase in conference play. Entering the MAC opener at CMU, Ellis and McGuff were averaging 1.9 and 1.7 ppg, respectively. The duo combined for 15 points in the Falcons' first 10 games, but have teamed up for 14 over the last two contests while providing a lift at the defensive end of the floor as well.
• McGuff has 5.0 ppg in the two MAC matchups, and is 8-of-10 from the line during that time. Ellis has 2.0 ppg and a team-leading 6.0 rpg in conference play. They rank fourth (McGuff; 22.5 mpg) and fifth (Ellis; 21.9), respectively, on the team in minutes played in MAC games to date.
• 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.
• The Falcons lost four starters from a year ago, as Allison.Day completed her eligibility and Elissa.Brett, Nyla.Hampton and Jocelyn.Tate all entered the transfer portal. Additionally, Kadie.Hempfling, the only player in school history with over 1,200 points, 800 rebounds and 400 assists, completed her eligibility.
• Fleming made 20 starts last season, with Sharps starting 17 games and Velasco five.
• 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.
• Chmiel's staff is comprised of assistant coaches Maggie Lucas, Nick DiPillo and Lexxus Graham-Blincoe, video coordinator Audra Clark, director of operations Tim Kjar and director of player personnel Zhaque Gray.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE EAGLES
• Eastern Michigan is 4-8 on the season, and the Eagles are 1-1 in MAC play after a 48-35 loss to Toledo on Saturday. EMU is 2-2 at home and 2-6 on the road to date.
• Individually, Tayra Eke leads a balanced attack with 9.8 ppg. She is shooting nearly 55 percent from the field. ZaNiya Nelson averages 9.1 points per contest, as a total of six players average at least 6.3 ppg.
• Ke'Sha Blanton has a record of 3-1 since being named interim head coach on Dec. 11. The Eagles returned eight players from a 2022-23 club that went 15-15 overall and 7-11 in the MAC.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead EMU, 56-20, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won five consecutive meetings with the Eagles. Last season, the Falcons picked up a 79-63 win at the Stroh, in the teams' lone regular-season meeting (Jan. 7, 2023). Then, the Orange and Brown posted a 70-36 win over an injury-riddled EMU squad in the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round in downtown Cleveland (March 8, 2023). Eastern's last series win was a 70-58 decision in Northwest Ohio four years ago (Feb. 12, 2020).
• The Falcons are 30-6 at home, 21-13 on the road and 5-1 at neutral sites vs. EMU through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 27.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the EMU contest, BGSU hits the road for a Saturday (Jan. 13) matchup at Ball State. That contest begins at 1:00 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face Akron next Wednesday night (Jan. 17). The Falcons and Zips will meet in a 7:00 p.m. start at the Stroh.
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 10, 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, off to a 2-0 start in Mid-American Conference play, wraps up a brief two-game homestand with a midweek matchup at the Stroh Center. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, host Eastern Michigan University on Wednesday evening (Jan. 10), with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's EMU 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 theme will be a Welcome Back Party for students returning to campus for the spring semester. The first 250 students at the game will receive a free hat.
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS TOP WMU, 75-69
• For the second time in as many MAC games, the Falcons made key plays down the stretch en route to victory. BGSU picked up a 75-69 win over Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 6) inside the Stroh Center.
• Morgan Sharps scored 19 points for the Falcons, while Erika Porter had 18 points, including 12 in the third quarter alone as BGSU erased an eight-point deficit.
• Amy Velasco and Paige Kohler rounded out the Falcons' quartet of double-digit scorers, with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
• Kaitlyn Zarycki had a game-high 23 points for the Broncos, with Jasmine Elder and Alli Carlson adding 10 points apiece.
• BGSU led for just 32 seconds during the first half, and the Broncos took an eight-point lead – Western's largest of the game – early in the third quarter. But, the Falcons responded with a 10-2 run, capped by six-straight points from Porter. Zarycki gave the visitors a 48-46 lead with a driving layup, but Kohler found Porter for another hoop down low, and BG never trailed again.
• Much more information on the WMU game, and on many other BGSU women's hoops-related topics, can be found in the PDF version of these notes.
CLOSE CALLS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons are now 3-1 at the Stroh Center this season. The lone loss came to the number-one team in the country, South Carolina.
• Each of the other three games at the Stroh has been tied in the final 90 seconds or later, and all three games – contests against Cleveland State, Duquesne and WMU – were within two points or fewer with under 10 seconds to go.
FRESHMEN FLOURISH IN FIRST FORAY(S) IN THE MAC
• Three BGSU freshmen saw action at Central Michigan, and all three made B!G contributions in the road win. That trio – Paige Kohler, Keiryn McGuff and Taya Ellis – combined for 38 of the Falcons' 65 points on the night.
• Kohler exploded for a game-high 28 points, the highest total of her young career. She hit four three-pointers, went 6-of-7 at the free-throw line and added four assists.
• McGuff had career-best totals of six points and seven rebounds, while Ellis had four points and five boards. Both players blocked two shots in the win.
• Ellis and McGuff combined to score a total of 15 points in the Falcons' first 10 games of the season, before teaming up to score 10 against the Chippewas.
• And, all three players were on the court during key stretches of the game. Kohler played a total of 32:54 in the win, including 7:39 of the fourth quarter. Ellis and McGuff each played over 20 minutes on the night, with McGuff on the court for 7:50 in the final quarter. She had a plus/minus rating of +10 in that period alone.
• Ellis played the final 2:44 of the contest, and all three players were on the court for the final defensive sequence, when the Falcons got a stop to preserve the win.
• Against Western Michigan, Ellis played nearly 23 minutes, with McGuff playing 24 and Kohler 25. Kohler played the entire fourth quarter, with McGuff playing 9:10 and Ellis 8:02 of the final 10 minutes. BGSU held WMU scoreless for the final 2:37, and – with the Falcons leading by two points and just 10 seconds left – Ellis blocked a potential game-tying layup attempt by the Broncos.
SPEAKING OF DEFENSE
• BGSU allowed Central Michigan to make just one field goal during the entire fourth quarter last Wednesday night. After a layup by the Chippewas gave the hosts a 60-51 lead with 8:20 left in the game, the BG defense forced Central to go 0-for-16 from the field during the remainder of the contest.
• CMU shot just 5.0% (not a typo – five percent) from the field in that fourth quarter.
• Then, against WMU, the Falcons held the Broncos scoreless for the final 2:37 and put together a 6-0 run to end the game.
BLOCK PARTY: ELLIS IS IN ELITE COMPANY
• Taya Ellis blocked four shots against Western Michigan, tying her career high. She also had four rejections in the Texas State game (Nov. 11).
• Ellis is only the second freshman in school history with four blocks in two or more games. BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Honegger had four such games during her freshman season (2003-04).
THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons enter the Eastern Michigan game with an overall record of 8-4 on the season, and BGSU is off to a 2-0 start in MAC play. Three of the four losses have come to nationally-ranked teams, and the four teams who have beaten BGSU currently have a combined record of 52-7.
• BGSU is 3-1 at home, 3-3 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games.
• 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 last Wednesday night's (Jan. 3) MAC opener. Then, BGSU won another close contest, downing Western Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 6), 75-69.
• A total of 13 Falcons have seen action this season, with nine of those 13 averaging over 10 minutes per contest. Velasco leads the team with 34.8 minutes per game, while Paige Kohler has played 30.3 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.
• Morgan Sharps and Velasco have scored 13.8 and 12.3 ppg, respectively. Kohler, who scored a career-high 28 points at CMU, now has 10.1 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.
• Velasco paces BG with 3.9 assists per game, followed closely by Kohler (3.6 apg).
• Sharps is shooting nearly 46 percent from three-point range, having gone 25-for-55 (45.5%) from the arc in her eight games. Velasco has made 39% (16-of-41) of her long-distance tries.
• Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan have 4.3 and 4.2 ppg, respectively. 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 started each of the last five games.
• Hill is one of three Falcons (joining Kohler and Velasco) who have started all 12 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 7-for-17 (41.2%) from the arc this season to date.
• Freshmen Taya Ellis and Keiryn McGuff have seen both their minutes and their production increase in conference play. Entering the MAC opener at CMU, Ellis and McGuff were averaging 1.9 and 1.7 ppg, respectively. The duo combined for 15 points in the Falcons' first 10 games, but have teamed up for 14 over the last two contests while providing a lift at the defensive end of the floor as well.
• McGuff has 5.0 ppg in the two MAC matchups, and is 8-of-10 from the line during that time. Ellis has 2.0 ppg and a team-leading 6.0 rpg in conference play. They rank fourth (McGuff; 22.5 mpg) and fifth (Ellis; 21.9), respectively, on the team in minutes played in MAC games to date.
• 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.
• The Falcons lost four starters from a year ago, as Allison.Day completed her eligibility and Elissa.Brett, Nyla.Hampton and Jocelyn.Tate all entered the transfer portal. Additionally, Kadie.Hempfling, the only player in school history with over 1,200 points, 800 rebounds and 400 assists, completed her eligibility.
• Fleming made 20 starts last season, with Sharps starting 17 games and Velasco five.
• 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.
• Chmiel's staff is comprised of assistant coaches Maggie Lucas, Nick DiPillo and Lexxus Graham-Blincoe, video coordinator Audra Clark, director of operations Tim Kjar and director of player personnel Zhaque Gray.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE EAGLES
• Eastern Michigan is 4-8 on the season, and the Eagles are 1-1 in MAC play after a 48-35 loss to Toledo on Saturday. EMU is 2-2 at home and 2-6 on the road to date.
• Individually, Tayra Eke leads a balanced attack with 9.8 ppg. She is shooting nearly 55 percent from the field. ZaNiya Nelson averages 9.1 points per contest, as a total of six players average at least 6.3 ppg.
• Ke'Sha Blanton has a record of 3-1 since being named interim head coach on Dec. 11. The Eagles returned eight players from a 2022-23 club that went 15-15 overall and 7-11 in the MAC.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead EMU, 56-20, in the all-time series, and BGSU has won five consecutive meetings with the Eagles. Last season, the Falcons picked up a 79-63 win at the Stroh, in the teams' lone regular-season meeting (Jan. 7, 2023). Then, the Orange and Brown posted a 70-36 win over an injury-riddled EMU squad in the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round in downtown Cleveland (March 8, 2023). Eastern's last series win was a 70-58 decision in Northwest Ohio four years ago (Feb. 12, 2020).
• The Falcons are 30-6 at home, 21-13 on the road and 5-1 at neutral sites vs. EMU through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 27.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the EMU contest, BGSU hits the road for a Saturday (Jan. 13) matchup at Ball State. That contest begins at 1:00 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face Akron next Wednesday night (Jan. 17). The Falcons and Zips will meet in a 7:00 p.m. start at the Stroh.
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.
Players Mentioned
Amy Velasco, Lexi Fleming, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Mar. 5, 2025)
Thursday, March 06
Paige Kohler, Coach Chmiel, & Amy Velasco Postgame Interview (Feb. 26, 2025)
Thursday, February 27
In the Paint: Lexxus Graham-Blincoe
Wednesday, February 26
Erika Porter, Amy Velasco, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Feb. 22, 2025)
Sunday, February 23