Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, February 24
DeKalb, Ill.
2 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
at
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Scott W. Grau
BGSU Ventures to DeKalb for Saturday Meeting with NIU
February 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Falcons face the Huskies as the MAC schedule heats up
BGSU at NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Saturday, February 24, 2024 • 2:00 p.m. ET
Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill.
TV/Video: ESPN+ • Audio: Falcon Media Sports Network
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb
JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, coming off of a road win on Wednesday night, returns to the road this weekend. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, travel to DeKalb, Ill., for a Saturday (Feb. 24) meeting with Northern Illinois University, with tipoff at 2:00 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will wrap up the home portion of the 2023-24 schedule with back-to-back games at the Stroh Center, against the University at Buffalo and Miami University.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Saturday's NIU game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: The NIU contest, as is the case for all of BGSU's 2023-24 games, is scheduled to have an audio stream thanks to the Falcon Media Sports Network.
• LIVE STATS: Live stats for all games in '23-24 are 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.
A MILESTONE FOR MORGAN: SHARPS SURPASSES THE 1,000-POINT MARK
• Morgan Sharps reached a career milestone on Wednesday night (Feb. 21), surpassing the 1,000-point plateau. Sharps had 15 points in the Falcons' win over Akron, including a three-point field goal in the last minute of the first quarter that put her past the millennium mark.
• Sharps, a transfer from Xavier, scored 222 points with the Musketeers prior to coming to BGSU. She now has 788 in 70 games with the Falcons, an average of 11.3 points per game, and a total of 1,010 points in her college career.
MILESTONE WATCH: AMY ACCUMULATES ASSISTS
• Junior Amy Velasco reached a career milestone in the Ohio game (Feb. 7), dishing out the 300th assist of her career in the Falcons' 69-52 win over the Bobcats. Velasco became just the 11th player in school history to reach the 300-assist plateau.
• Then, three days later (Feb. 10), Velasco handed out seven more assists, moving past Judit Lendvay (304 assists from 1989-93) into 10th place on the BGSU career assists list. Entering the NIU game, Velasco now has 316 career dimes. Her next target is ninth-place Cathy Koch, who had 347 assists from 1988-92.
• Velasco currently ranks seventh in BGSU history in assists per game, with 3.36..
• Velasco surpassed the 900-point mark for her career in the Toledo game. She now has 928 points as a Falcon, tops among all current team members.
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS PICK UP ROAD WIN VS. AKRON
• Erika Porter had a monster game and Morgan Sharps surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career as the Falcons picked up a 74-68 road win over Akron Wednesday night (Feb. 21) at James A. Rhodes Arena.
• Porter had game-high totals of 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Falcons, pacing four double-digit scorers. Amy Velasco had 18 points, with Sharps scoring 15 and Paige Kohler 10.
• The Zips got 17 points from Lanae Riley, with five of her teammates scoring between eight and 11 points.
• With the win, the Falcons move into a tie for fourth place in the MAC standings. BGSU is tied with Buffalo, as the Bulls fell to Northern Illinois (BG's next opponent) on Wednesday.
• The Falcons trailed for a total of just 17 seconds in the game, and Akron never led in the final 35-plus minutes. BGSU led by 10 points on several first-half occasions, but the Zips battled back to within three at the intermission.
• The visitors moved the lead back out to 10 points on a Porter hoop midway through the third quarter, but again the hosts responded, tying the contest on a pair of Riley free throws late in the period.
• A three-pointer by Sharps gave the Falcons a 65-60 lead with 6:41 to go, but the Zips scored the next five points, with a Riley triple knotting the score with 5:18 on the clock. BG responded, however, with a Kohler free throw, followed by layups from Kohler and Porter to push the lead back out to five.
• Another Riley trey made it a 70-68 game with 2:30 remaining, but Porter responded with a layup, and the Falcons held the Zips scoreless the rest of the way. Velasco iced the contest with a pair of late free throws.
• BGSU shot an even 50 percent for the game, and the Falcons had a 38-31 rebounding lead in the win.
SHARPS SHOOTER: MORGAN NOW TIED FOR EIGHTH AT BGSU
• Morgan Sharps made two three-point field goals in the win at Akron, giving her 173 triples in her BGSU career. Sharps has moved into a tie for eighth place on that Falcon career list.
• Sharps has played in 70 games at BGSU. Every player above her on the career list for three-point field goals made played in at least 111 career contests.
• Sharps is on pace to break the school record for three-point field goals made per game in a career. She has hit 2.47 triples per contest as a Falcon, ahead of the legendary Lauren Prochaska, who made 2.30 treys per game in her Hall of Fame career.
• This season, Sharps has made exactly 3.00 three-pointers per game, and ranks seventh in the nation in that category.
WELCOME!
• In early February, BGSU coach Fred Chmiel announced the addition of Kyla Smith to the roster. Smith, a senior, came to the varsity program from the BGSU club team. A native of Blacklick, Ohio, the guard helped Gahanna Lincoln H.S. to a 20-7 overall record and a regional semifinal appearance in her senior season of 2019-20.
• Smith made her Falcon debut in the win at Akron, playing the final seconds of the third quarter. She hd a plus/minus rating of +2 in that game.
A WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Erika Porter had a monster game against Akron, with game-high totals of 22 points and 16 rebounds. Porter's double-double on Wednesday was her fourth of the season, and she reached the 20-point mark for the fifth time this year.
PORTER'S PERCENTAGE PACES THE MAC
• Erika Porter continued a stretch of torrid shooting by going 8-of-9 from the floor against Troy. That came after a 6-for-8 performance three days earlier vs. Ohio. Then, at Akron, she want 9-of-13 from the floor en route to a game-high 22 points.
• Entering the NIU game, Porter leads the MAC in field-goal percentage in conference games, having made 66.4% of her shots vs. league foes.
• Over the last 10 games, Porter has gone 64-of-88 (72.7%) from the floor.
• Overall, Porter is shooting 64.9% in 2023-24, having made 111 of her 171 shots. That percentage would rank her fourth in the nation, but she falls just shy of the NCAA's minimum requirements (NCAA minimum is 5.00 field goals made per game, and Porter currently has 4.63 FGM/game).
A QUICK LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
• Northern Illinois enters Saturday's game with a 13-12 overall record this season, and the Huskies are 6-7 in MAC action. NIU, coming off of a 66-57 win at Buffalo on Wednesday, is 8-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games to date. In MAC action, Northern is 3-4 at home and 3-3 on the road. The Huskies have won four of the last five games.
• Individually, Jayden Marable and Brooke Stonebraker each are averaging 11.5 ppg this season, as Marable has 288 total points and Stonebraker 287. Stonebraker, the daughter of former BGSU women's basketball great Jacki (Raterman) Stonebraker, leads the Huskies and ranks second in the MAC with 9.2 rpg. Sidney McCrea has 9.0 ppg and leads the team wth 49 three-point field goals made.
• Head coach Lisa Carlsen welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from a 2022-23 team that finished 16-17 overall and 8-10 in conference action.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Northern Illinois, 28-21, in the all-time series, and BGSU captured this season's first meeting, with a 72-54 decision at the Stroh Center (Jan. 31, 2024). Last season, the visiting team won each of the two matchups, with BG picking up a 66-50 victory in DeKalb (Jan. 28, 2023), but NIU taking an 85-81 decision several weeks later (Feb. 15, 2023) in Northwest Ohio. BGSU won 13-straight meetings from 2005-15, but Northern then won nine of the next 10 contests before the Falcons took both games two years ago.
• The Falcons are 16-10 at home, 11-11 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites vs. NIU through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 32.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the NIU game, the Falcons will return home for the next two contests. BGSU will host Buffalo on Wednesday night (Feb. 28), with tipoff at 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
• Then, the Falcons will face Miami next Saturday (March 2) in a 2:00 p.m. start, on Senior Day at the Stroh.
REMAINING REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
Sat., Feb. 24 – at Northern Illinois, 2:00 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 28 – BUFFALO, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 2 – MIAMI, 2:00 p.m.
Wed., March 6 – at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 9 – at Eastern Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24, 2024 • 2:00 p.m. ET
Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill.
TV/Video: ESPN+ • Audio: Falcon Media Sports Network
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb
JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, coming off of a road win on Wednesday night, returns to the road this weekend. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, travel to DeKalb, Ill., for a Saturday (Feb. 24) meeting with Northern Illinois University, with tipoff at 2:00 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will wrap up the home portion of the 2023-24 schedule with back-to-back games at the Stroh Center, against the University at Buffalo and Miami University.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are multiple ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2023-24...
• TV/VIDEO: Saturday's NIU game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: The NIU contest, as is the case for all of BGSU's 2023-24 games, is scheduled to have an audio stream thanks to the Falcon Media Sports Network.
• LIVE STATS: Live stats for all games in '23-24 are 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.
A MILESTONE FOR MORGAN: SHARPS SURPASSES THE 1,000-POINT MARK
• Morgan Sharps reached a career milestone on Wednesday night (Feb. 21), surpassing the 1,000-point plateau. Sharps had 15 points in the Falcons' win over Akron, including a three-point field goal in the last minute of the first quarter that put her past the millennium mark.
• Sharps, a transfer from Xavier, scored 222 points with the Musketeers prior to coming to BGSU. She now has 788 in 70 games with the Falcons, an average of 11.3 points per game, and a total of 1,010 points in her college career.
MILESTONE WATCH: AMY ACCUMULATES ASSISTS
• Junior Amy Velasco reached a career milestone in the Ohio game (Feb. 7), dishing out the 300th assist of her career in the Falcons' 69-52 win over the Bobcats. Velasco became just the 11th player in school history to reach the 300-assist plateau.
• Then, three days later (Feb. 10), Velasco handed out seven more assists, moving past Judit Lendvay (304 assists from 1989-93) into 10th place on the BGSU career assists list. Entering the NIU game, Velasco now has 316 career dimes. Her next target is ninth-place Cathy Koch, who had 347 assists from 1988-92.
• Velasco currently ranks seventh in BGSU history in assists per game, with 3.36..
• Velasco surpassed the 900-point mark for her career in the Toledo game. She now has 928 points as a Falcon, tops among all current team members.
LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS PICK UP ROAD WIN VS. AKRON
• Erika Porter had a monster game and Morgan Sharps surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career as the Falcons picked up a 74-68 road win over Akron Wednesday night (Feb. 21) at James A. Rhodes Arena.
• Porter had game-high totals of 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Falcons, pacing four double-digit scorers. Amy Velasco had 18 points, with Sharps scoring 15 and Paige Kohler 10.
• The Zips got 17 points from Lanae Riley, with five of her teammates scoring between eight and 11 points.
• With the win, the Falcons move into a tie for fourth place in the MAC standings. BGSU is tied with Buffalo, as the Bulls fell to Northern Illinois (BG's next opponent) on Wednesday.
• The Falcons trailed for a total of just 17 seconds in the game, and Akron never led in the final 35-plus minutes. BGSU led by 10 points on several first-half occasions, but the Zips battled back to within three at the intermission.
• The visitors moved the lead back out to 10 points on a Porter hoop midway through the third quarter, but again the hosts responded, tying the contest on a pair of Riley free throws late in the period.
• A three-pointer by Sharps gave the Falcons a 65-60 lead with 6:41 to go, but the Zips scored the next five points, with a Riley triple knotting the score with 5:18 on the clock. BG responded, however, with a Kohler free throw, followed by layups from Kohler and Porter to push the lead back out to five.
• Another Riley trey made it a 70-68 game with 2:30 remaining, but Porter responded with a layup, and the Falcons held the Zips scoreless the rest of the way. Velasco iced the contest with a pair of late free throws.
• BGSU shot an even 50 percent for the game, and the Falcons had a 38-31 rebounding lead in the win.
SHARPS SHOOTER: MORGAN NOW TIED FOR EIGHTH AT BGSU
• Morgan Sharps made two three-point field goals in the win at Akron, giving her 173 triples in her BGSU career. Sharps has moved into a tie for eighth place on that Falcon career list.
• Sharps has played in 70 games at BGSU. Every player above her on the career list for three-point field goals made played in at least 111 career contests.
• Sharps is on pace to break the school record for three-point field goals made per game in a career. She has hit 2.47 triples per contest as a Falcon, ahead of the legendary Lauren Prochaska, who made 2.30 treys per game in her Hall of Fame career.
• This season, Sharps has made exactly 3.00 three-pointers per game, and ranks seventh in the nation in that category.
WELCOME!
• In early February, BGSU coach Fred Chmiel announced the addition of Kyla Smith to the roster. Smith, a senior, came to the varsity program from the BGSU club team. A native of Blacklick, Ohio, the guard helped Gahanna Lincoln H.S. to a 20-7 overall record and a regional semifinal appearance in her senior season of 2019-20.
• Smith made her Falcon debut in the win at Akron, playing the final seconds of the third quarter. She hd a plus/minus rating of +2 in that game.
A WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Erika Porter had a monster game against Akron, with game-high totals of 22 points and 16 rebounds. Porter's double-double on Wednesday was her fourth of the season, and she reached the 20-point mark for the fifth time this year.
PORTER'S PERCENTAGE PACES THE MAC
• Erika Porter continued a stretch of torrid shooting by going 8-of-9 from the floor against Troy. That came after a 6-for-8 performance three days earlier vs. Ohio. Then, at Akron, she want 9-of-13 from the floor en route to a game-high 22 points.
• Entering the NIU game, Porter leads the MAC in field-goal percentage in conference games, having made 66.4% of her shots vs. league foes.
• Over the last 10 games, Porter has gone 64-of-88 (72.7%) from the floor.
• Overall, Porter is shooting 64.9% in 2023-24, having made 111 of her 171 shots. That percentage would rank her fourth in the nation, but she falls just shy of the NCAA's minimum requirements (NCAA minimum is 5.00 field goals made per game, and Porter currently has 4.63 FGM/game).
A QUICK LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
• Northern Illinois enters Saturday's game with a 13-12 overall record this season, and the Huskies are 6-7 in MAC action. NIU, coming off of a 66-57 win at Buffalo on Wednesday, is 8-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games to date. In MAC action, Northern is 3-4 at home and 3-3 on the road. The Huskies have won four of the last five games.
• Individually, Jayden Marable and Brooke Stonebraker each are averaging 11.5 ppg this season, as Marable has 288 total points and Stonebraker 287. Stonebraker, the daughter of former BGSU women's basketball great Jacki (Raterman) Stonebraker, leads the Huskies and ranks second in the MAC with 9.2 rpg. Sidney McCrea has 9.0 ppg and leads the team wth 49 three-point field goals made.
• Head coach Lisa Carlsen welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from a 2022-23 team that finished 16-17 overall and 8-10 in conference action.
THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Northern Illinois, 28-21, in the all-time series, and BGSU captured this season's first meeting, with a 72-54 decision at the Stroh Center (Jan. 31, 2024). Last season, the visiting team won each of the two matchups, with BG picking up a 66-50 victory in DeKalb (Jan. 28, 2023), but NIU taking an 85-81 decision several weeks later (Feb. 15, 2023) in Northwest Ohio. BGSU won 13-straight meetings from 2005-15, but Northern then won nine of the next 10 contests before the Falcons took both games two years ago.
• The Falcons are 16-10 at home, 11-11 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites vs. NIU through the years. Additional series information can be found on page 32.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the NIU game, the Falcons will return home for the next two contests. BGSU will host Buffalo on Wednesday night (Feb. 28), with tipoff at 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
• Then, the Falcons will face Miami next Saturday (March 2) in a 2:00 p.m. start, on Senior Day at the Stroh.
REMAINING REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE
Sat., Feb. 24 – at Northern Illinois, 2:00 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 28 – BUFFALO, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 2 – MIAMI, 2:00 p.m.
Wed., March 6 – at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., March 9 – at Eastern Michigan, 1:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballAmy Velasco, Lexi Fleming, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Mar. 5, 2025)
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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