Tourney Time is Here: BGSU Battles Buffalo Wednesday

Wednesday, March 13

Cleveland, Ohio

approx. 1:30 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo (Quarterfinals)

Tickets

Morgan Sharps vs. Buffalo - Feb. 28, 2024

Photo by: Scott W. Grau

March 11, 2024 | Women's Basketball

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Fifth-Seeded Falcons Face Fourth-Seeded Bulls in Downtown Cleveland

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

#5 BOWLING GREEN VS. #4 BUFFALO
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 • 1:30 p.m.
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse • Cleveland, Ohio
MAC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL
TV/Video: ESPN+ • Audio: Falcon Media Sports Network
Live Stats: GetSomeMACtion.com • Twitter: @BGSUwbb

THE FALCONS	BGSU vs. UB	THE BULLS
16-13, 10-8 MAC	2023-24 RECORDS	17-12, 10-8 MAC
31-7, 14-4 MAC	FINAL 2022-23 RECORDS	12-16, 7-11 MAC
Fred Chmiel	HEAD COACH	Becky Burke
Excelsior, 2001	ALMA MATER	Louisville, 2012
16-13 (first season)	RECORD AT SCHOOL	29-28 (second season)
16-13 (first season)	OVERALL RECORD	142-83 (eighth season)

JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team heads to Cleveland for the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Falcons, under the direction of first-year head coach Fred Chmiel, face the University at Buffalo in quarterfinal-round action on Wednesday (March 13) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

• The Falcons, the fifth seed, will meet the fourth-seeded Bulls in the second game of the day. The contest is scheduled to begin at approximately 1:30 p.m.

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

• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's UB game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: The UB 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.

THE FALCONS IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• BGSU enters Wednesday's Buffalo game with an all-time record of 48-28 in MAC Tournament contests. The Falcons have won 11 league tournament titles, the most of any conference institution, and BG has the second-highest winning percentage (.632) of any team in tourney games. BGSU's conference tournament win total also places the Falcons second among MAC teams. A complete list of BGSU's game-by-game results in the MAC Tournament can be found in the PDF version of these notes.

FALCONS VS. UB IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• The Falcons and Buffalo are meeting for the fourth time in MAC Tournament play, and the second time in downtown Cleveland. BGSU is 1-2 in tourney meetings with UB, including an 0-2 record on the road and a 1-0 mark at neutral sites. The teams have met on one previous occasion at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and that came three years ago. After losing both regular-season meetings to the Bulls in 2020-21, the Falcons picked up an 80-67 win over UB in the league tournament semifinals.

• The Falcons' other two tourney meetings with Buffalo came on the road in back-to-back years, with the Bulls winning by nearly identical scores. Those matchups came in 2016 and 2017 at Alumni Arena.
BGSU VS. BUFFALO...
Year  Round Opponent (Site)   Result
2016   1st   at Buffalo   L 44-60
2017   1st   at Buffalo L 45-61
2021   SF   Buffalo (Cleveland, Ohio) W 80-67

FALCONS BY ROUND AND SITE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• Entering Wednesday's action, the Falcons have an all-time record of 17-7 in the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round. BGSU is 15-8 in the semifinals and 11-4 in championship-game appearances over the years.

• The Falcons also have marks of 4-8 in the first round, 1-0 in second-round games and 0-1 in the third round, as the tourney format has changed over the years.

• BGSU is a perfect 10-0 in MAC Tournament home games, including a 1-0 mark at the Stroh Center. The Falcons are 2-11 in true road games and 36-17 in neutral-site contests in the league tourney over the years.

PORTER'S PROLIFIC PERCENTAGES: ERIKA'S OUT HERE BREAKING RECORDS
• In her first season with the Falcons, Erika Porter has shot the ball well. How well? Very well. So well, in fact, that she has already set one school record and is on pace for another.

• Porter enters the Buffalo game shooting 66.5% from the field this season, having made 147 of her 221 shots. She is on pace to set a new school single-season record in that category. The current record is 63.3%, set by Talita Scott in 1992-93.

• Porter is on pace to break not only the BGSU record, but the MAC single-season mark as well. Currently, Latoja Harris (Toledo) holds the record, having shot 63.8% from the floor in 1993-94.

• For much of the season, Porter has fallen just shy of the NCAA minimum requirement (5.00 field goals made per game) to qualify for the national per-game leaders. But, with her 10-of-15 performance at Eastern Michigan on Saturday (March 9), Porter has moved above that plateau. As of Monday morning (March 11), Porter is ranked second in the nation, trailing only Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes (66.7%).

• Porter shot 68.2% from the field in MAC games this season, making 107 of her 157 attempts. She shattered that BGSU record (65.5%, Talita Scott in '92-93) and fell just shy of breaking the conference mark (68.9%, Buffalo's Heather Turner in 2006-07).

AMY ACHIEVES A MILESTONE
• With a layup late in the first quarter of the Eastern Michigan game (Marc 9), junior Amy Velasco reached the 1,000-point mark for her BGSU career. Velasco now has 1,006 points in 99 games as a Falcon, an average of 10.2 points per game.

• Velasco became the 31st Falcon to reach the 1,000-point plateau, and now ranks 30th in scoring in program history.

A WALKING DOUBLE-DOUBLE
• Erika Porter had a game-high 22 points against Buffalo on Feb. 28, and she also led all players with 13 rebounds. Then, she had 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Miami three days later. After going off for 21 points and 11 boards at Eastern Michigan (March 9), Porter now has seven double-doubles this season, with all seven coming in MAC play.

• Porter has seven games with at least 20 points this season, including four in the last eight games.

MO BUCKETS
• Morgan Sharps hit seven three-point field goals in the Senior-Day win over Miami (March 2), just one shy of the school record of eight. Sharps owns a share of that record, having made eight triples vs. Troy last month (Feb. 10).

• Sharps is the first player in school history with four games of seven or more three-point field goals in a game. Madisen Parker had three such games in her BGSU career.

A MILESTONE FOR MORGAN: SHARPS SURPASSES THE 1,000-POINT MARK
• Morgan Sharps reached a career milestone in the Falcons' win at Akron on Feb. 21, as she surpassed the 1,000-point plateau. Sharps had 15 points vs. the Zips, 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 exploded for 29 points in the (March 2) win over Miami and 26 more at Western Michigan four days later, and now has 883 points in 75 games as a Falcon, an average of 11.8 points per game. She enters the UB contest with a total of 1,105 points in her college career.

SHARPS SHOOTER: MORGAN NOW SIXTH AT BGSU
• Morgan Sharps heads into the Buffalo game having made 194 triples at BGSU. Sharps has moved into sole possession of sixth place on that Falcon career list for three-pointers made.

• Sharps has played in 75 games at BGSU. Every player above her on the career list for three-point field goals made played in at least 118 career contests.

• Sharps is a virtual lock to break the school's career record for three-point field goals made per game. She has hit 2.59 triples per contest at BG, ahead of the legendary Lauren Prochaska, who made 2.30 treys per game in her Hall of Fame career.

• This season, Sharps has made 3.24 three-pointers per game, and she ranks sixth in the nation in that category.

• That figure (3.24) also puts her on pace to break the BGSU single-season record for triples per game. And, Sharps has moved into fifth place on the school's seasonal list for total treys made, as she has 81 in 2023-24 to date.

AMY ACCUMULATES ASSISTS
• Amy Velasco reached a career milestone in the win over Ohio last month (Feb. 7), dishing out the 300th assist of her career. 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 UB game, Velasco now has 342 career assists. 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 3.45. The complete lists of both career assists and assists per game can be found on page 7.

RANDOM LIST OF THE DAY: MOST PLAYERS WITH AT LEAST THREE GAMES OF 20 OR MORE POINTS THIS SEASON, MAC TEAMS
5  Bowling Green (Porter 7 20-point games, Sharps 7, Velasco 5, Fleming 3, Kohler 3)
2  Buffalo, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo
1  Akron, Ball State, Miami, Western Michigan

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons have an overall record of 16-13 on the season, and BGSU went 10-8 in MAC play. BG has won four of the last six games.

• BGSU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC in the preseason coaches poll. Despite losing an estimated 114 player-games due to injury in 2023-24 to date, the Falcons finished the regular season in a tie for fourth in the conference.

• The Falcons posted a pair of road wins, against Akron (74-68; Feb. 21) and Northern Illinois (82-73; Feb. 24), and after a 70-55 home loss to Buffalo to end the February portion of the schedule (Feb. 28), BG bounced back with a 66-47 win over Miami on Senior Day at the Stroh Center (March 2).

• Following Wednesday's (March 6) 87-73 victory at Western Michigan, BGSU had won three-straight road games. But, that streak came to an end with Saturday's (March 9) 59-54 loss at Eastern Michigan.

• BG went 8-5 at home, and the Falcons are 6-8 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites. In MAC play, the Falcons went 6-3 at the Stroh and 4-5 on the road.

• The Falcons rallied to beat Cleveland State in the season opener en route to a 5-1 start. BG had four-straight wins, downing Xavier, Mercer, Lehigh and Duquesne. The latter game was a 68-66 win 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).

• A total of 14 Falcons have seen action this season, but only eight of the 14 players who began the season on the roster suited up for the Troy game (and each game sicne that time). Nine different players have started at least one game so far in 2023-24.

• Velasco, a junior, leads the team with 35.3 minutes per game, while freshman Paige Kohler has played 33.2 mpg and Morgan Sharps 32.7.

• Fourth-year Falcon Lexi Fleming, one of the many injured players, averaged 31.4 mpg over the first 10 contests of the season, before leaving the Indiana game (Dec. 22). 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.

• Sharps and Velasco have scored 15.8 and 14.4 ppg, respectively. Erika Porter, who ended the regular season with three double-doubles in four games, has 12.3 ppg, while Kohler is right behind at 10.7 ppg. Porter (seven), Sharps (seven), Velasco (five) and Kohler (three) each have had multiple games with 20 or more points this season (as has Fleming [three]), and Porter has seven double-doubles on the year.

• Sharps is one of just five MAC players with three games of 25 or more points this season, and is averaging 21.7 ppg in the Falcons' three March games. She tied the school record with eight three-pointers made in the Troy game (Feb. 10), and has made 37 triples in the last eight contests.

• Velasco paces BG (and ranks second in the MAC) with 4.9 assists per game, followed by Kohler (3.7 apg).

• Velasco has gone 43-of-104 (41.3%) from the arc to lead the Falcons in three-point accuracy, while Sharps, despite missing the first four games of the season, tops the team in triples made, having made 81-of-210 shots (38.6%) from long distance.

• Porter is shooting a team-leading 66.5% from the field, having made 147 of her 221 total shot attempts, and she leads the team in rebounding, at 6.7 rpg. As mentioned earlier, Porter currently ranks second in the entire nation in field-goal pct. Porter, Sharps and Velasco each have made between 139 and 147 field goals this season.

• Seniors Olivia Hill and Sophie Dziekan have 4.9 and 3.0 ppg, respectively, this season. Hill has started 27 of the Falcons' 29 games, and had her first collegiate double-double at Western Michigan, with 11 points and 10 boards. After going 0-for-1 from three-point land in her first three seasons (plus two games) as a Falcon, has shown her proclivity from the arc by going 16-for-52 from downtown this season to date.

• 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 six starts this season, including three MAC matchups, and is shooting over 57% from the field.

• Kohler and Velasco each have started all 29 games this year. Hill, as mentioned, has made 27 starts, while Porter has started 22 games and Sharps 19.

• BGSU's scoring in MAC games could not have been much more balanced, as Sharps had 15.6 ppg, followed by Velasco (15.0 ppg), Porter (14.7 ppg) and Kohler (12.3 ppg). Sharps ranked fifth in the MAC in that category, and BG was the only team with four players in the top 13 in the MAC in scoring. Porter had a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game in MAC action, with seven double-doubles in conference play.

• Velasco led the Falcons – and the MAC – in assists in league games (5.3 apg), and also paced BG in steals (1.6 spg). Porter shot a team- and MAC-best 68.2% from the floor, setting a new school single-season record for highest field-goal pct. in MAC games. And, it was the second-highest average in MAC history.

• Sharps had a 35.1% three-point pct. in league games, ranking fifth in the conference among players who made at least two triples per game.

• 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 (Michigan), Nyla.Hampton (Ball State) and Jocelyn.Tate (Michigan State) 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.

THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Through the end of the 2023-24 conference schedule, BGSU has gone 458-267 (.632) 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 tied for 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
• It's safe to say the Falcons have battled some adversity this season. Entering the UB game, BGSU has lost an estimated 114 player-games to injury or illness. No fewer than 10 different Falcons have been unavailable for at least one game this year.

After just 16 games this season, the Falcons had utilized six different starting-lineup combinations. That came after BGSU employed 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.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE BULLS
• Buffalo is 17-12 this season to date, and the Bulls went 10-8 in MAC play, finishing in the fourth-place tie with BGSU in the conference standings. UB has won three of the last five games entering the MAC Tournament, and – like BGSU – will be looking to bounce back from a loss in the final regular-season game. Buffalo fell, 71-50, to visiting Ball State on Saturday (March 9). The Bulls are 12-4 at home and 5-7 on the road this season to date. In MAC games, UB went 5-4 both at home and on the road.

• Individually, Chellia Watson leads the team and is ranked sixth in the nation in scoring, with 22.7 ppg. Kirsten Lewis-Williams has 12.1 ppg, with three other Bulls scoring at least 7.4 points per outing. Five players have between 4.6 and 6.6 rpg on the year, and three Bulls have at least 2.9 apg.

• Head coach Becky Burke and the Bulls have topped last season's overall and MAC win totals, despite returning just two letterwinners. The 2022-23 club went 12-16 overall and 7-11 in league action.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Buffalo, 28-24, in the all-time series, but UB has won the last three meetings, including both of this year's regular-season matchups. The Bulls picked up an 82-72 win in Western New York (Jan. 24, 2024) and a 70-55 victory at the Stroh (Feb. 28, 2024). BGSU's last win over the Bulls was a 64-61 triumph last season (Jan. 25, 2023) at Alumni Arena. UB has won five of the last six meetings and 19 of the last 23 contests since a 20-game BGSU series win streak from 2004-14.

• The Falcons are 12-11 at home, 14-13 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites vs. UB through the years. Additional series information can be found in the PDF version of these notes.

DOWN THE ROAD
• The BGSU-Buffalo winner will advance to Friday's (March 15) MAC Tournament semifinal round, to meet either top-seeded Toledo or eighth-seeded Western Michigan. That will be the first semifinal of the day, and will begin at 10:00 a.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

• The championship game is set for Saturday (March 16) at 11:00 a.m. All quarterfinal- and semifinal-round games will be streamed on ESPN+, and the final will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

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.