Falcons Head to Glass City to Renew the "Battle of I-75"

Saturday, January 31

Toledo, Ohio

5 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Toledo

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Bench Celebration | BGSU v Akron | Jan. 28, 2026

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

January 30, 2026 | Women's Basketball, The Battle Of I-75

BGSU Notes Toledo WBB BGSU WBB Media Central Support BGSU WBB

BGSU Battles the Rockets Saturday at 5 p.m.

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2026 | 5:00 P.M. | SAVAGE ARENA | TOLEDO, OHIO

BOWLING GREEN
FALCONS
(11-9, 4-5 MAC)

TOLEDO
ROCKETS
(10-8, 5-3 MAC)


WATCH: ESPN+ \| LISTEN: Falcon Media Sports \| LIVE STATS: BGSU-UT \| TWITTER/X: @BGSUwbb \| INSTAGRAM: bgsuwbb

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team renews the "Battle of I-75" as the January portion of the schedule comes to a close. Head coach Fred Chmiel and the Falcons make a short trek north for a Saturday (Jan. 31) meeting with the University of Toledo. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m. at Savage Arena.

"BATTLE OF I-75"
Saturday's game is the latest edition of the "Battle of I-75" Presented by Fremont Federal Credit Union, with five points on the line. The 2025-26 standings and additional information on the rivalry can be found by clicking here.

WHERE TO WATCH / LISTEN
• Saturday's Toledo game – as is the case with all of BGSU's MAC games – will be streamed via ESPN+. Additionally, all 2025-26 games will have an audio stream, thanks to BG Falcon Media Sports.

STATS & SOCIAL MEDIA
• Links to audio, video and live stats for all 2025-26 games can always be found on the web at BGSUFalcons.com – both on the women's basketball schedule page and in the right column on the main page – on game day.

THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering the Toledo tussle, BGSU has gone 473-279 (.629) in league regular-season games over the years. The Falcons have the second-highest winning percentage of all MAC institutions, and the second-most conference wins of all 13 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.

• BGSU leads the all-time series with all 12 conference foes, making the Falcons – obviously – the only team in the league with a winning record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.

MILLENNIUM FALCON: PK REACHES 1K
• Junior Paige Kohler was recognized on a brief on-court ceremony prior to Wednesday's (Jan. 28) win over Akron. One week prior (Jan. 21), Kohler knocked down a corner three on the opening possession of the Falcons' game vs. Ohio, in the process surpassing the 1,000-point milestone for her BGSU career.

• Kohler became the 33rd player in program history to reach the millennium mark. And, she is tied for the seventh-fastest player to get to the 1,000-point plateau, having done so in her 80th career game in the Orange and Brown. The list of fastest Falcons to 1,000 points can be found on page 7 of these very notes.

• Kohler is now 30th in career scoring, with 1,038 career points at BG.

SHE'S 5-FOOT-3, BUT DON'T TELL HER THAT
• Senior Kaia Woods, listed as 5-foot-3 on BGSU's official rosters, led all players with a total of 10 rebounds in Wednesday's (Jan. 28) win over Akron. Woods also had 10 points, for the first double-double of her collegiate career.

• Woods is averaging 3.6 rebounds per game on the season. In MAC play, she is fourth on the Falcons with 4.5 rpg.

DONAHUE'S DOMINANCE
• Sophomore Johnea Donahue has had more than her share of well-rounded games in 2025-26. After missing two games due to injury in mid-December, Donahue returned to action and posted a double-double in the MAC opener against Kent State (Dec. 20). She had a game-high 19 points along with a game- and career-high 11 rebounds, and was named MAC Player of the Week for the second time this year.

• Donahue also had been named MAC P-O-T-W after stuffing the stat sheet with a career-high 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals at Wisconsin (Nov. 12), followed by a 16-point performance at Marquette two nights later.

• The guard had eight steals, falling just two shy of the school record, in BGSU's win over Kentucky State (Dec. 3). All eight steals came in the first half.

• After her performance v Kent State, she posted her second-straight double-double at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 30), with 10 points and 10 boards.

• Donahue had her second eight-steal game of the season in the win at Northern Illinois (Jan. 10), adding 10 points, five assists and four rebounds vs. the Huskies. And, the sophomore had a game-high six steals in back-to-back games, vs. Massachusetts (Jan. 24) and Akron (Jan. 28)

• Currently, Donahue is averaging 4.17 steals per game this season, which leads the MAC and ranks second in the entire nation. And, she is ranked among the MAC leaders in total steals (first, 75), rebounds (16th), assists (seventh), free-throw percentage (13th), assist/turnover ratio (10th) and minutes played (15th) as well.

DONAHUE = DEFENSE
• As a freshman in 2024-25, Johnea Donahue had a total of 69 steals, tying her for eighth on the BGSU single-season list. She averaged 2.46 steals per game a year ago, ranking 10th on that school chart.

• This winter, Donahue has a MAC-leading 75 steals, tying her for seventh on the school single-season chart half of the conference season remaining. As mentioned in the above note, Donahue is currently averaging 4.17 steals per game, and is on pace to shatter the BGSU record in that category. Currently, the single-season record is 3.07 spg, by Talita Scott in 1993-94.

• The single-season lists for steals and steals per game can be found on page 16.

KOHLER, UNSURPRISINGLY, NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-MAC TEAM
• BGSU junior Paige Kohler was named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-MAC First Team, which was determined via voting by the league's 13 head coaches.

• Kohler, a native of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, earned All-MAC Honorable mention last season, and also was named to both the Academic All-MAC Team and the Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators. The guard started all 31 games in 2024-25, and averaged 35.0 minutes, 13.6 points and 4.6 boards per game, finishing second on the club in both scoring and rebounding.

• This season, Kohler leads the Falcons in scoring, with 14.0 ppg, and she is second in assists (3.4 apg). Kohler is listed among the top-10 players in the MAC in scoring (ninth), assists (ninth), free-throw pct. (tied with Donahue for 13th), three-pointers made per game (sixth), assist/turnover ratio (eighth) and minutes played (fifth).

• In her first two-and-a-half seasons at BGSU, Kohler has compiled impressive totals of 1,038 points, 349 rebounds, 291 assists and 154 three-point field goals made. She has moved into 30th place on the BGSU career scoring list, and also is currently ranked on the school's career charts for points per game (10th, 12.66), assists per game (eighth, 3.55), three-pointers made (16th) and three-pointers made per game (sixth, 1.88).

• Kohler has been in the starting lineup for all 82 of BGSU's games since she arrived on campus.

GERKEN!
• Sophomore Lauren Gerken, after missing the final 21 games of last season due to injury, scored in double digits twice in the first 12 games this winter. But, she has hit double figures seven times in the last eight contests, including in each of the Falcons' last six games. Last weekend (Jan. 24), she tied her career high with four three-point field goals made, en route to a season-high 18 points at Massachusetts, and she had 13 points and six rebounds vs. Akron Wednesday (Jan. 28).

• After making 14 three-point field goals in the first 14 games this season, Gerken has hit 17 long-distance shots over the last six contests.

• Gerken, who has played the equivalent of one college season. is averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and has hit 45 three-pointers in 30 career games.

LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS ZAP ZIPS, 80-62
• The Falcons withstood a cold shooting start, heating up in the middle two quarters to run away from Akron on Wednesday night (Jan. 28). The Falcons picked up an 80-62 victory over the Zips in MAC action at the Stroh Center.

• Sophomore Johnea Donahue had game-high totals of 21 points and six steals for the Falcons (11-9, 4-5 MAC), pacing four players in double digits in the scoring column. Junior Paige Kohler scored 19 points and sophomore Lauren Gerken 13.

• Senior Kaia Woods rounded out the Falcons' double-figure scorers with 10 points. Woods, listed at 5-foot-3, had a double-double in the win against her former team, as the Akron transfer pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

• The Falcons shot just 21 percent from the floor in the opening quarter, making 3-of-14 shots, but still led by a 16-11 count after 10 minutes due to a 10-of-14 performance at the free-throw line. BG made six more charity tosses in the second quarter, but also began to connect from the floor.

• The hosts went 11-for-20 from the field in the third quarter, and were 18-of-35 in the middle two periods, to open up a sizable lead. BGSU extended the margin to 29 points late in the third quarter.

• The Zips made a late run, getting within 12 points with just over three minutes remaining, but Kohler doused any flickering Akron hopes of a comeback with a three-pointer on the next possession, and after UA answered with a layup, junior Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick's layup began a 6-0 run for the Falcons that put an exclamation point on the victory.

• Junior Taya Ellis had eight points and eight rebounds, including seven offensive boards, on her birthday, while Bland-Fitzpatrick scored six points in the win.

• The Falcons got to the line 31 times compared to 15 for the Zips, and BG doubled up the visitors, 22-11, in free throws made. BGSU also had advantages of 44-20 in points in the paint and 30-5 in fast-break points.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE ROCKETS
• Toledo enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 10-8 and a MAC mark of 5-3. The Rockets have won four of the last five games, including Wednesday's (Jan. 28) 59-53 victory over Kent State at Savage Arena. UT is 7-2 at home and 3-6 on the road this season.

• Kendall Carruthers leads the team in scoring, with 13.1 points per game, while Faith Fedd-Robinson has 11.9 ppg and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per contest. Four other players have scored at least 6.6 ppg this winter to date.

• Head coach Ginny Boggess welcomed back six players from a 2024-25 team that went 24-9 overall and 13-5 in the MAC.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Toledo, 46-44, in the all-time series, and the teams split last year's two meetings. The Rockets picked up an 80-68 victory in the Glass City (Jan. 25, 2025), while the Falcons captured an 81-72 outcome at the Stroh Center (Feb. 22, 2025).

• BGSU's win last February snapped a five-game series winning streak for the Rockets. Overall, the Falcons have gone 23-15 at home, 15-25 on the road and 8-4 in neutral-site meetings with Toledo over the years. More information can be found on page 26 of these very notes.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the Toledo matchup, the Falcons will wrap up a two-game road swing with a Wednesday (Feb. 4) matchup at Kent State. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to take on Coastal Carolina next Saturday (Feb. 7). That game, part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh, and will be BGSU's annual Play4Kay Game.

STORIES & LINKS
Dec. 18 - Lorain Morning Journal - Olmsted Falls Grad Kohler Looks to Lead Falcons
Nov. 25 - Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum - Walk-on to Captain: Siesel's Patience Pays Off at Bowling Green

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 at BGSUFalcons.com.