Falcons Host Huskies in Saturday's Senior-Day Contest

Saturday, March 7

Bowling Green, Ohio

2 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Tickets From $12 - $20

Bench Celeb | Feb. 7, 2026, v Coastal Carolina

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

March 06, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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BGSU concludes regular-season slate vs. NIU in a 2:00 p.m. start at the Stroh

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026 | 2:00 P.M. | STROH CENTER | BOWLING GREEN, OHIO

BOWLING GREEN
FALCONS
(16-13, 8-9 MAC)

vs.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS
HUSKIES
(7-22, 4-13 MAC)


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

WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team closes the regular-season schedule with one final home game on Saturday (March 7). Head coach Fred Chmiel and the Falcons face Northern Illinois University, with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.

SENIOR DAY
• Saturday is Senior Day for the Falcons, with no fewer than 13 individuals (including players, student managers and practice players) scheduled to be recognized in ceremonies prior to the game.

CLEAR BAG MANDATE
• Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, a clear bag mandate is now in effect for games at BGSU venues, including the Stroh Center. Media members attending games will need to use only the media entrance as part of the mandate. For more information, please click here.

PARKING CHANGES FOR 2025-26
Additional Limited Mobility Parking Now Available for All Home Basketball Games
• To better accommodate fans and guests with limited mobility, additional designated parking spaces will now be available for all upcoming home Men's and Women's Basketball games at the Stroh Center.
• Additional parking will be located on the north side of Lot 24, beginning with the first row of spaces adjacent to the grass area and including the next two rows directly behind it. Guests utilizing these spaces should enter through the Student Entrance, located on the north side of Lot 24. From there, fans may use the service elevator to access the main arena and seating areas.
• Limited mobility parking will remain paid parking and will be clearly marked with signage indicating the designated spaces and new location.

WHERE TO WATCH / LISTEN
• Saturday's NIU game 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 AND THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• The Falcons have clinched a berth in next week's Mid-American Conference Tournament, and BGSU will play an opponent to be determined in Wednesday's (March 11) quarterfinal round at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland.

• If the tournament started today, the Falcons would be the eighth seed and would face Miami in an 11:00 a.m. start. BGSU still has a chance to finish as the seventh seed, which would see the Falcons face second-seeded Ball State.

• IF BGSU BEATS NIU – A BGSU win over Northern Illinois, coupled with a Kent State loss on Saturday, would give the Falcons the seventh seed. If KSU wins (against Western Michigan), BGSU could still get the number-seven seed if Toledo loses (against Ball State).

• Both Toledo and KSU hold tiebreakers over the Falcons. In the event of a three-way tie (which would happen with wins by BGSU and Kent State and a loss by Toledo on Saturday), the Rockets would be the sixth seed, with the Falcons seventh and the Flashes eighth.

• IF BGSU LOSES TO NIU – The Falcons would be the number-eight seed, regardless of other outcomes around the league.

• ALL POSSIBLE OUTCOMES & BGSU'S SEED...
   • BGSU wins, Toledo loses, KSU wins – BG is #7 seed
   • BGSU wins, Toledo wins, KSU loses – BG is #7 seed
   • BGSU wins, Toledo loses, KSU loses – BG is #7 seed
   • BGSU wins, Toledo wins, KSU wins – BG is #8 seed
   • BGSU loses – BG is #8 seed regardless of KSU & Toledo results

NUMBER THREE IS NUMBER ONE
• Sophomore Johnea Donahue had a game-high six steals in the win over Toledo (Feb. 21). With her fourth of those six steals, she broke the school record.

• Heading into the NIU game, Donahue now has a MAC-leading 107 steals. She broke the school record of 101 steals set by Nyla Hampton three years ago (2022-23).

• Donahue, in her second season as a Falcon, has two of the top-10 single-season steals totals in school history. She recorded 69 steals as a freshman, a total which is now tied for ninth on the BGSU single-season list. She averaged 2.46 steals per game a year ago, ranking 10th on that school chart.

• Donahue is currently averaging 4.12 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.

• In fact, even if Donahue were to play in the Falcons' next two games (the NIU game and a MAC Tournament quarterfinal) and come up with zero steals in that time, she would still be on pace to break the BGSU seasonal record for steals per game by a wide margin. The single-season lists for steals and steals per game can be found on page 16.

• And, Donahue – did we mention she's a sophomore? – has moved onto the Falcons' top-20 list for career steals. She enters the Northern Illinois contest with a career total of 176 steals, tying her for 15th in school history. And, she is on pace to obliterate the school's career record for steals per game as well as the single-season mark. The career steals lists can be found on page 25.

TAYA'S TAKING OVER
• As of Feb. 17, junior Taya Ellis had recorded one double-double this season and two in her BGSU career. Then, Ellis posted a double-double in three-straight games (all wins).

• The Toronto, Ontario, native had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Falcons' win over Western Michigan (Feb. 18), and she recorded 10 points and 11 boards in a win over Toledo three day later (Feb. 21) before going off for 16 and 16 at Ohio (Feb. 25). For Ellis, the rebound total against the 'Cats was a new career best.

• Then, on Wednesday (March 4), despite playing only 17 minutes due to foul trouble, Ellis nearly posted her fourth consecutive double-double, with 10 points and eight rebounds at Central Michigan.

TOP-TEN TAYA
• Junior Taya Ellis had a career-high six blocked shots in the win over Toledo (Feb. 21), in the process moving into the top 10 on BGSU's career list in that category. After blocking four more shots in the win at Ohio (Feb. 25), Ellis now has 71 blocked shots as a Falcon, ranking ninth in school history.

• Those 71 rejections have come in 80 career games. Ellis currently ranks fourth on the BGSU career list for blocks per game, with 0.89.

DONAHUE'S DOMINANCE
• Johnea Donahue has had more than her share of well-rounded games in 2025-26. The sophomore was named MAC Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 24 points and adding six rebounds, six assists and six steals at Wisconsin (Nov. 12).

• She missed two games due to injury in mid-December, but returned to action and posted a double-double in the MAC opener vs. Kent State (Dec. 20). She had a game-high 19 points and a career-high 11 boards en route to another MAC P-O-T-W honor.

• Some of her other marquee performances this winter include...

• An eight-steal game – all in the first half and just two shy of the school single-game record – vs. Kentucky State (Dec. 3);
• A double double with 10 points and 10 boards at Eastern Michigan (Dec. 30);
• Her second eight-steal game of the season, along with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds, in the win at Northern Illinois (Jan. 10);
• A game-high six steals in back-to-back games, vs. Massachusetts (Jan. 24) and Akron (Jan. 28), with 21 points in the UA contest;
• A 19-point, seven-rebound, four-steal performance at Toledo (Jan. 31);
• A 12-point, six-board, seven-steal game at Ball State (Feb. 14), with six of those seven steals coming in the first half;
• Six more steals, along with 14 points, six caroms and three assists and a 7-for-7 fourth-quarter free-throw performance, at WMU (Feb. 18); and
• A stuffed stat sheet that included 10 points, seven rebounds, a career-high seven assists and six steals in the win over UT (Feb. 21).

• Currently, Donahue is averaging 4.12 steals per game this season, which leads the MAC and ranks her third in the entire nation. And, she is ranked among the MAC leaders in total steals (first, 107 – 29 more than anyone else in the league), rebounds (15th), assists (eighth), free-throw pct. (15th), assist/turnover ratio (10th) and minutes played (15th) as well.

MILLENNIUM FALCON: PK MOVING UP BGSU SCORING LIST
• Junior Paige Kohler reached the 1,000-point mark for her career on Jan. 21, and had a BGSU season-high 26 points vs. Buffalo (Feb. 10) to surpass the 1,100-point plateau.

• 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 has moved into 26th place on the BGSU career scoring list, and has 1,186 career points at BG entering the NIU game.

THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering the CMU game, BGSU has gone 477-283 (.628) 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, tied for the highest total of any league 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.

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 14.7 ppg, and she is second in assists (3.0 apg). Kohler is listed among the top players in the MAC in scoring (seventh), assists (13th), three-pointers made per game (third), three-point percentage (21st), assist/turnover ratio (ninth) and minutes played (third).

• In her first two-plus seasons at BGSU, Kohler has compiled impressive totals of 1,186 points, 391 rebounds, 311 assists and 180 three-point field goals made. She has moved into 26th place on the BGSU career scoring list, and also is currently ranked on the school's career charts for points per game (ninth, 13.03), assists per game (eighth, 3.42), three-pointers made (ninth) and three-pointers made per game (fourth, 1.98).

• Kohler has been in the starting lineup for all 91 of BGSU's games since she arrived on campus.

SPEAKING OF THE STARTING LINEUP...
• When junior Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick joined classmates Taya Ellis and Paige Kohler, senior Kaia Woods and redshirt junior Jasmine Fearne in the starting five on Wednesday (March 4) at Central Michigan, it marked the Falcons' 11th different starting lineup this season to date. The Brown and Orange utilized five different lineups during all of last year and six the previous season (2023-24).

• A total of 11 different players each have started at least one game this year. That group includes a pair of fourth-year Falcons (Fearne and senior Emily Siesel) who had never started a collegiate contest prior to Nov. 22, 2025, when both were in the starting five.

• Kohler is the only player who has started all 29 games this year, while sophomore Johnea Donahue and Ellis have made 26 and 24 starts, respectively. Woods has started 21 games and Lauren Gerken 17.

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 14 times in the last 17 contests, including in 13 of the Falcons' last 15 games. Gerken tied her career high with four three-point field goals made, en route to a season-high 18 points at Massachusetts (Jan. 24), then had 13 points and six rebounds vs. Akron (Jan. 28). She tied her season best with 18 points against Coastal Carolina (Feb. 7), and added 16 at Ball State (Feb. 14) and 14 vs. Toledo (Feb. 21).

• After making 14 three-point field goals in the first 14 games this season, Gerken has hit 34 long-distance shots over the last 15 contests.

• Gerken, who has played the equivalent of just over one college season, is averaging 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and has hit 62 three-pointers and blocked 50 shots in 39 career games. She has moved into a tie for 18th on BGSU's career blocked-shots list.

LEADERS OF THE MAC
• Johnea Donahue and Paige Kohler, as mentioned earlier, each are ranked among the MAC leaders in numerous statistical categories. But, they are far from the only Falcons who are ranked among the conference's top performers...

• Junior Taya Ellis is ranked in the top 10 in three different categories, including blocked shots (fourth, 1.07 bpg), free-throw percentage (seventh) and rebounding (10th), while sophomore Lauren Gerken is second in blocks (1.55) and 11th in three-point field goals per game.

• Additionally, senior Kaia Woods is 10th in the MAC in free-throw pct. (.775) and 15th in assists, while redshirt junior Jasmine Fearne is 22nd in three-point pct.

PROTECT THE STROH
• After beating Toledo (Feb. 21), the Falcons have a record of 11-3 at the Stroh Center this season to date. That record includes a 73-69 win over preseason MAC favorite Kent State in the conference opener (Dec. 20).

• The Falcons went 11-2 in home games last winter. BGSU's home winning percentage (.846) in 2024-25 was the third best since the Stroh Center opened in 2011. Only the 2013-14 (16-1, .941) and '11-12 (14-2, .875) teams have had better marks during that time.

• Over the last five-plus seasons, the Falcons are 63-20 (.759) at the Stroh.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
• Northern Illinois enters Saturday's contest – the program's final MAC game – with an overall record of 7-22 and a MAC mark of 4-13. The Huskies are riding a two-game winning streak, with home wins over Eastern Michigan and Buffalo, and that came after NIU dropped two narrow games on the road vs. Kent State and Western Michigan a total of eight points.

• The Huskies went 5-8 at home, and NIU is 2-14 on the road this season to date. In MAC action, Northern went 3-6 at the Convocation Center and has gone 1-7 inside hostile venues.

• Nevaeh Wingate and Nadechka Laccen are averaging 13.2 and 10.4 points per game, respectively, and Wingate has a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per contest. Emilie Sorensen has 9.8 ppt and has hit a team-high 51 three-point field-goal attempts this season to date.

• Head coach Jacey Brooks, in her first season with the Huskies, has six letterwinners back from a 2024-25 team that went 13-17 overall and 6-12 in the MAC. NIU will join the Horizon League next season.

FAMILIAR FACES ON THE VISITING BENCH
• A pair of familiar faces will be on the visiting bench when Northern Illinois comes to the Stroh Center on Saturday. NIU head coach Jacey Brooks was an assistant coach at BGSU for five seasons (2013-18), and was on the staff in 2013-14, as the Falcons went 30-5 overall, won the MAC's regular-season title and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the WNIT.

• Additionally, Audra Clark is an assistant coach under Brooks at NIU. Clark spent the last two seasons on Fred Chmiel's staff at BGSU, serving as the video coordinator in 2023-24 before being named director of player personnel for the '24-25 campaign.

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Northern Illinois, 31-22, in the all-time series, and BGSU captured this season's first meeting, a 65-48 decision in DeKalb (Jan. 10, 2026). Last season, the teams split the two games, with BGSU posting a 74-60 win at the Stroh Center (Jan. 18, 2025) before NIU won an 84-77 verdict in double overtime at the Convocation Center (March 1, 2025).

• BGSU has won four of the last five meetings and seven of the last nine contests, after Northern had reeled off seven-straight wins from 2017-21. Overall, the Falcons are 17-10 at home, 13-12 on the road and 1-0 in neutral-site meetings with the Huskies over the years. More information can be found on page 27 of these very notes.

f• Following the NIU contest, the Falcons will prepare for the MAC Tournament. BGSU will head to Cleveland for Wednesday's (March 11) league tourney quarterfinal round, facing a team to be detemined at Rocket Arena.

• The MAC Tournament semifinals will be held on Friday, March 13, with the championship game set for the following morning (Saturday, March 14) at Rocket Arena.

REMAINING SCHEDULE
Sat., March 7 | NORTHERN ILL. | 2:00 (Senior Day)
Wed., March 11 | vs. TBA (MAC Tournament QF; Cleveland) | TBA
all times p.m. and Eastern

STORIES & LINKS
Feb. 19 - BG Falcon Media - "Bowling Green Has My Heart": Inside the Return of Kadie Hempfling
Feb. 16 - Toledo Blade ($$$) - Former Liberty-Benton Star Gerken Finding Stride with BGSU
Feb. 5 - BG Falcon Media - From Sao Paulo to the Stroh: Moschen's Journey to BGSU
Jan. 17 - BGSU - The Game Within the Game: Kohler's Psychology of Winning
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.