Homestand Continues as Akron Comes to Town

Wednesday, January 13

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Akron

Tickets

Miriam Justinger v Ohio - Jan 9 2016 - Larry Clapper photo

Senior Miriam Justinger & the Falcons host Akron Wednesday night

Photo by: Larry Clapper

January 12, 2016 | Women's Basketball

BGSU faces Zips in the second of three-straight games at the Stroh

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team continues a three-game home swing with a Mid-American Conference midweek matchup. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons face the University of Akron on Wednesday night (Jan. 13) at the Stroh Center, with tipoff at 7:00 p.m.

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GAME NOTES: BGSU | Akron
2015-16 Women's Basketball Media Central
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FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the Stroh Center on Wednesday night, you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The game will be broadcast by WBGU-FM 88.1, the flagship home of Falcon women's basketball, and will be available over the air or on the web. Additionally, all of BGSU's home games are aired on ESPN3.com, and live stats will be available as well. And, in-game updates can be found at @BGSUwbb on your twitter machine. To follow the Falcons, simply log on to BGSUFalcons.com and click the 'calendar' link on the day of the game, or navigate your way to the women's basketball page.

LAST TIME OUT: THIRD-QUARTER RUN LIFTS OHIO PAST FALCONS, 72-57
• BGSU weathered an early Ohio University run, but a third-quarter surge by the Bobcats proved to be too much for the Falcons to overcome, as Ohio posted a 72-57 win over BGSU Saturday (Jan. 9) at the Stroh Center.

• Freshman Sydney Lambert scored 17 points, the highest total of her BGSU career to date, to pace three double-figure scorers for the home team. Senior Lauren Tibbs had 15 points, making 7-of-10 shots from the floor, while sophomore Rachel Myers added 10 points.

• Kiyanna Black paced the visitors with 18 points, while both Lexie Baldwin and Hannah Boesinger scored 13 apiece.

• The Falcons committed turnovers on each of the team's first three possessions to begin the game, and the latter two turnovers resulted in uncontested Ohio layups. The Bobcats led by a 6-0 score with less than 90 seconds gone.

• The 'Cats, in fact, would score the game's first nine points, but the Falcons battled back. BGSU was within a single point at the end of the first quarter as well as at the half, and the hosts took a 43-42 lead on a pair of Lambert free throws midway through the third quarter. But, Ohio responded by scoring the final 14 points of the quarter, and the Brown and Orange could get no closer than 13 points thereafter.

• BGSU shot 46.4 percent from the field in the first half, and hit 6-of-9 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. But, in the second half, the Brown and Orange went just 1-for-9 from long distance and shot 26.9% overall. The Bobcats shot just over 39% in the first half and just under 39% in the second, but Ohio made six triples in each half.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 5-7, and the Falcons are 1-2 in MAC play. BG opened conference action with a 64-58 win at Miami (Jan. 2), but the Brown and Orange fell to Western Michigan, 74-45 (Jan. 6), before dropping a 72-57 decision to defending MAC champion Ohio in the league home opener on Saturday (Jan. 9).

• The Miami game was the Falcons' first in 12 days, and just BG's second in a 25-day span. BGSU played three games in seven days to begin December, and after a game on Dec. 8, did not play again until Dec. 21. Then, a trip to San Antonio just after Christmas was cancelled.

• BGSU is 3-2 at home, 1-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons are 0-1 at the Stroh in MAC play, and BG is 1-1 on the road in league action after going 0-10 against conference opponents away from Bowling Green last year (0-9 in the regular season, 0-1 in the MAC Tournament).

• BG began the season with a pair of double-digit wins at the Stroh, then left Northwest Ohio and played three games that were decided by a total of 10 points.

• Each of the Falcons' first three home games came against Missouri Valley Conference foes, and the Brown and Orange won those three games by an average of 16.3 points. BG began the season by dispatching both Illinois State and Bradley at the Stroh Center over a three-day span, before losing a narrow 54-51 contest at Cincinnati the following weekend.

• The Falcons headed to Wilmington, N.C., and split a pair of games, dropping a 70-66 decision to Davidson before downing Jacksonville, 72-69 in overtime. Those two contests were part of the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic.

• BGSU began the month of December with a 74-56 win over Evansville at the Stroh, but BG then lost to Cleveland State, 69-48, at Quicken Loans Arena. The Falcons dropped a 68-39 decision before more than 10,000 fans at Virginia on Dec. 8, then suffered a 58-45 setback against perennial mid-major power South Dakota State at the Stroh nearly two weeks later (Dec. 21).

• Just one Falcon, fifth-year senior Lauren Tibbs, has a double-digit scoring average. Tibbs, in her first season at BGSU after transferring from Marquette, has 11.3 points per game, and also leads the Falcons with 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per contest. Tibbs is shooting a BG-best 60.2 percent from the field, and she ranks second in the entire MAC in field-goal percentage.

• Freshman Sydney Lambert and senior Miriam Justinger have 8.6 and 7.9 ppg, respectively. Lambert leads BGSU in assists (2.1 apg) and has hit 20 three-point field goals to tie for the team lead in that category. Justinger leads the Falcons in steals (1.0 spg) and is second on the team in assists and third in rebounding. She has made 14 long-distance shots this year, ranking third on the Falcons on that list as well.

• Lambert is shooting 40.8% from three-point land, while Justinger has made 35.9% of her long-range attempts. Lambert hit a career-high four triples vs. Ohio on Saturday.

• Sophomore Rachel Myers and redshirt soph Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 7.3 and 5.1 ppg, respectively. Kirkpatrick is third on the Falcons in assists, while Myers is tied for the BGSU lead with 20 three-pointers made. Myers is shooting 39.2% from long range.

• Freshman Carly Santoro has 4.4 ppg, while junior Ashley Tunstall has scored 4.1 ppg to date. Santoro posted season-high totals in points (11), rebounds, field goals made and attempted at Western Michigan. Tunstall had a 13-point, nine-rebound game at Miami, and is second on the team with 4.7 boards per contest. She was limited to just 11 minutes in the Ohio game due to injury.

• Junior Rachel Konieczki has 1.8 ppg, while sophomore Haley Puk is averaging 1.5 ppg and junior Abby Siefker 1.4. Siefker is second on the Falcons in blocked shots, with nine rejections in 12 games.

• Nine players – Justinger, Kirkpatrick, Konieczki, Lambert, Myers, Santoro, Siefker, Tibbs and Tunstall – each have seen action in all 12 games, while Puk has played in 10, classmate Sarah Baer eight and freshman Maddie Cole four. Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 12 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall has joined them in the starting lineup for each of the last six games.

• The Falcons are shooting 38.8% from the field, 33.7% from three-point land and 72.3% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 39.0% from the floor, 32.2% from the arc and 65.9% from the stripe.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Myers has 11.0 ppg. Lambert has 7.3 ppg in conference contests.

• Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons returned a total of eight letterwinners, all of whom had started at least five games in their BGSU careers entering the season. The returnees were joined by five newcomers, including a pair of transfers (Tibbs and Tunstall) who were eligible to play immediately.

• The 2014-15 Falcons went 9-21 overall after four players on the 12-woman preseason roster suffered season- or career-ending injuries, and a fifth missed the bulk of the conference schedule due to injury as well. The returning players entered the season with a combined total of 203 starts in the Brown and Orange.

SCOUTING AKRON
Akron has an overall record of 7-7, and the Zips are 1-2 in MAC play heading into Wednesday's game at the Stroh Center. UA opened conference action with a narrow 65-58 loss to Northern Illinois at home, before taking to the road and picking up a 68-65 win in overtime against Eastern Michigan. The Zips' most recent game was a 99-79 loss to visiting Central Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 9). Akron is 4-3 at home, 3-2 on the road and 0-2 in neutral-site games this year to date. Senior guard Anita Brown leads the Zips with 21.0 points per game, and she also has a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Hannah Plybon has 15.8 ppg and has hit a team-high 41 three-point field goals, while sophomore forward Greta Burry and senior forward DiAndra Gibson have 9.7 and 8.6 ppg, respectively. Burry is shooting a team-best 55.2 percent from the field, while Gibson leads the Zips in blocked shots (1.1 bpg). That quartet, along with senior guard Megan Barilla (2.5 ppg, a team-leading 5.6 assists per game), has started all 14 games for head coach Jodi Kest this year to date. The Zips finished with an overall record of 22-9 and a 12-6 MAC ledger a year ago, advancing to the WNIT. Kest and her staff welcomed back 12 letterwinners, including three starters, from that club.

THE BGSU-AKRON SERIES
The Falcons lead Akron, 51-5, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Zips captured each of last year's two meetings, with a pair of single-digit victories. In the first 2014-15 matchup, the Falcons – with just seven players in uniform – led by five points with under 13 minutes to go, before the Zips went on a run to take the lead en route to a 67-59 win (Jan. 7, 2015). Then, in the return match, Akron escaped the Stroh Center with a 79-71 victory on 'Senior Day' in Bowling Green (March 7, 2015). It marked the Zips' first-ever road win over the Falcons. BGSU's last win over Akron was a 77-76 decision on the last day of the 2013-14 regular season (March 8, 2014), as Jillian Halfhill's layup with 6.6 seconds remaining gave the Falcons the win and the outright MAC title. BG's last home win over the Zips was an 81-65 outcome at the Stroh two years and one day prior to this year's game (Jan. 12, 2014). Four of Akron's five series victories have come at Rhodes Arena, including a 74-56 win in the 1999 MAC Tournament quarterfinals, an 88-63 blowout in February of 2001, a 68-63 verdict in January of 2013 and the first of last year's two wins. BG won the first 26 series meetings with the Zips, saw Akron capture two of the next five games, then won 19 more in a row before UA's 2013 win. BGSU is 27-1 in home games, 22-4 in road contests and 2-0 in neutral-site meetings vs. the Zips over the years. Jennifer Roos is 3-2 against the Zips as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering Wednesday's Akron game, BGSU has an all-time record of 393-171 (.697) in MAC regular-season contests, for the most wins and highest winning percentage of all league institutions. And, BG leads the series with all 11 MAC foes, making the Falcons the only team in the league, obviously, with a winning series record against every other school. BG also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any conference institution.

THREE-MARKABLE
The Falcons have made at least five three-point field goals in each of this season's 12 games to date. BG has hit four or more triples in 44 of the last 45 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season. The lone exception during that stretch was last year's MAC Tournament first-round game, when BG made three treys at Western Michigan.

THREE-MENDOUS
BG hit 10 three-pointers in the win at Miami, marking the third time this season the Falcons have hit double digits in that category. Junior Ashley Tunstall knocked down a long-range shot in that MU game, becoming the 10th different player on the roster to make a three-pointer this season. Tunstall hit another triple at Western Michigan.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the Akron game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 353 games. BG has not been held without a triple in over 10 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons won, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

SIXTY POINTS = SUCCESS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons have an overall record of 51-18 at the Stroh Center since the building opened prior to the 2011-12 season. While a 73.9% winning percentage is certainly impressive, BGSU's chances of winning at home have increased exponentially when the team scores at least 60 points.

• The Falcons scored over 60 points in each of this season's first three home games, winning all three. BGSU is now 48-2 (96.0%) when reaching the 60-point mark inside the Stroh, and BG is 30-2 when scoring at least 70 points, 12-0 when hitting the 80-point mark and 3-0 when reaching the 90-point plateau.

• BGSU is a perfect 18-0 when scoring between 60 and 69 points at the Stroh. The Falcons are 18-2 when scoring 70-79 points in the building. The losses came to VCU (72-71) in the 2012 WNIT and to Akron (79-71) late last season.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
A few more notes, plus a veritable plethora of boxes, charts and statistical information, can be found in the PDF version of these notes. Just click the link near the top of this page.

UP NEXT
Following the Akron game, the Falcons will conclude a three-game homestand with a Saturday afternoon (Jan. 16) match vs. Ball State. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh, and the first 500 fans through the gates will receive a free T-shirt. Then, the Brown and Orange will head to the MAC's "West Coast," taking on Northern Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
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