Falcons Open 2016-17 Regular Season Friday at EKU

Friday, November 11

Richmond, KY

5:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

Eastern Kentucky

Tickets

Ashley Tunstall v Ferris State - Nov 5 2016 - Larry Clapper photo

Ashley Tunstall & the Falcons open the season at EKU Friday evening (Larry Clapper photo)

Photo by: Larry Clapper

November 10, 2016 | Women's Basketball

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team opens the 2016-17 season on the road this weekend. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons head to Richmond, Ky., for a Friday (Nov. 11) matchup against Eastern Kentucky University. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at EKU's McBrayer Arena.

• Then, the winningest program in Mid-American Conference history will open the home portion of the regular-season schedule on Tuesday (Nov. 15), when the University of Cincinnati comes to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m at the Stroh Center.

LINKS
GAME NOTES: BGSU | EKU
BGSU's 2016-17 Notes for All Games
Roos, Falcons Sign Five to National Letters of Intent
BGSU Statistics | Career Stats for Current Falcons
BGSU Women's Basketball on...: YouTube | Twitter
Buy Tickets | Join the Falcon Club Today!

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to the arena on game day, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The BGSU-EKU game, like all of BG's games, 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, a video stream of the game will be available via EKUSports.com. 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.

BGSU HOOPS TO BE SHOWN ON ESPN3
• All but two BGSU home regular-season games will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app in 2016-17. All nine of the Falcons' MAC games at the Stroh Center, as well as the non-league matchups with Cincinnati, Davis & Elkins, Virginia and Cleveland State, will be aired.

• The Falcons' home game vs. Western Michigan, as well as the games at Eastern Michigan and Toledo will be aired by BCSN/Time Warner Cable Sports Channel, and the game at Ball State will be aired by the American Sports Network. All games that are picked up by ASN and BCSN/TWCS will also be aired on ESPN3.

• BGSU's two home games (Ohio Valley and Malone) not scheduled for ESPN3 broadcasts still will have live streaming available.

• Numerous other road and neutral-site games will likely have live-streaming availability as well. For the latest information and links, access the women's basketball schedule page at BGSUFalcons.com.

FALCONS PICKED TO PLACE FOURTH IN MAC EAST IN 2016-17
The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the MAC's East Division in the 2016-17 season, according to the league's preseason coaches poll. Ohio and Central Michigan were picked to win the East and West divisions, respectively, and the Chippewas were the choice to win both the conference overall regular-season and tourney crowns.
EAST DIVISION WEST DIVISION
1 - Ohio (9 first-place votes) – 69 pts.   1 - Central Michigan (12) – 72
2 - Buffalo (3) – 60 T2 - Ball State – 53
3 - Akron – 48 T2 - Toledo – 53
4 - Bowling Green –30 4 - Western Michigan – 34
5 - Miami – 27 5 - Northern Illinois – 25
6 - Kent State –18 6 - Eastern Michigan – 15
PREDICTED REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPION: Central Mich. 6, Ohio 5, Buffalo 1.
PREDICTED MAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPION: Central Mich. 7; Ohio 4; Buffalo 1.

LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS DOUBLE UP FERRIS, 100-50, IN EXHIBITION
• It was a total team effort as the Falcons basketball team defeated Ferris State, 100-50, Saturday afternoon (Nov. 5) at the Stroh Center. All 12 members of the active roster played at least 10 minutes and scored at least three points in BG's lone 2016-17 exhibition.

• Junior Rachel Myers and freshman Caterrion Thompson led the scoring parade with 19 points apiece, while sophomore Carly Santoro added 11 points and senior Ashley Tunstall 10.

• BGSU shot 52.1 percent from the field in the win, including 60% over the final three quarters.

• The Falcons, tied with the Bulldogs after one quarter of play, outscored the visitors by a 30-10 count in the second period en route to a 45-25 halftime lead. The Brown and Orange then scored 31 third-quarter points, and gradually extended the lead to the final 50-point margin.

• BG went 11-for-19 (57.9%) from the field in the second period and 13-for-19 (68.4%) in the third.

• The Falcons scored 17 consecutive points to begin the second quarter, taking a 32-15 lead. Santoro had seven points, Myers six and senior Abby Siefker four during that 17-0 scoring surge.

• In the third quarter, the margin remained roughly 20 points until another BG scoring run. Thompson and sophomore Maddie Cole combined for all of the points in a 15-0 run over the last three minutes of the quarter. The overall run eventually reached 20-0, and the Falcons led, 81-41, early in the fourth.

• Myers scored 11 points in the second quarter alone, while Santoro had seven points on 3-for-3 shooting in that period, as BG took control of the game. The third quarter saw Thompson score nine points, Myers eight and Cole six.

• Thompson, who did not score in the first half, completed her 19-point second half by single-handedly outscoring FSU in the fourth quarter. The Lima, Ohio, native had 10 points in that final period, while classmate Andrea Cecil added seven.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Head coach Jennifer Roos and her staff – which is comprised of assistant coaches Jacey Brooks, Nick Moore and Jessie Ivey, director of operations Monique Rosati and video coordinator Heidi Schlegel – welcome back a total of eight returning letterwinners from a year ago. That group includes a trio of seniors in Rachel Konieczki, Abby Siefker and Ashley Tunstall. The junior class includes Rachel Myers and Haley Puk, while sophomores Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro complete that list.

The eight active returnees have been joined by four newcomers, freshmen Andrea Cecil, Clare Glowniak, Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker. The entire team – including the incoming frosh – got a jump-start on the 2016-17 season with a trip to Cuba in mid-August, as the Falcons were able to practice prior to the trip, then play three games while on the foreign tour.

• The Falcons were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference's East Division in 2016-17, according to the league's preseason poll. BGSU finished fourth in the East a year ago, losing to eventual MAC Tournament champion Buffalo in the conference tourney.

• Lambert is the top returning scorer for the Falcons. She started all 28 games during her freshman season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game and leading the MAC in three-point field-goal percentage. Lambert shot better than 40 percent from three-point range in her first year with the Falcons. Myers also started every game last winter, and had 7.6 ppg. Lambert (56) and Myers (51) combined to make 107 three-point field goals on the year.

• Santoro and Tunstall averaged 4.3 and 4.1 ppg, respectively. Santoro played in all 28 games off the bench, while Tunstall made 11 starts in her first year at BG, but missed the last seven-plus games due to injury. Siefker, Konieczki and Puk all saw action in at least 26 contests a season ago, while Cole played in 13 games, including seven of the final eight.

DID YOU SAY CUBA?
• In August, the Falcons made an historic trip, traveling to Cuba for a cultural immersion tour. Bowling Green became only the third NCAA college team, and just the second women's basketball team, to travel to Cuba (Louisville went to Cuba three days before the Falcons' trip began).

• The Falcon travel party received a warm welcome from the residents of the island nation, and BGSU players and coaches played three games – including two against the Cuban National Team – and conducted several clinics with local children and a Havana-based university team while on the trip.

• For Coach Roos and the Falcons, the off-court lessons were just as important as any practices or games, and each member of the travel party learned a great deal about the people, culture and history of Cuba. The team grew both on and off the court during an eventful nine days in mid-August, and the BGSU coaches and student-athletes were wonderful ambassadors for their nation and the game of basketball.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Entering the 2016-17 season, BGSU has an all-time record of 398-181 (.687) 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
No fewer than 12 different players made at least one three-point field goal for the Falcons last season.

THREE-MENDOUS
• The Falcons hit 10 or more three-point field goals on seven occasions last season, including five times in MAC play. BG exploded for 15 three-pointers in the Falcons' first win over Kent State (Jan. 23), going 15-for-29 from long range and tying the Stroh Center record for treys made.

• BGSU hit 11 triples in 23 tries (47.8%) en route to a win over MAC West Division favorite Eastern Michigan at the Stroh four days later (Jan. 27), and the Falcons went 16-of-27 at Central Michigan (Feb. 6), tying the school record for three-pointers made in a game. BG's success rate of 59.3% from beyond the arc was the program's best in nearly six years.

THREE-LIGHTFUL
The Falcons made at least five three-point field goals in 24 of last season's 28 games, and BG hit at least four triples in all 28 contests.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
In fact, BG has hit four or more treys in 60 of the last 61 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season. The lone exception during that stretch was a 2015 MAC Tournament first-round game, when BG made three treys at Western Michigan.

THREE- ... UMMM, SOME OTHER PHRASE THAT STARTS WITH 'THREE'
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the Eastern Kentucky game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 369 games. BG has not been held without a triple in over 11 years – since Feb. 12, 2005, at Akron, when the Falcons won, 61-52, despite going 0-of-13 from long distance.

A TRADITION OF SUCCESS
• Bowling Green has won 14 MAC regular-season championships and 11 league tournament titles, the highest totals among all conference teams. Prior to the injury-plagued season of 2014-15, the Falcons had won at least 20 games in a MAC-record 11 consecutive seasons. BG won at least 24 games in nine-straight seasons during that span, and the Falcons lost only 18 games in MAC regular-season play during those nine years.

• The Falcons made 10 consecutive national postseason trips from 2005-14, with five NCAA Championships appearances and five trips to the WNIT during that time. The 2006-07 team was the most successful in MAC history, winning a league-record 31 games en route to an NCAA 'Sweet Sixteen' appearance.

• Overall, BGSU has won 20 or more games 19 times, the highest total among all Mid-American Conference women's basketball-playing institutions.

SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky, like BGSU, opens the regular season on Friday evening. The Colonels went 18-12 overall and 10-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play last season, placing fourth in the 12-team league. EKU advanced to the championship game of the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2005, before falling to Belmont in the title contest. The Colonels have been picked to finish third in the OVC in both the league's coaches poll and the media poll, and senior Jalen O'Bannon was named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. O'Bannon was named to the All-OVC First Team last winter, and she combined with fellow senior Michaela Hunter for more than 30 points and 14 rebounds last winter. Head coach Chrissy Roberts, in her ninth season at the EKU helm, returns eight letterwinners, including three starters, from a year ago. The Colonels downed Young Harris, 65-61, in the team's lone exhibition game.

THE BGSU-EKU SERIES
The Falcons trail Eastern Kentucky, 4-2, in the all-time series between the teams, but BGSU won the last meeting. The teams have not met for nearly 13 years, since a 70-57 road win by the Brown and Orange at the EKU Comfort Suites Classic (Dec. 29, 2003). That snapped a two-game winning streak for the Colonels, who posted wins of 20 or more points in back-to-back years (November of 2000 and '01). Prior to those two meetings, the teams had not played one another since the 1980s (a home-and-home series in 1982-83 and '83-84, and a meeting at Anderson Arena in December of 1988. Jennifer Roos was on the BGSU staff for the last two meetings with EKU, but is facing the Colonels for the first time as a head coach.

SIXTY POINTS = SUCCESS AT THE STROH
• The Falcons have an overall record of 54-23 at the Stroh Center since the building opened prior to the 2011-12 season. While a 70.1% 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 seven times at the Stroh last season, going 6-1. BGSU is 51-3 (94.4%) when reaching the 60-point mark inside the Stroh, and BG is 32-2 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 19-1 when scoring between 60 and 69 points at the Stroh, and the Falcons are 20-2 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.

FALCONS SIGN FIVE
Head coach Jennifer Roos announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Terri Battle (Chicago, Ill.), Madisen Parker (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Angela Perry (Rochester, Ill.), Sierra Thompson (Mattoon, Ill.) and Kennedy Williams (Marshall, Ill.) will join the Falcon program for the 2017-18 academic year.
Terri Battle 6-2 C   Chicago, Ill. (Simeon)
Madisen Parker   5-9 G   Fort Wayne, Ind. (Homestead)
Angela Perry 6-2   C   Rochester, Ill. (Rochester)
Sierra Thompson 5-11   F   Mattoon, Ill. (Mattoon)
Kennedy Williams 5-6 G   Marshall, Ill. (Marshall)

UP NEXT
Following Friday's EKU contest, the Falcons will open the home schedule on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 15) vs. Cincinnati. Then, the Brown and Orange will play four-straight games in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, with the first three of those contests taking place in Louisville, Ky., from Nov. 19-21.