Road to Cleveland Begins in Buffalo

Monday, March 7

Buffalo, N.Y.

5:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Tickets

Rachel Myers & the Falcons open league tourney play in Western New York Monday

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

March 06, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Falcons face Bulls in MAC Tournament first-round action

By: BUFFALO, N.Y. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team begins postseason play on Monday evening (March 7), as the Falcons of head coach Jennifer Roos take on the University at Buffalo in Mid-American Conference Tournament first-round action. The Falcons, the ninth seeded team for the 12-team tourney, will meet the eighth-seeded Bulls in a 5:30 p.m. start at UB's Alumni Arena.

• The winner of the BGSU-UB game will advance to the MAC Tournament's quarterfinal round. Either the Falcons or the Bulls will face top-seeded Ohio University on Wednesday afternoon (March 9), with tipoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.

• The MAC Tournament's semifinal round is scheduled for Friday (March 11), with the championship game on Saturday (March 12).

LINKS
GAME NOTES: BGSU | Buffalo
BGSU - Buffalo Game Day Central
2015-16 Women's Basketball Media Central
BGSU's 2015-16 Notes for All Games
Season Statistics | Career Stats for Current Falcons
Buy Tickets | Join the Falcon Club Today!

THE FALCONS IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• BGSU enters Monday's game with an all-time record of 44-20 in MAC Tournament contests. The Falcons have won 11 league tournament titles, the most of any conference institution, and BG has the highest winning percentage (.688) of any team in league tourney games. BGSU's conference tournament win total places the Falcons second among MAC teams. A complete list of BGSU's game-by-game results in MAC Tournament play can be found on page 24 of these notes.

ALL-TIME MAC TOURNAMENT RECORDS
School W-L Pct.  Titles
Bowling Green 44-20   .688 11
Toledo 48-24   .667 7
Kent State 32-25   .561 3
Eastern Michigan   22-20   .524 2
Miami 25-28   .472 2
Ball State 20-24   .455 1
Central Michigan   24-30   .444 3
Western Michigan   20-26   .435 2
Northern Illinois  12-19   .387 0
Ohio 18-28   .391 2
Akron 10-19   .345 1
Buffalo 8-17   .320 0

FALCONS VS. BUFFALO IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• Monday night's game will mark BGSU's first-ever meeting with Buffalo in MAC Tournament play. The Bulls are the only current member of the MAC that BG has never faced in the conference tourney. The Falcons' most common MAC Tournament opponent is Toledo, as BG and UT have met 11 times in the postseason. The complete list of BGSU's tournament win-loss records vs. each MAC opponent can be found on page 24.

FALCONS BY ROUND AND SITE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
• The Falcons enter the 2016 MAC Tournament with an all-time record of 4-3 in the first round. BG is 1-0 in league tourney second-round games, 0-1 in the third round, 15-6 in quarterfinal-round contests, 13-8 in the semifinals and 11-2 in championship-game appearances.

• BGSU is a perfect 10-0 in MAC Tournament home games, including a 1-0 mark at the Stroh Center. The Falcons are 2-6 in road games and 32-14 in neutral-site contests in the league tourney over the years.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
If you can't make it to Buffalo for Monday night's game, fear not – you can still follow the Falcons via your radio- or computer-like devices. The BGSU-UB 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 ESPN3.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.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green enters Monday's game with an overall record of 10-17, and the Falcons finished MAC play with a 6-12 mark. BGSU ended the regular season in fourth place in the league's East Division, and the Falcons are the ninth seed for the league tourney.

• BGSU ended the regular season with a 71-61 loss at Akron on Saturday afternoon (March 5). The Brown and Orange closed the home portion of the schedule with a 76-56 victory over Miami (Feb. 27), before losing a 75-58 decision at league-leading Ohio (March 2) in a game that was much closer than the score indicated.

• The Falcons had snapped a season-long five-game losing streak with a 65-55 win on the road against Kent State (Feb. 20), but the Falcons fell just short four days later (Feb. 24) at Buffalo, losing by a 55-52 count.

• After winning three-straight games in late January, the Falcons dropped the first 'Battle of I-75' of the season, falling to Toledo by a 75-61 count to end the month (Jan. 30). BGSU then gave MAC West Division-leading Central Michigan a scare, before the Chippewas got a buzzer-beating bucket for a 76-75 win in Mount Pleasant (Feb. 6). BG returned home and fell to Western Michigan, UB and UT before heading to Kent and picking up a 10-point victory.

• The Falcons' three-game winning streak in January included a 67-63 triumph over Eastern Michigan, picked to win the MAC's West Division in the preseason coaches poll, on Jan. 27. The EMU game came on the heels of wins over Northern Illinois on the road (58-43; Jan. 20) and KSU at home (71-49; Jan. 23).

• BG opened conference action with a 64-58 win at Miami (Jan. 2), but the Brown and Orange then suffered a road loss to WMU before falling at home to defending MAC champion Ohio, Akron and Ball State.

• BGSU went 6-7 at home, and the Falcons are 3-9 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games this season. The Falcons went 3-6 at the Stroh in MAC play, and BG was 3-6 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. After beating Illinois State and Bradley to begin the season, the Falcons also posted non-conference wins over Jacksonville and Evansville.

• A pair of BGSU newcomers rank one-two on the team in scoring. Fifth-year senior Lauren Tibbs has 12.5 points per game, while freshman Sydney Lambert is scoring 9.6 ppg. Tibbs, in her first season at BGSU after transferring from Marquette, also leads the Falcons with 6.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots per contest.

• On the year, Tibbs is shooting 56.0 percent from the field to lead the team – and rank second in the MAC – in that category.

• Lambert leads the Falcons in minutes played (31.1) and steals (1.2 spg) and ranks second in assists (2.1 apg). She also paces the team in three-point field goals made, with 56. Lambert leads the entire MAC in three-point percentage, having made 41.8% of her long-distance attempts to rank among the national leaders as well.

• Senior Miriam Justinger and sophomore Rachel Myers have 8.8 and 7.7 ppg, respectively. Justinger leads the team in assists (2.3 apg) and is second in steals (1.1 spg). She has 62 assists to Lambert's 58, and 29 steals to Lambert's 32. Justinger has made 33 long-distance shots and pulled down 4.1 rpg, ranking third on the Falcons on the first list and second on the second, and she is shooting 36.3% from three-point land.

• Myers has hit 49 three-pointers this winter to date, including seven triples – just one shy of the school record – at Central Michigan. She ranks eighth in the MAC with a three-point field-goal percentage of 36.6% (Justinger is ninth in the MAC).

• Freshman Carly Santoro and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick have 4.3 and 4.2 ppg, respectively, while junior Ashley Tunstall has 4.1 ppg. Kirkpatrick is third on the Falcons in assists, with 1.3 per game, and she has scored in double digits in each of the last two games. Santoro is third on the Falcons in steals, while Tunstall is in a virtual tie for second on the team in rebounding (4.1 rpg). Tunstall, however, has missed the last six-plus games due to injury.

• Sophomore Haley Puk has 3.9 ppg, while juniors Abby Siefker and Rachel Konieczki are averaging 1.8 and 1.5 ppg, respectively. Puk has averaged 2.4 assists per game – second on the Falcons – over the last nine contests. She led BGSU in scoring at Ohio, with 12 points, and tied for team honors with a season-high seven rebounds. Puk has started the last six games. Siefker is second on the team in blocked shots.

• Seven players – Justinger, Kirkpatrick, Lambert, Myers, Santoro, Siefker and Tibbs – each have seen action in all 27 games, while Konieczki and Puk both have played in 25 and Tunstall 19. Sophomore Sarah Baer and freshman Maddie Cole have come off the bench in 15 and 12 games, respectively.

• Cole had a career-high seven points at Kent State, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, and now is averaging 1.2 ppg this season. Baer has 1.1 ppg, and Baer and Cole are shooting 63.6% and 55.6% from the floor, respectively.

• Justinger, Lambert, Myers and Tibbs each have started all 27 games for the Brown and Orange this season, while Tunstall has started 11, Puk six and Siefker four.

• The Falcons are shooting 39.5% from the field, 33.9% from three-point land (good for third in the MAC) and 68.9% from the free-throw line. The opponents are shooting 39.9% from the floor, 32.7% from the arc and 69.6% from the stripe.

• BGSU is second in the MAC with 7.6 three-pointers made per game.

• In MAC games only, Tibbs averaged 13.4 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the floor (good for fourth in the league). Lambert had 9.9 ppg and hit a team-leading 41 triples, while Justinger and Myers scored 8.8 and 8.5 ppg, respectively.

• Lambert (42.3%) and Myers (37.9%) finished first and sixth, respectively, in three-point field-goal percentage in MAC games. Tibbs shot an impressive 40.0% from long distance, having gone 12-of-30 in MAC games, but did not have enough triples made to qualify for the MAC rankings. The Falcons tied for first in the MAC in long-range accuracy (34.8%) and deadlocked for second in treys per game (8.0) in league 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.

• A total of 10 players on the current roster now have started five or more games in their BGSU careers to date.

• 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.

LAST TIME OUT: ZIPS STOP FALCONS, 71-61, AT THE JAR
• Anita Brown scored 23 points as Akron downed the Falcons on Saturday afternoon (March 5) at James A. Rhodes Arena.

• Hannah Plybon added 18 points and DiAndra Gibson 12 for the Zips. Plybon hit five of her team's seven three-point field goals.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs, despite battling foul trouble nearly the entire afternoon, led the Falcons with 11 points, while classmate Miriam Justinger and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Kirkpatrick had 10 apiece. Justinger also had six rebounds and five assists in the contest, and was 2-of-3 from three-point land.

• The Falcons held a 38-31 rebounding advantage, got to the free-throw line nine more times than the Zips, and committed just 10 turnovers. But, UA turned the ball over only five times, and the hosts had a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers.

• The lead changed hands several times in the early going. Plybon hit a long three-pointer to open the scoring, but Justinger took a pass from sophomore Haley Puk and knocked down a triple try from the right wing. Then, Justinger drove and dished a pass to Tibbs for an easy layup and a 5-3 Falcon lead.

• Moments later, sophomore Rachel Myers spotted Tibbs for a quick foul-line jumper, but Gibson hit a corner three to give the Zips an 8-7 lead with just three minutes gone.

• Then, with 6:34 left in the opening quarter, Tibbs was whistled for her second foul of the game, and headed to the bench. Justinger found Myers for a three-ball from the left corner, though, giving the Brown and Orange a 10-9 lead midway through the period. But, a quick catch-and-shoot three by Plybon restored the hosts' two-point advantage. A Gibson shot gave the hosts a 20-16 lead after 10 minutes.

• The Falcons got within a point as the second quarter began, when junior Rachel Konieczki drilled a three-point try fron the left wing, but the Zips slowly extended their lead, with a Brown bucket giving UA a 34-24 advantage. Akron led by nine at the half.

• BG narrowed the deficit to just five, at 44-39, in the third quarter, but the hosts scored the next four points, and again led by 10 points after three periods. UA extended the lead into the teens in the fourth period, before a late Falcon rally.

• The Zips shot 46.6 percent from the field on the day, and UA was 7-for-21 from three-point land. The Falcons shot 37.5% from the floor and 4-of-20 from the arc. BG had 26 points off the bench to the Zips' 12, and the Brown and Orange had a 9-4 advantage in second-chance points.

AMONG THE LEADERS
• Freshman Sydney Lambert leads the MAC and is ranked 22nd in the entire nation in three-point field goal percentage. Lambert has hit 56 triples in 134 tries, for a success rate of 41.8 percent.

• Senior Lauren Tibbs is shooting 56.0% from the field this season to date. She is second in the MAC, and ranks 20th in the country, in that category.

• As a team, BGSU is ranked 29th in the nation in three-point field goals made (7.6 per game).

SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo has an overall record of 16-13, and the Bulls finished the regular season with a record of 8-10 in MAC play. UB finished third in the East Division and earned the eighth seed for the league tournament. Buffalo won four of five games to close the regular season, capped by a 63-47 win over Kent State on Saturday afternoon (March 5). UB's eight MAC wins include two over regular-season champion Ohio, and the Bulls also downed West Division winner Central Michigan. UB is 8-5 at home, 7-8 on the road and 1-0 in neutral-site games this season. In MAC games, Buffalo went 5-4 at Alumni Arena and 3-6 away from home. The Bulls lead the league in offensive rebounds, and UB is second in scoring defense and third in rebounding margin. Individually, junior guard Joanna Smith leads the team and ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring, with 18.0 points per game. She also has 6.0 rebounds per contest to rank second on the Bulls, and has hit a total of 85 three-point field goals, exactly 63 more than any of her teammates and more than half of UB's team total for the season. Sophomore guard Stephanie Reid has 10.3 ppg and leads the Bulls with 4.8 assists per contest. Reid ranks fourth in the MAC in the latter category. Junior center Cassie Oursler has 7.6 ppg and a team-leading 6.4 rpg, and she also paces the Bulls in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). Last year, the Bulls finished with a 19-13 overall mark and an 11-7 MAC ledger. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and her staff welcomed back seven letterwinners, including two starters, from that 2014-15 team.

THE BGSU-BUFFALO SERIES
The Falcons lead Buffalo, 24-9, in the all-time series, but the Bulls have won four-straight meetings, including both of this year's regular-season matchups. The teams are meeting for the third time in 24 days. In the first 2015-16 meeting, UB topped the Falcons by a 63-50 count at the Stroh Center (Feb. 13, 2016), and the Bulls then escaped with a 55-52 victory in the return match inside Alumni Arena (Feb. 24, 2016). The Falcons had won 20 consecutive meetings vs. the Bulls prior to last season's first game between the teams. The Bulls had not defeated the Brown and Orange since February of 2003. BGSU is 11-4 in home games, 12-5 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites vs. UB over the years. Jennifer Roos is 4-4 against the Bulls as a collegiate head coach.

FALCONS VS. THE MAC
The Falcons continue to own the best record in MAC history. Through the 2015-16 conference schedule, 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 have made at least one three-point field goal for the Falcons this season.

THREE-MENDOUS
• The Falcons have hit 10 or more three-point field goals on seven occasions this season, including five times in MAC play. BG exploded for 15 three-pointers in the 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 have made at least five three-point field goals in 23 of this season's 27 games to date, and BG has hit at least four triples in all 27 contests.

THREE-GION OF BOOM
In fact, BG has hit four or more treys in 59 of the last 60 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- ... UMMM, SOME OTHER PHRASE THAT STARTS WITH 'THREE'
BGSU will be looking to extend an impressive streak in the Buffalo game. The Falcons have hit at least one three-pointer in each of the last 368 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.

UP NEXT
The BGSU-Buffalo winner will advance to Cleveland to face top-seeded Ohio in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament. That quarterfinal game is set for Wednesday (March 9) at 12:00 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.

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