Falcons Top Titans, 85-81, in a Monday-Morning Thriller

Monday, November 13

Detroit, MI

11:00 AM ET

Bowling Green State University

2-0

Detroit Mercy

0-2

Bowling Green

Detroit Mercy

Andrea Cecil v Seton Hill - Nov 5 2017 - Larry Clapper photo

Photo by: Larry Clapper

November 13, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Cecil scores 20 to pace four double-digit scorers as BG moves to 2-0

By: DETROIT, Mich. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

In a Monday-morning thriller, Bowling Green moved to 2-0 on the young season with an 85-81 win over host Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall. The non-conference game was held before a Field Trip Day crowd of over 4,000 fans in the Motor City.

Sophomore Andrea Cecil had a career-high 20 points to pace four double-digit scorers for the Falcons. Junior Sydney Lambert had a stellar stat line, with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The point guard was 4-for-8 from three-point range.

Sophomore Jane Uecker posted a career best with 12 points on Monday, while Junior Carly Santoro had her second double-double in as many games, with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

For the Titans, Brianne Cohen scored 20 points, while Anja Marinkovic added 18 and Lexey Tobel 16. Both Marinkovic and Tobel made five three-point field goals as the hosts connected on 13 long-range shots on the day.

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NOTE OF THE DAY

The Falcons have started the season with a 2-0 record for the second time in three years and the fourth time in the six years since Jennifer Roos became head coach. BG began the 2015-16 season with home wins over Illinois State and Bradley, for the program's last 2-0 start.
The last time BG won as many as three games to begin the year came in 2013-14, when the Falcons started the season with a 4-0 record en route to a 30-win season and a trip to the fourth round of the WNIT.
BG has had four 2-0 starts in the last six years, after starting 2-0 a total of seven times in the previous 39 years. The Falcons have started the year with two or more wins in the following seasons: 1974-75, 1988-89, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1997-98, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2017-18.

FIRST-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

The Falcon defense got stops on Detroit's first four possessions of the morning, but the Titans opened the game's scoring on a Lexey Tobel three-pointer with just under two minutes gone. Sophomore Jane Uecker drew a foul on the Falcons' next trip down the floor, splitting a pair of free throws to get BG on the board.
Senior Haley Puk was fouled on a drive and hit both charity tosses, and junior Carly Santoro converted a baseline drive to give the Falcons the lead. Sophomore Andrea Cecil hit a pair of shots from the stripe to cap a 7-0 BG run.
Freshman Sierra Thompson made a nifty move in the post, banking a shot home for a 9-6 lead, but UDM's Anja Marinkovic hit her second three-pointer in as many possessions to tie the score. After junior Sydney Lambert knocked down a pair of free throws out of the game's first media timeout, Marinkovic again connected from outside the arc. This time, she was fouled as she shot, and she completed the four-point play with a free throw that gave the Titans a 13-11 lead.
Cecil, however, hit a jump-stop jumper, then stole the ball from Tobel and went coast-to-coast for a layup and a 15-13 BG advantage.
The teams traded free throws before Gracie Roberts hit a jumper to tie the game. But, with approximately 30 seconds left in the quarter, senior Haley Puk took a pass from sophomore Caterrion Thompson and drilled a three-point try, giving the Brown and Orange a 19-16 lead after 10 minutes.

SECOND-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

After ending the first-quarter scoring, Puk hit the first bucket of the second period. She took a pass from Lambert after a Lambert steal, drilling another triple try. Santoro found Cecil for a layup and a 24-16 lead, and the Titans used a timeout with 8:31 left in the half.
Out of the timeout, however, BG got a defensive stop, and Sierra Thompson banked a turnaround shot off glass and in. The Falcons' 10-0 run gave BG a 10-point lead, 26-16.
The lead was still 10 points after a Santoro putback, but Brianne Cohen scored five quick points, with a long right-side jumper followed by a three-pointer. Then, Tobel hit a straightway three-pointer, and the Falcons' lead was down to two points.
Lambert snapped the Titans' eight-point run with a left-wing triple off of a Uecker pass, but a pair of Brittany Jackson layups got the hosts within a single point, at 31-30.
A Santoro offensive rebound and layup was followed by a Uecker putback, and moments later, Santoro found freshman Madisen Parker for a corner three and a 38-31 lead.
Lambert pounded the ball inside to Sierra Thompson, who put a shot off glass and in with under a minute left in the half. BG led, 42-34, at the intermission.

THIRD-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Cecil took a Puk pass and hit a three-pointer to give the Falcons an 11-point lead, but after a BG defender slipped and fell, Marinkovic took advantage, knocking down an open three-point try. Cecil, however, came right back with another three for a 48-37 lead just under two minutes into the quarter.
Cohen lowered her shoulder and scored inside, then hit a jumper, and when Tobel came down and hit a shot from behind the arc, the Falcons' lead was down to four points.
Sierra Thompson kicked the ball out to Lambert for a right-wing three, but Lola Ristovski scored all five of her points in the game in a 1-minute, 22-second span. When she knocked down a pair of free throws, the game was tied at 51-all.
Caterrion Thompson, however, hit a tough shot in traffic, and Lambert hit a three-pointer after grabbing a near turnover and fighting off a defender.
Moments later, however, Marinkovic hit a deep three, and a Cohen layup tied the score in the final minute of the period.
Roberts split a pair of free throws with 5.2 seconds left in the quarter, giving the Titans their first lead since midway through the first quarter. But, Lambert came downcourt and banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Falcons led, 61-59, with 10 minutes to go.

FOURTH-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Cohen opened the fourth-quarter scoring with an and-one layup, tying the score, but her free throw was no good.
Sierra Thompson threw the ball inside to Uecker for a quick layup, and after Jackson answered with a jumper, Uecker took a Lambert pass and drilled a three-point try. After a UDM turnover, Lambert found Caterrion Thompson for a triple and a 69-63 lead with 7:07 remaining.
Tobel's three-pointer cut the BG lead in half, but Cecil got a tough shot to drop, and Caterrion Thompson split a pair of tosses for a 72-68 lead a few moments later.
Santoro drove and scored, but Nicole Urbanick answered with a right-wing triple. Cecil was fouled and made both shots, but Tobel connected from beyond the arc to cut the BG lead to 76-74 with three minutes to go.
Back and forth the teams went. Uecker made a nifty move and scored off glass, but Marinkovic answered with a jumper from the foul line extended.
Lambert drove and hit a banker as she was knocked to the ground, putting the Falcons up by four. Finally, after UDM had scored on the three previous possessions, the Brown and Orange got a stop, and BG then scored for the fifth-straight possession. Uecker took a pass from Caterrion Thompson and hit a jumper from the left side as the shot clock wound down. BGSU's lead was six points, 82-76, and the home team took a timeout with 1:25 to go.
The Titans split a pair of free throws, and after a turnover, Jackson's layup with 54.6 seconds remaining made it an 82-79 game.
The hosts forced a BG turnover with 31 seconds left, but after Cecil blocked a shot, the Titans got the rebound and BG was called for a foul. Cohen hit both shots from the stripe, making it a one-point game with 20.8 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, the Titans committed several fouls to get to five fouls for the quarter. With 14.8 seconds remaining, Santoro was fouled and knocked down both shots for an 84-81 lead.
As time wound down, Marinkovic's hurried three-point try was off the mark, and Lambert grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She hit a free throw to give BG a four-point lead with 3.4 seconds remaining.

STATISTICS

The Falcons shot 42.6 percent from the field, going 29-of-68 on the day. UDM had a 46.0% success rate, making 29-of-63 shots.
The teams combined to make 24 three-point field goals, and each team shot better than 40 percent from the arc. Detroit went 13-for-29 (44.8%) from downtown, while the Falcons were 11-of-27 (40.7%) from long distance.
BGSU hit 16 free throws in 21 ties, good for a 76.2% conversion rate. The Titans were 10-of-19 (52.6%) from the line.
BGSU outrebounded the hosts, 42-36, with three Falcons pulling down at least seven boards. No UDM player had more than six rebounds.
After committing just five turnovers – tying a school record-low – on Friday against EKU, the Falcons had only nine turnovers on Monday. UDM turned the ball over 14 times, and the Falcons had a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
In addition to Detroit's three double-digit scorers, the Titans got nine points and a game-high eight assists from Brittney Jackson.

BALL-CONTROL OFFENSE

The Falcons averaged 16.3 turnovers per game, the second-highest average in the Mid-American Conference, last season. But, this year, BGSU has turned the ball over a total of just 14 times in two games. If you weren't a mathematics major in college (or even if you were), that's an average of only 7.0 turnovers per game.
BG turned the ball over a school record-low five times in Friday's win over Eastern Kentucky, and the Falcons had only nine turnovers in Detroit on Monday.
BGSU has forced the opponents into a total of 32 turnovers, and the Falcons have a 47-15 advantage in points off turnovers in the two games to date.

FALCON TEAM & MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

As mentioned, it was Field Trip Day at Calihan Hall, with a crowd of 4,127 on hand.
BGSU's starting lineup was comprised of senior Haley Puk, juniors Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro and sophomores Andrea Cecil and Jane Uecker. That quintet also started the Falcons' opener vs. Eastern Kentucky.
BG scored 77 or more points in a game only three times last season, but the Falcons have done so twice in as many games this year. BGSU had 85 or more points just once last year – an 86-50 win over Akron at the Stroh Center – a feat the 2017-18 Falcons matched on Monday.
The Falcons' total of 85 points was the team's highest in a road game in over five years, since a 91-48 win at Kent State in the final regular-season game of the 2011-12 season (Feb. 28, 2012).
BGSU now leads UDM, 14-10, in the all-time series between the teams, and the Falcons have captured eight-straight meetings since the Titans' last series win in November of 2001.
BGSU has made at least one three-point field goal in each of the last 402 games, dating to February of 2005.
The Falcons have made four or more three-pointers in 89 of the last 94 games, dating to late in the 2013-14 season.
BGSU made at least eight triples in 14 of last year's 31 games, and the Falcons have knocked down eight or more shots from the arc in each of this season's first two games.
In each of the last two seasons, no fewer than 12 players made at least one three-point field goal. This year, after just two games, a total of eight different Falcons have made one or more long-distance shots.
BG averaged 62.6 points per game a year ago. On Friday, the Falcons had 63 points after just three quarters in the win over EKU. On Monday, BG scored 61 points in the first three quarters at UDM, and reached 63 points with over eight minutes left in the game.

FALCON PLAYER NOTES

Sophomore Andrea Cecil had the first 20-point game of her young collegiate career in Monday's win. Her previous best was 14 points against Kent State last February.
Cecil also set or matched career-best totals in field goals made (7) and attempted (17), free throws made (4) and three-point field goals made (2). With seven rebounds, she fell just one short of matching her career best.
Junior Carly Santoro had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds on Monday. It marked her second double-double in as many games this season, and the seventh of her career.
Junior Sydney Lambert scored 17 points, just three away from her career best, in the win at UDM. Lambert has scored in double figures in 29 career games, the most among current Falcons.
Lambert had six assists to tie her career high. She also dished out six assists in a game at Ohio last March.
Sophomore Jane Uecker scored a career-high 12 points on Monday. Uecker set or tied career standards in field goals made (5) and attempted (11), assists and minutes played. Uecker has played 24 minutes in each of this season's first two games, matching her career high.
Uecker has scored 18 points in two games after scoring a total of 36 points during her freshman season.
In her second collegiate game, Sierra Thompson scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. She is averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 boards per game in her first two contests as a Falcon.
Another freshman, Madisen Parker, scored her first points as a Falcon, draining a corner three late in the first half.

UP NEXT

The Falcons continue a busy stretch of four games in a 10-day span, heading to Western Pennsylvania to face Robert Morris University on Thursday (Nov. 16). That contest, BGSU's second-straight morning tipoff, is set for a 10:00 a.m. start at the North Athletic Complex.
Then, BGSU returns home for a Sunday (Nov. 19) contest vs. Canisius on Moana Day at the Stroh Center.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS

For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb), Instagram (@bgsuwbasketball) and Snapchat (BGSU Falcons) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.

A big road win for @BGSUwbb! #AyZiggy #KidsDay pic.twitter.com/I2BiQzA8kD
— Lauren Ashman (@lm_ashman) November 13, 2017

#FlyTheFlag @BGSUwbb Falcons! Great W today for the Falcons in a late morning game in Detroit! @BGSUHoops and company - safe travels back to @bgsu ! pic.twitter.com/Ak1TFul2nm
— BGSU Falcon Club (@Bgsufalconclub) November 13, 2017

S/O to @UDMDetroit, created an unbelievable Kid's Day Gm environment over 4K fans! Our @BGSUwbb team responded & got the W! #AyZiggy
— Jennifer Roos (@BGSUHoops) November 13, 2017