Falcons Venture to Frost Arena to Face SDSU

Saturday, December 9

Brookings, SD

7:00 PM CT (8:00 PM ET)

Bowling Green State University

South Dakota State

Tickets

Jane Uecker v Xavier - Brad Phalin photo - Dec 6 2017

Photo by: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing and Communications

December 08, 2017 | Women's Basketball

BGSU battles the Jackrabbits Saturday night in Brookings

By: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

BGSU at RV/RV SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Saturday, December 9, 2017 • 7:00 p.m. CT
Frost Arena (6,100) • Brookings, S.D.

TELEVISION / VIDEO: Jackrabbits All-Access ($$)
RADIO / AUDIO: Jackrabbit Sports Network
LIVE STATS: GoJacksLive.com
TWITTER: @BGSUwbb

all available audio, stats & video links can be found at BGSUFalcons.com on game day

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS...
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, off to one of the best starts in program history, faces one of the toughest tests of the season. Head coach Jennifer Roos and the Falcons put a four-game winning streak on the line Saturday (Dec. 9), when BGSU meets South Dakota State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. ET) at Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D.

BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LINKS
Game Notes (PDF): BGSU | SDSU
BGSU Notes from all 2017-18 games (& previous seasons)
"In The Nest" - Parker
Get Your Tickets Now!
2017-18 Schedule | Giveaways / Promotions
Spark Page | 2017-18 Record Book | Quick Facts
FALCON NEWS: Falcons School XU Before Record Crowd | Santoro Named MAC Player of Week Again | Roos , Falcons Sign Three | Santoro Named to Preseason All-MAC Team | Veteran Quartet to Captain Falcons
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.

Saturday's SDSU game will feature video (fee required) and audio streams, as well as live stats and Twitter updates. All links will be available via BGSUFalcons.com.

All of BGSU's home games and many road contests will have audio broadcasts, courtesy of the Bowling Green Radio Sports Organization (BGRSO). And, all but one of BGSU's home games in 2017-18 will be aired via ESPN3.com, with a live stream for the remaining game (Ferris State; Dec. 18) available through WBGU-TV.

Live stats will also be available for all games, and in-game Twitter updates for every BGSU game can be found at @BGSUwbb.

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. Any and all available links to ticket info. and game coverage will be available there.

LAST TIME OUT: FALCONS SCHOOL XAVIER BEFORE RECORD CROWD
BGSU hit five three-point field goals in the first quarter alone, taking an early lead and seizing control of Wednesday's (Dec. 6) game against Xavier. The Falcons moved to 7-1 on the season with a 63-53 win over the Musketeers before a large and raucous Kids Day crowd at the Stroh Center.

A total of 4,130 fans attended the game, the largest for a BGSU women's basketball game in Stroh Center history and the second-largest home attendance in BGSU women's basketball annals.

The game was not as close as the final score might indicate. BGSU went 5-of-7 from three-point land in the first quarter, building a 21-9 lead. XU crept within six points early in the second period, but three-straight long-range buckets gave the hosts a 34-19 lead, and the margin remained in double digits for the rest of the day.

BG led by 20 points with under five minutes to go, before a late Xavier run got the Musketeers within 10 points at the final horn.

Sophomore Caterrion Thompson had a game- and career-high 19 points to pace three double-digit scorers for the Falcons. Classmate Andrea Cecil scored 14 points, while junior Carly Santoro had 12. A'riana Gray and Princess Stewart each scored 10 points for the visitors.

THREE'S A CROWD (AND 4,130'S A HUUUUUUUGE CROWD)
The crowd of 4,130 on Wednesday, as mentioned, marked the largest attendance for a BGSU women's basketball game in the history of the Stroh Center. And, it was the second-largest home crowd in program history.

The only larger crowd to see the Falcons play in Bowling Green was a throng of 4,408 for a game against Florida at venerable Anderson Arena on St. Patrick's Day of 1993. That was an NCAA Tournament contest between the Falcons and Gators.

The largest Stroh Center crowd for the BGSU women, prior to Wednesday, came on Jan. 31, 2015, when 3,498 fans saw the Orange and Brown face arch-rival Toledo.

The only larger crowds to see a women's basketball game came in town came during the 2012 NCAA Championships, when Brittney Griner and number-one Baylor downed UC-Santa Barbara in the first round en route to a 40-0 record and a national title. That game drew a crowd of 4,205, and the second game of the day, which saw Florida down Ohio State, had an announced attendance of 4,195.

START ME UP. IF YOU START ME UP I'LL NEVER STOP.
The Falcons are off to a 7-1 start to the season. The 2017-18 campaign marks just the seventh time in program history that BGSU has won at least seven of the first eight games.

Five of those seven seasons have come since Jennifer Roos arrived at BGSU, with two coming since she assumed the head-coaching job.

The 2005-06 BGSU team is the only one that was undefeated after eight games. Six teams – the 1974-75, 1991-92, 2006-07, 2010-11 and 2013-14 clubs and the current squad – have been 7-1 at this juncture.

#WINNING
The Falcons ended the November portion of the schedule with a 6-1 record. The last BG team to win as many as six games in November was the 2013-14 club, which also ended the month with a 6-1 mark.

The last time a Falcon team won as many as six games in any month of the year was also that '13-14 squad, which went 6-2 in March of 2014, en route to the fourth round of the WNIT.

In fact, that 2013-14 team won six or more games in every month but one, and in that month (December), the Falcons only played five games. Just because you're dying to know, the '13-14 team went 6-1 in November, 4-1 in December, 7-1 in January, a perfect 7-0 in February and 6-2 in March.

The Falcons are now 7-1 after the win over Xavier. Last year, BGSU's seventh win of the season came on February 18.

TAKE FIVE
A total of just five players scored points in BGSU's win over Xavier. Sophomore Caterrion Thompson had 19 points, while classmate Andrea Cecil added 14, junior Carly Santoro 12 and senior Haley Puk and junior Sydney Lambert nine apiece.

The last time just five players scored in a game for the Falcons was ... the team's last meeting with South Dakota State, BG's next opponent. Just five players found the scoresheet for the Brown and Orange in a 58-45 loss to the Jackrabbits nearly two years ago (Dec. 21, 2015).

The last time BGSU won a game in which only five players scored? That was close to seven years ago, when the Falcons picked up a 73-61 late-season win at Miami (Feb. 19, 2011). Tracy Pontius led the way with 29 points, while Jen Uhl (15), Chrissy Steffen (13), Maggie Hennegan (nine) and Lauren Prochaska (seven) all chipped in with seven or more points.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
BGSU is off to a 7-1 start to the season. The Falcons picked up wins over Eastern Kentucky, Detroit and Robert Morris, with the latter two victories coming in front of loud School Day crowds on the road, to begin the year. The Brown and Orange suffered a loss to Canisius at the Stroh Center, but bounced back with wins over Norfolk State and FAU to win the latter school's Thanksgiving tournament. BG then topped Valparaiso last week to complete a season-opening stretch of seven games in a 19-day span, before downing Xavier on Wednesday at the Stroh.

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 Amanda Cutcher – welcomed back a total of nine returning players, including three starters, from a year ago. The list of returnees includes two seniors, three juniors and four second-year Falcons.

Rachel Myers and Haley Puk make up the senior class, while Maddie Cole, Sydney Lambert and Carly Santoro enter their junior year. Sophomores Andrea Cecil, Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker also return, as does Clare Glowniak, who is a redshirt freshman in terms of eligibility after missing the bulk of last season due to injury.

The nine returnees are joined by five freshmen, including Terri Battle, Madisen Parker, Angela Perry, Sierra Thompson and Kennedy Williams. The frosh combined for 34 points in the Falcons' exhibition win over Seton Hill.

BGSU's starters in all eight games to date have been Cecil, Lambert, Puk, Santoro and Uecker. The two sophomores, Cecil and Uecker, each made the first start of their respective collegiate careers in the season opener.

Santoro was named to the Preseason All-MAC Team. She led the Falcons in scoring a year ago, averaging 12.0 points per game. Santoro is the Falcons' top returning rebounder as well, having pulled down 7.4 boards per contest last winter.

This year, through eight games, four Falcons are scoring in double digits. Santoro leads the way with 16.4 ppg, and is averaging a double-double, with a team-leading 11.0 rpg. Cecil (11.0 ppg), Lambert (11.0) and Puk (10.8) also are averaging over 10 points per outing, while Uecker (6.1) and Sierra Thompson (6.0) each have at least six ppg.

Lambert leads the Falcons in both assists (2.9 apg) and steals (2.1 spg), while Santoro is second in both categories, with 2.4 apg and 1.8 spg. Puk has knocked down a team-leading 17 three-point field goals, while Lambert has hit 16 long-range shots.

Sierra Thompson is shooting a team-high .536 from the floor, while Cecil is shooting .440. That duo, along with Lambert and Uecker, average between 4.1 and 5.3 rebounds per game each.

BGSU has a +6.5 scoring margin, a +3.6 rebounding margin and a +2.6 turnover margin through eight games this season.

SYNONYMS FOR "G.O.A.T." – 1) SANTORO. 2) THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE LIST.
Junior Carly Santoro was named the MAC Player of the Week on Tuesday (Dec. 5), marking the second time she has captured that award this season. She also was named the College Sports Madness league P-O-W for the second time.

The awards came after Santoro continued her stellar start to the season with a 29-point, 13-rebound effort in BG's lone game the prior week, a 90-77 win over Valparaiso. Santoro, who also had a career-high six assists in the win, went 8-of-11 from the floor and 13-of-16 from the free-throw line.

#CanScoreO
Junior Carly Santoro's 29-point game vs. Valparaiso was only her second highest-scoring game of the season. She had 30 points in BG's season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky (earning her MAC P-O-W honors the following Tuesday).

DOUBLE(-DOUBLE) TROUBLE
Junior Carly Santoro has recorded six double-doubles in eight games this season. She posted three-straight double-doubles to begin the year, and then put together another three-game streak, with a double-double in each of BGSU's two wins at the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament and another vs. Valpo.

Santoro led the Falcons with five double-doubles a year ago, and – obviously – has topped that total roughly one-fourth of the way through the 2017-18 season.

The last Falcon to have more than six double-doubles in a season was Deborah Hoekstra, who had seven in the 2014-15 campaign.

Interestingly (depending upon your level of interest), the Falcons are 6-0 this season when Santoro records a double-double. BGSU went just 1-4 in such games last season.

SAN-TORRID
As of last Wednesday morning (Nov. 29), Carly Santoro was tied for third in the nation in double-doubles, with six. Obviously, with the Falcons idle for over a week, she was bound to drop on that list. But, as of Monday afternoon (Dec. 4), Santoro remained in the top 10 (tied for seventh) in the country in that category.

#CanReboundO
As of Thursday (Dec. 7) morning, junior Carly Santoro is ranked 20th in the country in rebounding, with 11.0 boards per game. She is currently ranked second in the nation in that category among players under 6-0.

ANY MORE SANTORO-RELATED NOTES?
Yes. Last season, Carly Santoro led the Falcons in both free throws made and attempted, as she went 69-of-96 from the line. Through just eight games this season, she already has taken 61 shots from the stripe, making 40. Santoro has shot 12 or more free throws in a game three times this year, and is shooting 75% (18-of-24) over the last three games.

TEN OUT OF TEN. THAT'S PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT?
The Falcons scored points on 10 consecutive possessions against Valparaiso – the last five possessions of the second quarter & the first five of the third. That stretch of just over six minutes saw BG extend a four-point lead to a 50-32 advantage. The Falcons had 25 points on those 10 trips.

SCOUTING SDSU
South Dakota State is 7-2 on the season, and the Jackrabbits are receiving votes in both of the national polls. The Jacks are ranked second in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll. SDSU's only two losses have come to a pair of teams – Green Bay and Louisville – who are currently ranked in the nation's top 25. Most recently, the Jacks picked up a 67-61 win over visiting Oklahoma on Wednesday night. SDSU is 4-1 at home, 1-1 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games this season to date. Macy Miller is averaging 16.4 points per game to lead the team, while Madison Guebert has 14.4 ppg. Guebert, Miller and Ellie Thompson all were named to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. Head coach Aaron Johnston has guided the Jacks to national postseason play in each of the last 10 years, with seven NCAA appearances and three trips to the WNIT. Last year, Johnston and Company went 23-9 overall and 12-4 in the Summit League, advancing to the second round of the WNIT.

THE SERIES
The Falcons trail SDSU, 1-0, in the all-time series between the teams. The only previous meeting saw the Jacks came to the Stroh Center and pick up a 58-45 win two years ago (Dec. 21, 2015). SDSU led by one point at the half before beginning the third quarter on a 12-0 run.

Last year, the Falcons were scheduled to face the Jacks in Brookings (Dec. 18, 2016), but the game was canceled when BGSU's scheduled flight (and many others) were canceled due to wintry weather conditions.

BGSU-SDSU-NW OHIO TIES
South Dakota State Director of Athletics Justin Sell is a BGSU graduate. Sell earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from the University in 1991. His wife, Jennie Sell, is SDSU's Assistant AD-Academics and is a Toledo native. She also earned a bachelor's degree at BGSU, in elementary education.

SDSU assistant coach Haylie Linn played two seasons at Toledo, earning a bachelor's degree from the school in 2010 and a master's degree in 2012. She started 29 games for the Rockets as a senior, averaging 7.5 points and 2.6 assists per game.

FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG (A FEW FINAL FALCON NOTES)
BGSU has led at halftime of all eight games this season.

The Falcons set season bests in three-point field goals made (13) and three-point FG pct. (.542; 13-of-24) in the win over Xavier. That came after BG had set a then-season best in long-range accuracy (41.7%) in the Valpo game.

In two of the game's four quarters, the Falcons made more three-point field goals than Xavier made total field goals.

BGSU has matched last season's home win total. BG is 3-1 at the Stroh Center after going just 3-12 at home a year ago. The Falcons already had matched last year's road win total. BG is 3-0 in true road games after going 3-10 on the road last winter.

UP NEXT
Following the SDSU game and a break for exams, the Falcons will return to the court on Monday, Dec. 18, with a home game vs. Ferris State.