WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5  |  6:30 P.M.  |  WORTHEN ARENA  |  MUNCIE, IND.

JUMP BALL
• The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team puts a two-game winning streak on the line against the Mid-American Conference leaders this week. Head coach Fred Chmiel and the Falcons head to Indiana for a Wednesday (Feb. 5) matchup with Ball State University. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Worthen Arena in Muncie.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• There are many ways to keep up with the Falcons in 2024-25...

• TV/VIDEO: Wednesday's BSU game will be streamed via ESPN+.
• RADIO/AUDIO: The BSU contest, as is the case for all of BGSU's 2024-25 games, is scheduled to have an audio stream thanks to Falcon Media Sports Network.
• LIVE STATS: Live stats are scheduled to be available for all games in '24-25.
• TWITTER/X & THE 'GRAM: In-game updates, along with other key information, can be found on the BGSU women's basketball Twitter/X account (@BGSUWBB), with periodic updates on the program's Instagram account (bgsuwbb) as well.

• For all of the pertinent links to any and all ways to follow the Falcons, go to BGSUFalcons.com and navigate your way to the "women's basketball schedule" page on game day.

TOUGH CROWD!
• The Falcons play two games on the road this week, and BGSU faces a pair of teams with a combined league record of 20-1. Ball State will enter the BG game with a 10-0 MAC record and a 12-game overall winning streak.

• Then, BGSU will meet Arkansas State in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8). The Red Wolves are 10-1 in SBC play and have won 10-straight games since a loss in the league opener in late December.

• Additionally, the teams are a combined 19-2 in home games this season, as BSU is 10-1 at Worthen Arena, while A-State is 9-1 heading into a Wednesday morning matchup with Georgia State.

LAST TIME OUT: BGSU MOUNTS A COMEBACK IN MOUNT PLEASANT
• The Falcons rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit, posting a 76-69 win over Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 1) at McGuirk Arena.

• All five starters scored in double digits for the Falcons (11-10, 5-5 MAC), who have won two-straight games. Paige Kohler had a team-leading 17 points, while Erika Porter had 14 of her 16 points in the second half.

• Porter scored nine points in the fourth quarter, matching CMU's team total, and had an assist on arguably the biggest bucket of the game. With under a minute to play and the Falcons leading by a single point, Porter worked down low, drawing several defenders toward her, then kicked the ball out to Kohler for a long three-point attempt that found nothing but net. The shot gave BGSU a 71-67 lead with 42.0 seconds to go, and the Falcons went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line to seal the road win.

• Lexi Fleming had 13 points, while Johnea Donahue had 12 points (the highest total of her young career), five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Porter also had five rebounds in the win, and she led all players with a +20 plus/minus rating.

• Amy Velasco rounded out BGSU's double-digit scorers with 10 points, adding four assists and two blocked shots.

• Madi Morson and Jess Lawson combined for 43 points for the Chippewas. Morson had a game-high 23 points, including 14 of her team's 27 total points in the second half. Lawson had a double-double, with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

• Central had a 39-26 rebounding advantage, but the Falcons forced 15 turnovers while committing just nine themselves. BGSU had just two second-half turnovers.

COMEBACKS VS. CHIPPEWAS BECOMING COMMON
• The Falcons rallied from a third-quarter deficit to win at Central Michigan for the second consecutive season. Last year (Jan. 3, 2024), BGSU trailed by nine points midway through the third quarter before rallying for a 65-64 win.

• On Saturday, as mentioned, the Falcons trailed by 12 points early in the third quarter before coming back.

• In the fourth quarter of those two games, the Falcons outscored the Chippewas by a combined total of 38-17 (18-8 last season, 20-9 on Saturday).

• BGSU held CMU to just four field goals in 35 attempts – a field-goal percentage of just 11.4% – in the fourth quarter of the two contests.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICIT? NO PROBLEM!
• The win at CMU marked the second time BG has come back from a double-digit deficit this season. The Falcons rallied from 14 points down to post an 80-79 win over Arkansas on Nov. 30, 2024, at the Daytona Beach Classic.

• Saturday's win at CMU was BGSU's largest comeback in a MAC game in nearly two years, since a victory at Western Michigan on Feb. 18, 2023. In that game, the Orange and Brown trailed by 14 points midway through the third quarter before roaring back to win by 12 (65-53).

KOHLER DOES IT ALL IN WIN OVER AKRON
• Sophomore Paige Kohler did a little bit of everything last Wednesday night (Jan. 29), as the Falcons posted an 82-69 win over Akron inside the Stroh Center.

• Kohler had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead the team in all three categories. The Olmsted Falls native tied her career scoring high, and fell just two rebounds and one assist shy of matching each of those career standards.

• Kohler also had three steals in the win, and led all players with a +17 plus/minus rating. She scored 20 of her points in the first half alone.

PK10 GETS IT DONE
• As we just mentioned, Paige Kohler had a monster game against Akron. And, she again led the Falcons in scoring at Central Michigan, with her 17 points including a huge three-pointer in the final minute of play.

• Kohler, who has started all 52 of BGSU's games since her arrival on campus, heads into the Ball State game with impressive career totals of 610 points, 230 rebounds and 181 assists. She currently ranks 17th in BGSU history in career scoring average (11.73 ppg), and is eighth in career assists per game (3.48).

THE FALCONS VS. THE MAC
• Historically, the Falcons have been one of the top programs in the Mid-American Conference. Entering the BSU bout, BGSU has gone 463-272 (.630) in league regular-season games. The Falcons have the second-highest winning percentage of all MAC institutions, and the second-most conference wins of all 12 programs.

• BGSU has won 15 MAC regular-season titles, which is tied for the highest total of any conference institution. And, the Falcons have won a league-best 11 MAC Tournament championships.

• BG leads the all-time series with all 11 conference foes, making the Falcons – obviously – the only team in the league with a winning record against every other school. BGSU also has the most overall victories and highest overall winning pct. of any league institution.

THE FLEMING FACTOR
• Lexi Fleming has been a B!G part of the Falcons' success since arriving at BG. The MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020-21, Fleming missed the entire '21-22 season due to injury, but returned to the court in 2022-23 and saw action in 36 games as BGSU went 31-7. She was injured in December of 2023 and missed nearly an entire year, before returning to the court for this season's Xavier game (Dec. 7).

• Fleming surpassed the 1,000-point mark several weeks ago (Jan. 18). She became the 32nd player to reach that plateau, and she did so in her 82nd career game, tying her for the ninth-fastest player to reach the millennium mark in program history.

• Entering the BSU game, Fleming has played in a total of 86 contests as a Falcon. BGSU has a record of 62-24 in those 86 games, including a 32-13 ledger in MAC regular-season play, a 36-15 mark in all games (regular season and tournament) against conference foes and a 30-8 record at the Stroh Center.

• Four of those losses have come against nationally-ranked opponents, including a game at Indiana (Dec. 22, 2023), when Fleming played just 70 seconds before leaving due to injury. Heading into that IU game, Fleming had led the 2023-24 team in scoring (16.7 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg for the 5-5 guard) and steals (2.7 spg).

• The list of BGSU's leading career scorers can be found on page 23 of the PDF of these notes, while the list of quickest Falcons to 1,000 points is on page six.

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons are 11-10 on the season, and BGSU is 5-5 in MAC play. BG will put a two-game winning streak on the line on Wednesday, after posting a 82-69 home win over Akron (Jan. 29) and a 76-69 victory at Central Michigan (Feb. 1).

• The UA win came after a narrow 63-60 setback against Western Michigan (Jan. 22) and an 80-68 outcome at Toledo three days later (Jan. 25).

• Prior to the WMU game, the Falcons had posted back-to-back victories, including a 74-53 decision at Ohio – BG's first road win of the season – and a 74-60 triumph over Northern Illinois.

• The Falcons' other MAC win came against Eastern Michigan. BGSU also has conference losses against Buffalo at home and Kent State and Miami on the road.

• In non-conference play, BG posted home wins over Southern Miss, St. Bonaventure, Xavier and Marquette, with neutral-site victories against Stetson and Arkansas. The losses included road contests vs. two nationally-ranked teams (#13/12 West Virginia and #12/11 Ohio State), as well as a seven-point setback to Horizon League favorite Cleveland State.

• BGSU is 7-2 at home, 2-8 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site games this season to date. In MAC play, the Falcons are 3-2 at the Stroh and 2-3 at hostile venues.

• Overall, the Falcons have a scoring margin of +1.7 and a rebounding margin of +3.4 this year. BG has outrebounded 12 of this season's first 21 opponents, with a rebounding margin of 10 or more in six of those games to date.

• Four players are scoring in double digits for the Orange and Brown. Senior Amy Velasco leads the way with 15.6 ppg, and she also paces the Falcons with 4.5 assists per contest. Velasco has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games this season, and is second on the club with 32 three-point field goals made. Velasco is shooting a BG-best 41.6 percent from the arc, ranking her third in the MAC in that category. She is second in the conference in free-throw pct. (93.0%) and third in minutes played (34.98 mpg).

• Fifth-year Falcon Lexi Fleming and sophomore Paige Kohler have 13.2 and 13.0 ppg, respectively, and that duo combined for 46 points in the win over Akron. Kohler also has 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and has made a team-leading 47 three-point field goals. She flirted with a triple-double in the win at Ohio, with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and had a 28-point, seven-board, seven-assist performance vs. the Zips before leading BG with 17 points at CMU Saturday.

• Fleming had 23-point outings on the road against Miami and Toledo, part of a five-game stretch in which she led BG in scoring four times. She has made 29 triples in her 13 games to date, and has 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game to rank third and second, respectively, on the team.

• Fifth-year collegian Erika Porter is averaging 10.9 ppg, and has a team-leading 5.2 rpg. Porter also leads the Falcons – and the MAC – in field-goal percentage (56.5%).

• Freshman Lauren Gerken has 7.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg, while classmate Johnea Donahue is scoring 5.9 ppg. Donahue leads BGSU and is fourth in the MAC with 2.4 steals per game.

• Sophomores Keiryn McGuff and Taya Ellis are averaging 4.7 and 4.2 ppg, respectively. McGuff also has 4.5 rpg, and scored in double figures in three-straight games to begin MAC play. Ellis has 5.0 rpg on the season, ranking second on the team, and she leads BGSU with 0.9 blocks per game. Junior Kendal Moxey has 3.6 ppg and has gone 29-for-56 (51.8%) from the floor.

• In MAC play, Fleming (14.6 ppg), Kohler (14.3) and Velasco (12.9) all have scored between 129 and 146 points in the 10 games to date. Porter and Kohler ahve 5.0 and 4.8 rpg, respectively, while Velasco (4.3 apg), Kohler (3.9) and Fleming (3.6) all are averaging over three assists per game through 10 conference contests.

• The Falcons returned seven players who saw action on the 2023-24 team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in MAC play. BG won four of the last six regular-season games, and the Falcons advanced to national postseason play with trip to the WNIT.

• BGSU's other returnees from last season are third-year Falcons Emily Siesel and Jasmine Fearne. Siesel played in 26 games off the bench last winter, while Fearne is back after missing the entire '23-24 campaign due to injury. Fearne is fourth on the Falcons with 19 successful triple tries in 2024-25 to date, and she set career-high totals in minutes in the back-to-back wins at Ohio (24:09) and Northern Illinois (26:02).

• The Falcons' eight newcomers include a pair of junior-college transfers in Moxey and Kristiana Kulackovska, along with six freshmen – Donahue, Gerken, Laila Harrison, Sofia Moschen, Brook Simpson and Taylor Wallace. Moschen joined the team in the first week of January.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS
• Ball State is 18-4 on the season, and the Cardinals lead the MAC with a perfect 10-0 league ledger. Nine of the 10 MAC wins have been by double digits, including last week's victories on the road against Ohio (83-61) and at home vs. Western Michigan (61-51). BSU has won 12 consecutive games since a loss against nationally-ranked Ohio State on Dec. 10.

• The Cards' only losses this year all have come to teams ranked 44th or better in the current NET rankings (#13 North Carolina, #15 OSU, #43 Columbia and 44 South Dakota State).

• Ally Becki has 15.1 ppg on the season to pace no fewer than five players who are scoring in double digits, and Becki leads the entire conference in both assists (6.0 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.44). Alex Richard has 13.6 ppg, with Lachelle Austin and Elise Stuck each scoring 11.0 ppg. Richard and Marie Kiefer each have 6.6 rpg, and Kiefer leads the MAC in blocked shots (1.82 bpg).

• Head coach Brady Sallee and the Cardinals went 28-6 overall last season, finishing with a 16-2 MAC record. 

THE SERIES
• The Falcons lead Ball State, 48-27, in the all-time series, but the Cardinals captured last year's lone meeting to snap a BG two-game series winning streak. Last season, despite a game-high 28 points from Amy Velasco, BSU picked up a 76-61 win in Muncie (Jan. 13, 2024) in an early-season matchup of MAC unbeatens. Overall, BGSU is 4-3 in the last seven meetings vs. the Cardinals, but the Falcons have lost three-straight games in Muncie since an 89-55 victory at Worthen Arena four years ago (Jan. 2, 2021).

• BGSU is 26-7 at home, 19-17 on the road and 3-3 at neutral sites vs. the Cardinals through the years. Additional series information can be found elsewhere in these very notes.

DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the Ball State game, BGSU will conclude a three-game road swing with a trip to Jonesboro, Ark. The Falcons will face Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 8), as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET at First National Bank Arena.

• Then, the Orange and Brown will return home to face Central Michigan the following Saturday (Feb. 15). That game will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, and will be BGSU's Alumni Day, with many former Falcon greats expected to be on hand.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...
For more information on BGSU women's hoops, be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook (@BGWBB), Twitter/X (@BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUWBB) and Instagram (@bgsuwbb), as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.