After a season-opening 71-67 win over Southern Mississippi on Monday, BGSU women’s basketball (1-0) will travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Mercy Titans in their first game of the 2024 season.
Friday night will be the 27th meeting between the Falcons and the Titans. The Orange and Brown lead 16-10 in the series. The last time these two programs squared off was in 2022 when BG defeated Detroit Mercy 76-29 at the Stroh Center.
BOWLING GREEN
It was a physical and tough first game for the Orange and Brown, but they pulled away with a four-point win in their season opener.
It is not perfect yet by any means, but one of the improvements head coach Fred Chmiel wants to see from his team this season is their ability to shut teams down defensively. For the majority of the game against Southern Mississippi, they were to do so, especially freshman Johnea Donahue and sophomore Taya Ellis, who was one rebound away from a double-double.
Sophomore guard Paige Kohler led the Falcons in points with 19, including hitting three big three-pointers against Southern Mississippi. Freshman Lauren Gerken had a fantastic collegiate debut as well, with 14 points off the bench and eight rebounds.
Bowling Green will also need to reduce turnovers; they had 24 in their first game of the year and will look to take better care of the ball down the stretch.
DETROIT MERCY
The Titans are led by former Falcon Kate Achter, who leads the program in all-time assists plus is fourth in all-time scoring for Bowling Green. She is also a member of the 2018 Hall of Fame class.
Achter led the Titans to the biggest turnaround in program history in her first year at the helm, with a 17-16 record last season, including a 9-11 record in Horizon League play.
Detroit Mercy was picked to finish eighth in the Horizon League 2024-25 preseason poll after going 10-3 at home last year and 6-13 on the road.
Achter and the Titans welcome 11 newcomers this year, with only four players returning to the team after last season, including just one starter. Junior guard Myonna Hooper returns for her third year with the program after averaging 7.1 points last year.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior Guard, #1: Amy Velasco, Bowling Green
Velasco had 11 points and six assists in BG’s season opener. Her passing ability and leadership on the court will be important all season long and will certainly be key against Detroit Mercy.
Fifth-year Forward #32: Erika Porter, Bowling Green
Porter didn’t have the showing she or the Falcons wanted last game, but she is still a massive focal point of Bowling Green’s offense and will look to rebound against the Titans.
Junior Guard, #4: Myonna Hooper, Detroit Mercy
The only returning starter this season, Hooper’s experience for Detroit Mercy will be huge against Bowling Green, as will her ability to knock down shots.
Fifth-year Guard, #1: Aaliyah McQueen, Detroit Mercy
McQueen is a transfer coming from Madonna who brings a wealth of experience to the team and was named All Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) First-Team last year. It’ll be interesting to see what role she plays for Achter and the Titans in her last year of eligibility.
