Coming off their first road win of the season against Ohio, BGSU women’s basketball (8-8, 2-3 MAC) return home to the Stroh Center to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies (7-9, 1-4 MAC) in the Play4Kay/Pink Game.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Kaden Knapp and Andrew Smith will have the call on WBGU 88.1 FM starting at 6:45 p.m. for pregame with tipoff at 7:00 p.m.
On Saturday, BGSU athletics are encouraging all fans to wear pink to show support for individuals who are battling or have battled breast cancer.
The biggest storyline coming into the game is fifth-year guard Lexi Fleming needing just one point to reach 1,000 career collegiate points for Bowling Green. She is coming off a 19-point performance against Ohio in Athens.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 51st all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Northern Illinois. The Falcons lead in the series 29-21, including winning the last two matchups against the Huskies.
In both wins for BG last year, the Orange and Brown defeated NIU 72-54 in January and then beat them on the road in DeKalb at the end of February.
BOWLING GREEN
Sitting at .500 on the year and now reaching past the mid-way point of the season, the Falcons finally got their first true road win of the season, but more importantly a win in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play is massive for the team’s confidence.
The Falcons still sit in 9th place in the MAC standings, with both of their conference wins this season coming against 0-5 Eastern Michigan and the 1-4 Ohio Bobcats.
A win would be huge for the Orange and Brown to get to 3-3 in the MAC, and with their current form at home this season and their history against the Huskies, the odds are in Bowling Green’s favor.
To pick up a win, the Falcons will need another big performance from guards Amy Velasco and Paige Kohler, but also a dominating performance from fifth-year forward Erika Porter. Especially in terms of scoring and offensive rebounding.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Huskies find themselves two spots below BG in the MAC, sitting in 11th place with a 7-9 record this season. NIU started conference play with a bang, defeating Toledo on the road to start 2025, but since have lost four straight, with defeats coming against Ohio, Akron, Western Michigan, and most recently, Miami.
There are still plenty of games left for NIU to get back to the MAC tournament, but they’ll need a big win against the Falcons.
They are led by guard Chelby Koker and forward Brooke Stonebraker, both are averaging. 11.6 points per game (PPG). Stonebreaker as some fans may know, is the daughter of former Falcon Jacki (Raterman) Stonebraker.
Northern Illinois is eighth in the MAC in scoring, averaging 65.4 PPG. On the other side defensively, NIU allows an average 68.5 PPG. Most notably, the Huskies have the least amount of steals in the MAC, with 83 total on the year.
NIU will have to create a lot of turnovers and capitalize on Falcon mistakes to pick up a big road victory in Bowling Green.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fifth-year guard #25 – Lexi Fleming, Bowling Green
The 1,000-point career mark will be more than deserved for Fleming, so it’s almost obvious she’ll be one of the players to watch for against NIU. She is averaging 12.4 PPG and has the second most assists on the team with 51.
Fifth-year guard #32 – Erika Porter, Bowling Green
Porter is averaging 10.6 PPG and leads the team in total rebounds with 90. She matches up well against NIU and has a chance to have a big performance against the Huskies.
Graduate student forward #34 – Brooke Stonebraker, Northern Illinois
Stonebraker may be one of the more efficient scorers on the Huskies, but she is also a solid defensive player, with 91 defensive rebounds on the year and 17 blocks as well. For NIU to get a big victory on the road, a big game is needed from her.
Junior guard #22 – Alecia Doyle, Northern Illinois
The junior has started all 16 games for NIU this season and is averaging the most minutes on the team at 30.8 per game. Nearly effective in all statical categories for the Huskies, her impact on the game against BG will be a big factor in the outcome of the game.
