After a hard-fought loss against rivals Toledo, BGSU women’s basketball (9-10, 3-5 MAC) is back at home to face the Akron Zips (9-11, 3-5 MAC) in a massive Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchup at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons sit in 8th place in the MAC, while the Zips are right below the Orange and Brown in 9th.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Kaden Knapp and Foster Roesti will broadcast the pregame on WBGU 88.1 FM starting at 6:45 p.m. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY
Bowling Green leads the all-time series against Akron with a lopsided 60-14 record. The Falcons won the first 26 meetings and are 31-5 at home against the Zips.
Last season, the Falcons won both matchups against the Zips, defeating them 70-59 at home and 74-68 on the road.
BOWLING GREEN
While back-to-back MAC losses for the Orange and Brown don’t look great, the Falcons have a good upcoming stretch of games where they can potentially find some wins, especially since they have historically dominated a team like the Zips.
The Falcons had an impressive first half against the Rockets, but the second-half adjustment made by UT overpowered BG in the third and fourth quarters.
Fifth-year guard Lexi Fleming is coming off a strong performance as well scoring 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Senior guard Amy Velasco adds another double-digit game as well, recording 18 points.
BG has improved their turnover margin since the beginning of the season and will look to cause a lot of steals and turn them into points against UA.
Bowling Green will need to put together a full-four quarter performance against Akron, and for the rest of the season if they want to climb to the top of the MAC.
AKRON
An inconsistent season for the Zips has found themselves towards the bottom of the MAC this year.
Similar to Bowling Green, all three of their MAC wins have come against Ohio, Northern Illinois, and Eastern Michigan. Akron are currently on a four-game losing streak, with their most recent defeat coming against Buffalo at home.
Second-year head coach Ryan Gensler only has five returning players from last year’s 11-18 squad, with 10 total newcomers. The Zips are led by leading scorer Alexus Mobley, who is averaging 12.6 points per game (PPG).
Akron is 8th in the MAC in scoring offense and 7th defense. But for them to beat the Falcons, they too, will need a complete performance against a Bowling Green team that is very good at home this season.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fifth-year forward – Erika Porter, Bowling Green
Porter had a solid outing against Toledo, with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. Porter’s dominance in the paint offensively will be key for Bowling Green against Akron. She also had 22 points and 16 rebounds against the Zips last season.
Fifth-year guard – Lexi Fleming, Bowling Green
Fleming has scored double-digits in four of her last five games, matching her season-high in points against Toledo with 23. In big games, she always seems to step up for the Orange and Brown, and she’ll be needed in a big game against the Zips.
Senior guard – Alexus Mobley, Akron
Mobley is one of the more consistent threats offensively for the Zips. She can score from multiple different places on the floor, and is can dish out the basketball as well, with 39 assists on the year.
Redshirt senior forward – Shelbee Brown, Akron
Fourth in the MAC in rebounding with 160 total, Brown is one of the most important players for the Zips. With 39 steals and 10 blocks for a team that is second in the conference in blocked shots, she’ll be one of the players to watch on Wednesday.
