Tomorrow, BGSU women’s basketball (10-10, 4-5) squares off against Central Michigan (8-12, 4-5) at the McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
This marks the 76th matchup between these two sides. Bowling Green leads the all-time series 52-23 including a 20-11 record on the road. The Falcons also have won the last four meetings.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer will call the game on WBGU 88.1 FM starting at 12:45 for pregame.
BOWLING GREEN
The Falcons enter Saturday’s tussle with a 4-5 record in the Mid-Amercian Conference (MAC). Last time out, they defeated the Akron Zips 82-69 in a very physical, up-tempo game.
Sophomore guard Paige Kohler led the charge, scoring 28 points. She also dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds. To add to that, the guard hit a career-high 11 shots.
As a team, the Orange and Brown totaled 20 assists and scored 25 points off 20 forced turnovers.
Thanks to a great second half, fifth-year guard Lexi Fleming totaled 18 points and had a game-high four steals.
Another narrative the Falcons shushed for the moment was not being able to close out games. Deadlocked at 18 after one quarter, BG took the lead and never looked back, outscoring the Zips 64-51 in the final 30 minutes of gameplay.
To best the Chippewas, Bowling Green will need to protect the basketball, close out quarters, and score more than 60 points. CMU is 3-12 this season when their opposition scores at least 60 points.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Chippewas are coming off an 80-75 blip against the Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb. That loss marked their fifth loss in MAC play.
In that game, CMU was out-shot by about six percent and turned the ball over 11 more times than NIU.
Four of Central Michigan’s five conference losses have come against the top of the MAC in Toledo, Kent State, Buffalo, and Ball State.
CMU has had a very up-and-down season. After starting 0-4, they have not lost or won more than two consecutive contests.
To defeat Bowling Green, the Chippewas will need to avoid turnovers, protect the perimeter, and outshoot the Falcons.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Freshman guard #3 Johnea Donahue, Bowling Green
Donahue is fourth in the MAC in steals per game. The freshman earned a start last time out against Akron for her recent success. She excels in cutting off lanes defensively and pressuring her opponents into taking low-percentage shots.
Redshirt sophomore guard #20 Jasmine Fearne, Bowling Green
The redshirt sophomore guard has been a spark plug for the Falcons’ offense all season long. She has attempted 70 total three-pointers and has been prone to starting scoring runs. In a game where offense will be pivotal look for coach Chmiel likes to sub her into the game during big moments.
Freshman guard #0 Madi Morson, Central Michigan
Despite being a freshman, Madi Morson has played with a lot of confidence and leads to Chippewas in points per contest. Morson is also coming off back-to-back 20-plus-point games. She also has scored double-digit points in each of her last eight games. The Canton, Michigan native also has been an excellent shooter, shooting 43.5 percent from the floor.
Senior guard #8 Jess Lawson, Central Michigan
Central Michigan is Jess Lawson’s third school. She has a lot of experience as her next game will be her 105th college game. This season, Lawson averages 11.1 points and leads the team in rebounds with 173. The senior is also 3rd in the MAC in the boards category. Look for her to be a big presence underneath despite her 5’7 stature.
