Winners of five consecutive games, BGSU women’s basketball team (16-11, 9-6) travel west to DeKalb to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies (12-15, 5-10) in a Saturday matinee.
The Falcons have won six of their last seven against the Huskies and lead the all-time series 30-21. Head coach Fred Chmiel also is undefeated against NIU, boasting a record of 3-0.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer will call the game on WBGU 88.1 FM, the exclusive radio home of BGSU women’s basketball starting at 1:45 for pregame, and 2:00 p.m. for tip-off.
BOWLING GREEN
The Falcons have been on fire as of late and are coming off a 30-point shellacking of Ohio. Their five-game winning streak is the longest in the Chmiel era.
The team also knocked down 18 triples against the Bobcats, a new single-game record for threes in a single game.
Zooming out on their schedule, BG has also won seven of its last eight, clinching its ticket to Cleveland and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament.
In each of those wins, they have scored at least 70 points and at least two starters reached double-digit point totals.
Also, senior Amy Velasco has an average of 16.1 points and six assists during this stretch. Sophomore Paige Kohler also averages 16.1 points. On top of that, she has an average of 3.9 rebounds.
In the first meeting against NIU, BGSU played very well. They limited turnovers, shot over 45% from the field, and dominated in the paint.
To best the Huskies, the Falcons will need to be very vocal.
“They run a lot of ball screens; we just got to communicate. That’s key for basketball teams. It’s just made sure you communicate,” said assistant coach Lexxus Graham-Blincoe when asked about the biggest key to beating NIU.
“I think I feel good about the momentum that we have and the focus that we have going into the game.”
Similarly to the first matchup, they will also need to dominate the paint and avoid long-scoring droughts.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
With three regular season games to play, NIU finds themselves two games behind eighth-place Western Michigan in the standings.
The top eight teams in the standings get to go to Cleveland to compete in the MAC Tournament. Due to this, the Huskies are going to be playing with extra motivation.
BG defeated NIU 70-64 earlier this season thanks to a stellar fourth-quarter performance by the Orange and Brown.
This season, the second half has plagued Northern Illinois. After being even with opponents after one half, the Huskies have been outscored by 95 points in the second half.
To win at home tomorrow, NIU will need to create pressure and frazzle the Falcons. When BGSU is in a groove, they are very hard to stop, so applying pressure and keeping BG from running their offense efficiently will be huge.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fifth-year forward #32 Erika Porter, Bowling Green
Erika Porter has been huge for the team in many ways this season. When the team is in a scoring drought, she is the type of player who will knock down a high-percentage shot underneath to calm the team down and spark a run. As the season has advanced, she has gained confidence. The Falcons will need her underneath to challenge Brooke Stonebreaker and grasp important broads.
Fifth-year guard #25 Lexi Fleming, Bowling Green
Last time out against NIU, Lexi Fleming eclipsed 1,000 career points. In that game, she finished with 15 points, five assists and three steals. The Cincinnati native also has been very vocal and directed the offense for most of the game as she so often does. As mentioned by assistant coach Graham-Blincoe, communication will be important, and Fleming is the type of player who will bring that.
Freshman guard #20 Lexi Carlsen, Northern Illinois
Sycamore, IL native Lexi Carlsen has had a pretty good freshman season. She has scored double-digit points in 10 games this season and averages 8.3 points. In the mid-January meeting against BG, she scored 14 and accounted for four of the team’s 12 assists. Her 5’8 presence in the front court will be needed to contest the Falcons’ guards.
Graduate student forward #34 Brooke Stonebreaker, Northern Illinois
Standing at 6’3 Brooke Stonebreaker is going to be of the most importance in the paint. She grabbed a team-high 173 rebounds this season and is 48.2% from the floor. Stonebreaker also has a lot of experience and will touch the basketball on nearly every Huskie offensive possession.
