BGSU women’s basketball goes on the road to face the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns on Monday night for the season opener.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Trey Kennedy, Noah Seeley and Adam Duffin will be on the pregame show starting at 6:35 p.m. on WBGU 88.1 FM. Lucas Kleimeyer is on the call in Lafayette starting at 7 p.m. in the Cajundome.
Matchup History
Bowling Green has never faced Louisiana. However, they have faced some other members of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).
Marshall is the only SBC team the Falcons have faced more than once, and they boast a 12-3 record over them. Overall, BGSU is 15-6 versus Sun Belt competition.
In MAC-Sun Belt Challenge games last year, the Falcons won against Southern Miss 71-67 and prevailed over Arkansas State 75-73.
Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters their third season under head coach Fred Chmiel.
Led by Chmiel, the Falcons had an 18-13 record a year ago and went 11-7 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.
They had their season end in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, as they lost to Buffalo 65-63.
BGSU was 5-10 in away games a year ago. In those ten losses, they were defeated by an average of 16 points per game (PPG).
The 2025-26 season poses numerous questions for the Falcons, as they will be without Amy Velasco, Lexi Fleming, Erika Porter and many others due to graduation or transfer. However, there are multiple players who are in a position to step up for the Orange and Brown.
To start, junior guard Paige Kohler, a preseason All-MAC First Team selection, is poised to be the focal point of the Falcons’ attack. Kohler started every game last season and led the team with 76 3-pointers.
Another player that will be heavily relied on is sophomore guard Johnea Donahue. Last season, Donahue averaged 2.4 steals per game and made the MAC All-Freshman Team and the MAC All-Defensive Team.
Along with Kohler and Donahue, BGSU will look for help from their transfer players.
One of the transfers, junior forward Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick, came in from Seton Hall and started in the exhibition game versus Wooster. She was able to showcase her ability to drive in the paint, notching nine points that night.
Louisiana
Louisiana is led by head coach Garry Brodhead and is coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 13-16, including a 9-9 record in SBC play, and an 11-4 record at home.
The Cajuns feature a completely revamped roster, with no returning players from last season. In their two exhibition games, Louisiana had four of their new faces start in both games.
Those four players featured were junior forward Marina Artero, junior guard Mikaylah Manley, junior guard Bianca Silva and junior forward Lily Ba. Manley and Ba are the only two starters with previous Division I experience.
Manley was a member of fellow SBC team Southern Miss last season. She played 11 minutes versus the Falcons in last season’s opener.
The other two members of the Ragin’ Cajuns squad to start in the exhibition matches were senior guard Jazmyne Jackson and freshman guard Amijah Price.
Jackson is another transfer who came from an SBC school in Georgia Southern. She is a versatile player and made six 3-pointers in a game against Coastal Georgia last season.
Price was rated the number two prospect in Louisiana by Prep Girl Hoops after leading her school to back-to-back state championship appearances.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Taya Ellis (Bowling Green No. 11 — junior forward)
Ellis was impressive in the exhibition versus Wooster and was able to score and rebound at will. Whether she starts or comes off the bench, it will be worth watching to see if she can take another leap and elevate this BG squad.
Johnea Donahue (Bowling Green No. 3 — sophomore guard)
Donahue will be tasked with being the defender on the primary ball handlers for Louisiana. She will also be asked to be a more focal part of BG’s offense.
Amijah Price (Louisiana No. 2 — freshman guard)
It is unlikely that Price starts the game for the Ragin’ Cajuns. However, she is expected to play off the bench and could be an interesting wrinkle for the offense. Price was a dynamic scorer and playmaker in high school and can show that in her collegiate debut.
Lily Ba (Louisiana No. 8 — junior forward)
Ba didn’t play many minutes in her two seasons at Tulane. Now, she looks like a key piece of a Louisiana squad that doesn’t have much height. Ba is 6-foot-3 and one of two players on the roster over 6-feet tall. She is going to be tasked with guarding some of Bowling Green’s towering players in the paint.
