Bowling Green women’s basketball (1-0) goes on the road to clash against the No. 2-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) on Friday night.

At 6:35 p.m., Falcon Media Sports Network’s Foster Roesti, Trey Kennedy and Adam Duffin will headline the pregame show on Falcon Radio. Lucas Kleimeyer will be in South Carolina to call the game, starting at 7:00 p.m. in Colonial Life Arena. 

Fred Chmiel and Dawn Staley

Bowling Green head coach Fred Chmiel and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley have a long-standing coaching and coach-player relationship that spans two decades. 

It began in 2005, when Chmiel was an assistant coach for the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA. Staley was playing in her final season for the Sting at the time. 

In the following year, Chmiel joined Temple as a part of Staley’s staff from 2006-08. The third stint that Chmiel and Staley worked alongside each other was at South Carolina from 2015-2023. 

Friday will be the second time the two will be head coaches against each other.

Matchup History

Bowling Green has faced South Carolina twice. The first ever meeting between the two was all the way back in the 1989-90 season. That game was in South Carolina, where the Gamecocks dominated the Falcons, 93-50.

In the 2023-24 season, the Falcons hosted the Gamecocks in a 93-62 defeat at the Stroh Center. That matchup was during Chmiel’s first season with the Orange and Brown.

Bowling Green 

In the season opener on Monday, Bowling Green defeated Louisiana 82-67. BGSU was up 39-37 at halftime, before pulling away with a strong second half.

BG’s starting five consisted of junior guard Paige Kohler, sophomore guard Johnea Donahue, freshman guard Ky’Aira Miller, junior forward Taya Ellis and junior forward Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick. 

All of the starters played at least 23 minutes, except for Bland-Fitzpatrick. She only played four minutes and finished with one point, three personal fouls and two turnovers. 

Sophomore forward Lauren Gerken was the beneficiary of Bland-Fitzpatrick’s shortened minutes. Gerken played 35 minutes and posted a double-double, notching 11 points, along with 10 rebounds and two blocks. It was Gerken’s first game back from an injury that ended her freshman season early.

Kohler led the way for the BGSU offense with 18 points and four assists in the opener, both of which were team-highs. It was an unusual game for Kohler, as she didn’t record a 3-pointer and went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. 

Donahue continued from last season’s defensive efforts with three steals on Monday night. She also posted nine points and three assists to begin her sophomore season. 

Off the bench, junior forward Jaedyn Cook scored eight points in the nine minutes she played, marking an efficient debut in the Orange and Brown. She might not receive a large uptick in minutes, but she should remain a go-to option off the bench for Chmiel. 

Lastly, redshirt junior guard Jasmine Fearne led the Falcons with two 3-pointers off the bench. BG only had five 3-pointers as a team.

South Carolina

South Carolina defeated Grand Canyon 94-54 on Monday night. 

The scoring attack was led by senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, as she shot 7-for-10 from the field with 20 points. 

Latson was joined in the starting five by junior guard Tessa Johnson, senior center Madina Okot, senior guard Raven Johnson and sophomore forward Joyce Edwards.

Every starter had at least 11 points, and both Tessa Johnson and Raven Johnson made three from beyond the arc. 

From the bench, freshman guard Ayla McDowell had nine points in the 17 minutes of her collegiate debut.

Another bench option for South Carolina is freshman guard Agot Makeer. She had three blocks along with five points in 19 minutes.

Out of all the statistics for the Gamecocks, their 59.6% field goal percentage on Monday might be the most impressive. 

South Carolina shot 46.5% from the field last season, ranking 15th in the nation.

South Carolina is 74-4 in their last 78 games, and in the 2023-2024 season, they went 38-0, winning the NCAA tournament. Last season, they went 35-4 and lost to UConn in the national championship game.

FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH

Paige Kohler (Bowling Green — No. 10, junior guard)

Kohler didn’t record a three-pointer last game, but it’s hard to believe that would happen in a second consecutive game. Kohler had 76 threes last season and will have the green light from beyond on the arc on Friday night.

Lauren Gerken (Bowling Green — No. 22, sophomore forward)

Gerken was not put on any sort of minutes restriction in her first game back since her shortened freshman season due to injury. She could be elevated into the starting lineup on Friday and will look to record consecutive double-doubles.

Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina — No. 00, senior guard)

The Florida State transfer led the team with 20 points in her Gamecocks debut. She will look to lead South Carolina again and further solidify her status as the main option of the offense going forward.

Tessa Johnson (South Carolina — No. 5, junior guard)

Johnson was second on the Gamecocks squad with 19 points and three three-pointers. Entering her third season at South Carolina, she now gets the chance to be a member of the starting unit. Look for Johnson to continue to let it fly from three-point range on Friday night.