BGSU women’s basketball (1-2) continues its early-season gauntlet on the road, traveling to face the Marquette Golden Eagles (2-1) for a fourth consecutive game away from the Stroh Center to tip off the year.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleinmeyer, Trey Kennedy, and Sam Bork will begin Friday’s coverage at 7:05 p.m., and Adam Duffin will be broadcasting the game beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Matchup History
Bowling Green and Marquette have squared off against each other twice in the all-time series, with the Orange and Brown winning both. The last matchup occurred last December at the Stroh Center with BG winning 64-62.
The other game between the Falcons and the Golden Eagles took place in December during the 1992 season in West Lafayette, Indiana, as Bowling Green won 105-103 in double-overtime.
Bowling Green
The Falcons are looking to rebound from another road loss, having been bested by the Wisconsin Badgers, 90-78 on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.
The Falcons’ starting five remained unchanged from the game against No. 2-ranked South Carolina, as Head Coach Fred Chmiel opted for the same group. His lineup was comprised of sophomore forward Lauren Gerken, junior forward Taya Ellis, freshman guard Ky’Aira Miller, sophomore guard Johnea Donahue, and junior guard Paige Kohler.
Donahue, Kohler, and senior guard Kaia Woods, who made her first appearance of the season Wednesday, combined for 54 of Bowling Green’s 78 points. Besides that, Gerken put up seven points, four rebounds, and one assist in 24 minutes of action against the Badgers.
BGSU shot 40% from the hardwood, by making 26-65 shots; however, that was not enough to outscore Wisconsin, which made 54.5% of its shots, after converting 36-66 shots during the game. Having said that, the Badgers shot the deep-ball more efficiently than Bowling Green after making 10-26 three-pointers. Conversely, BG only made six triples out of 21 total attempts.
Despite being outscored by Wisconsin, the Orange and Brown forced more steals and out-rebounded the Badgers. Bowling Green eclipsed 37 rebounds, while Wisconsin reached 35, and Bowling Green tallied seven steals when the Badgers only reached one.
Along with Bowling Green, preparing for the Marquette Golden Eagles, Tuesday, BGSU announced that they now have three new players who have committed to the program.
The three commits include guard Mar Segura, who is from Spain. Guard and forward Kayla Stidham, who is from Fishers, Indiana, and guard Sophie Alexander, who is from Melbourne, Australia.
Marquette
The Golden Eagles began the 2025-26 season victorious at home in opposition to both the Winthrop Eagles, 89-57, and versus the Wisconsin Badgers, 65-62, improving their record to 2-0 early on.
Despite Marquette winning both of its home games to begin the season, this past Tuesday, the Golden Eagles lost their first away game of the season as they fell to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 90-47.
Marquette’s second-year head coach, Cara Consuegra, has assembled the same five players to start in each of their first three games. Her starting five includes junior forward Skylar Forbes, junior guard Halle Vice, senior guard Jaidynn Mason, senior guard Olivia Porter, and senior guard Lee Volker.
Mason currently leads the Golden Eagles, averaging an even 15 points per game, with Forbes on her tail, averaging 14.7 points per game. Having said that, both Mason and Forbes struggled to score efficiently in their losing efforts against Minnesota. Volker led Marquette in total points scored over the Golden Gophers, finishing the game with 13 points despite the loss Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles’ offense is built on fluid ball rotation, which has already produced three games of 10 or more assists. During Marquette’s win against Winthrop, they tallied 27 assists; against Minnesota, the Golden Eagles totaled 11 assists, and against the Badgers, they manufactured 12 assists.
Additionally, BGSU needs to be prepared for how often Marquette enjoys scoring in the paint. Throughout two out of their three games played, the Golden Eagles have made 40% or more of their shots down low. Against Winthrop, Marquette made 36 of their 89 points in the paint and shot 46% of their shots under the basket against the Wisconsin Badgers.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Johnea Donahue (Bowling Green – No. 3 sophomore guard)
For the second straight game, Donahue has shown her ability to score and create shots at a premier rate. In the Falcons’ losing efforts to Wisconsin, Donahue led the Orange and Brown with 24 points, shooting 8-16 from the floor, while making all eight of her free throws. Furthermore, Donahue finished the night with six rebounds, six assists, and had six of Bowling Green’s seven steals on the evening.
Paige Kohler (Bowling Green – No. 10 junior guard)
Kohler will need to continue her determined efforts against Marquette after finishing the matchup against the Badgers, scoring 18 points off of 5-15 from the floor. On top of that, Kohler came alive behind the three-point line, shooting 4-6 from that range, while also making all four of her foul shots.
Halle Vice (Marquette – No. 22 junior guard)
Vice has been a magnet towards the rim to begin the season, averaging 11.3 rebounds per game as well as 7.3 points per game. Amidst Marquette getting blown out by the Golden Gophers, Vice finished the contest with nine rebounds and four points, going 2-8 from the floor. Although she is a guard, she has a knack for finding the basketball while being aggressive and grabbing rebounds.
Skylar Forbes (Marquette – No. 11 junior forward)
Throughout the first three games of the season, Forbes is averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and two blocks per game. She uses her six-foot, three-inch frame to her advantage while being a force on both sides of the ball. Forbes’ best game of the young season came against Wisconsin after she produced 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks on the evening.
