BGSU women’s basketball (3-4) will host Division II’s Kentucky State Thorobreds (2-5) for their second home game of the season at the Stroh Center, looking to win three games in a row and get back to .500.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Adam Duffin and Trey Kennedy will have the call on WBGU 88.1 FM at 7:00 p.m. Nate Hinners and Daniel Ridenour will have you covered for pregame, halftime, and postgame.
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday night will mark the second-ever meeting between Bowling Green and Kentucky State. The last time these two squared off was 43 years ago in 1983, when the Falcons defeated the Thorobreds 74-71 at Anderson Arena.
BOWLING GREEN
The Falcons are coming off a gritty win against Purdue Fort Wayne, 56-53, a game that tested the BG defensively and forced sophomore guard Johnea Donahue to make one last steal on defense to close the seal and seal the win.
After beginning their first six games of the season on the road, the Orange and Brown finally returned home on Sunday against the Mastodons. Including Kentucky State, the Falcons will have five straight home games before going back on the road on Dec. 30 against Eastern Michigan.
It’s safe to say, the team and head coach Fred Chmiel are happy to be home.
“There’s always an edge here. There’s always hope. You know, our fans get behind us, they believe we’re going to win. We believe we’re going to win,” said Chmiel postgame against Purdue Fort Wayne. “There’s something to the elevation of our team when you’re playing at home.”
Donahue had 12 points, seven steals, five rebounds, and five assists in that win over PFW. Junior guard Paige Kohler scored a team high 15 points last game and is averaging 14.6 points per game (PPG) this season.
Both Kohler and Donahue have started every game for the Falcons this season, with the only other being junior forward Taya Ellis.
After the team’s loss against UC Irvine, Chmiel inserted senior Emily Siesel and redshirt junior Jasmine Fearne into the starting five for the first time in their collegiate careers, a change that has helped the team go 2-0 over the past couple of games.
KENTUCKY STATE
It’s important to note that this game for the Thorobreds will go down as an exhibition. Kentucky State has lost three games in a row, including a 78-63 defeat to Lee on Monday. Their two wins this season came in the season opener against Edward Waters and Benedict on Nov. 22.
The Thorobreds are led by head coach Amani Williams, who was promoted from assistant to head coach in October of 2023. Last year, she led the team to a 9-17 record and 8-11 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play.
11 different players have started for Kentucky State this season, with only six returning players from that 2024-2025 team. Kentucky State’s offense is spearheaded by Amina Seck and Aaliyah Hayes, who are both averaging just below 10 PPG, with Seck at 9.9 and Hayes at 9.7.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
#11 Taya Ellis – Junior Forward, Bowling Green
Ellis had six points and eight rebounds in their last outing. She has been one of the more consistent players for Bowling Green alongside the duo of Kohler and Donahue. She is averaging 4.4 PPG and leads the team in rebounding so far this year with 42 total.
#22 Lauren Gerken – Sophomore Forward, Bowling Green
Gerken has been efficient coming off the bench for the Orange and Brown the last two games, and most recently, her performance against PFW, where she had eight points and six rebounds.
#12 Amina Seck – Senior Center, Kentucky State
While Seck has been one of the more consistent scorers for the Thorobreds, she also leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game (RPG) with 41 total this season.
#23 Amaya Asher – Junior Guard, Kentucky State
While only starting three of the seven games this season, Asher leads the team with 15 total assists this year, along with averaging 4.7 PPG. She is coming off a season high in minutes and also a season high of seven assists against Lee.
