BGSU women’s basketball (11-9, 4-5 MAC) travels up to Savage Arena in the first edition of Battle of I-75 this season against the Toledo Rockets (10-8, 5-3 MAC) on Saturday.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Adam Duffin will be the broadcast duo on Falcon Radio for the 5 p.m. start time. Tune in to the pregame show starting at 4:35 p.m.
Bowling Green
The Orange and Brown are coming off an 80-62 victory over Akron on Wednesday. Against the Zips, BG received contributions from a variety of players, mainly their starting five.
Junior guard Paige Kohler continues to score at a high level, scoring 19 points and 3 three-pointers against Akron. Sophomore guard Johnea Donahue narrowly outscored Kohler with 21 points and six steals.
Kohler and Donahue may lead the scoring, but sophomore forward Lauren Gerken is on a hot streak. She has six consecutive double-digit scoring games, scoring 13 in the latest victory, and adding three blocks.
Out of all the players, fifth-year guard Kaia Woods was the one to get sweet revenge against her former team. In a double-double showing, Woods logged 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Eight points and eight rebounds from junior forward Taya Ellis helped seal the victory as BG coasted to the win.
The victory over Akron was arguably the most complete game for Bowling Green, as they look to continue that momentum against their biggest rival. The Falcons lead the all-time series, 46-44. BG hasn’t defeated Toledo on the road since the 2020-2021 season.
Toledo
The Rockets enter this game having won four of their last five matchups. Their most recent win was a six-point victory over Kent State.
Junior guard Ella Weaver came off the bench and led the Rockets with 18 points and three triples. Weaver’s 6.6 points per game place her sixth on the team.
With Weaver’s surprising scoring, junior guard Kendall Carruthers stayed consistent with her season average of 14 points. She averages a team-leading 13.1 per game.
Nobody else on the team was above the six-point mark against Kent State. However, sophomore guard Faith Fedd-Robinson is a major bounce-back candidate. She averages 11.9 points, which is second on the squad. She is the leader for the team in rebounding with 5.6 a game, making her a threat to the BG forwards.
Head coach Ginny Boggess led the Rockets to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title game in her first season with Toledo last year. A win over BG could kickstart another deep postseason push.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Paige Kohler (Bowling Green — No. 10, junior guard)
Kohler continues to lead the Falcons with her 14 points per game, as she’ll be the main candidate to take charge for BG. If Kohler starts the game off right, the Rockets will have their hands full defensively.
Johnea Donahue (Bowling Green — No. 3, sophomore guard)
Donahue has been a thief this season with 4.2 steals per game. If she can generate turnovers on Saturday, the Falcons could score in transition and put less reliance on their half-court offense.
Kendall Carruthers (Toledo — No. 4, junior guard)
Carruthers is a dynamic and the leading scorer for the Rockets. She also adds the ability to poke away the ball with 1.5 steals per game. The Falcons must stop Carruthers in transition.
Faith Fedd-Robinson (Toledo — No. 2, sophomore guard)
A MAC All-Freshman teamer last season, Robinson provides a good skill set at 5-foot-eleven. She can rebound and shoot effectively as she is over the 50 percent mark from the field this season. BG’s forwards have a tough task trying to guard Fedd-Robinson.
