BGSU women’s basketball (11-10, 4-6) looks to rebound this upcoming Wednesday against the Kent State Golden Flashes (9-12, 4-6) after falling to the Toledo Rockets in the first round of the Battle of I-75.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer will be calling the game, with the action beginning at 7 P.M. at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on WBGU 88.1 FM.
Matchup History
Historically, the Orange and Brown have dominated the Golden Flashes throughout the two schools’ head-to-head matchups, winning 64 out of the 103 total meetings. Having said that, BG has struggled to stack wins at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, posting a 23-23 record at Kent State historically.
Now, Bowling Green is looking to win its third consecutive game against Kent State, with their first victory beginning this winning streak in March of last season.
This midweek showdown, while visiting Kent State, will conclude this season’s regular-season series after BGSU defeated the Golden Flashes earlier this season in December, routing Kent State 73-69 at the Stroh Center.
Bowling Green
Wednesday’s game marks the Orange and Brown’s 11th game against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams this year, and Kent State was Bowling Green’s first opponent, whom they faced in the MAC this season.
The Falcons’ most recent game against Toledo was a game in which BG found themselves in another streaky outing on offense. After falling to the Rockets 59-49, the Orange and Brown finished the night shooting 27% from the floor.
To make matters worse, defensively, BG played well, holding Toledo to a 36% shooting percentage, along with forcing a total of 25 turnovers against the Rockets.
Sophomore guard Johnea Donahue led the charge in coverage, forcing four total steals, which led to 18 points off of Toledo’s giveaways. Donahue also finished her night having scored a game-high 19 points in Savage Arena.
Aside from Donahue and junior guard Paige Kohler, who scored 12 points this past Saturday, the Falcons had no other options to go to on the offensive end. BGSU’s bench combined for a total of five points, including very limited contributions from the other three starters against Toledo as well.
Senior guard Kaia Woods, who has been a bright spot for the Falcons this season, averaging 7.6 points this season, but was cold a night long, going 0-7 from the field, and only scoring three points off free-throw attempts.
Kent State
Kent State entered this season as the preseason favorites to win the MAC, but currently sits with a 9-12 overall record, joining Bowling Green with a 4-6 conference record.
Having said that, the Golden Flashes find themselves in the midst of a two-game losing streak, having also lost to the Rockets, but most recently falling to the Ball State Cardinals this past Sunday, 101-91.
Junior guard Mya Babbit led the Golden Flashes, posting 28 points and five rebounds against Ball State. Not to mention, Babbit is leading Kent State in points per game, averaging 16.5 points per outing.
Other than Babbit, senior guard Dionna Gray was efficient offensively, scoring 23 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and distributing nine total assists.
As a team, shooting wasn’t an issue for Kent State after shooting 47% from the floor; however, rebounds were dominated by the Cardinals, which proved costly for the Golden Flashes. Ball State registered 41 rebounds in comparison to Kent State’s 30 rebounds.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Johnea Donahue (Bowling Green No. 3 sophomore guard)
All season long, the Falcons have proven to play their best when Donahue plays at the top of her game. Despite Donahue having turned the ball over early in BG’s previous game against Toledo, she continued to fight back and ultimately had the Falcons in position to complete a comeback.
Lauren Gerken (Bowling Green No. 22 sophomore forward)
Gerken is averaging the third most points this season, putting up 8.3 points per contest, in addition to 4.5 rebounds per game. This season, Gerken’s 3-point efficiency has been extremely inconsistent, averaging a 24.6% 3-point percentage this year. Yet, during the past two weeks, her 3-point shooting has become more prolific at times, and if she can reignite that spark again this Wednesday, it could become an important aspect to potentially getting a victory.
Riley Rismiller (Kent State No. 30 junior center)
Rismiller is recording 8.8 points on average this season and a team-high six rebounds per game. Although she is averaging the fourth-most points per contest, she is the second-most efficient shooter on Kent State’s roster, with a 52.2% field-goal percentage.
Mya Babbit (Kent State No. 23 junior guard)
Baabit has led the charge for Kent State all season long, averaging a team-best 16.5 points a game. Now, the Falcons held Babbit to 10 points during these two schools’ last battle this past December. If Bowling Green wants to have any chance at a victory, they once again need to hold Babbit to low numbers offensively.
