The Falcons have lost to only one opponent in the Mid-American Conference so far this season. On Wednesday, that team comes to town.
The rematch will take place in the Stroh Center, as BG hosts Central Michigan on Feb. 19 with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
The BG women’s basketball team is 21-3 overall and 11-1 in MAC play. BG’s one loss in conference play came to Central Michigan earlier this season on Jan. 18 in Mount Pleasant. The Falcons lost by a score of 79-82 in overtime.
BG head coach Jennifer Roos said Central Michigan is having a tremendous season, and the Falcons will need a large home crowd to disrupt the Chippewas the way it did against Miami in their last outing at the Stroh.
“We’re back at square one where we’re playing the most highly talented offense against our defense, which is ranked number one in the MAC as well, so it’s two forces colliding again.” Roos said. “I will say, Central Michigan is playing so much better than what they were the first time we played them, and we’ll have our hands full.”
Wednesday’s game is a cross-division matchup of the top two teams in both the East and West Divisions of the MAC. The Falcons hold a two-game lead in the East, and Central Michigan stands atop the West Division.
Central Michigan enters Wednesday’s matchup at 16-8 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the MAC. The Chippewas are the only undefeated team in conference play and are on a 12-game winning streak, including nine which were by double digits.
The Chippewas returned 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from the 2012-13 season. Last year’s team finished 21-12 overall and 12-4 in MAC play, tying for second in the West but they also went on to capture the conference tournament title.
The Falcons lead the overall series 46-16 between them and Central Michigan, but the Chippewas have won the last two meetings. Last season, the teams split the two games they played in lopsided fashion. The Falcons won at the Stroh Center in the first meeting last season in an 84-59 decision, but the Chippewas would defeat BG in the third round of the MAC tournament 81-48.
In this season’s first matchup between the two teams, Central Michigan made a late second-half comeback to force the game into overtime, where the game would remain close. Ultimately, the Chippewas would clench the 82-79 victory.
Though Central is known primarily for their scoring offense, Roos said the Chippewas have improved their defense as well since their first meeting.
“They were strong defensively in January when we played them, but they have amped it up to another level and are playing much, much better defensively now,” Roos said.
Roos said that the Chippewas’ defensive pressure is hard to recreate in practice and to prepare for. She added that Central Michigan is also “an extremely confident group.”
“They have been down in multiple games by single-digits or double-digits, and they don’t have a panic in them,” Roos said. “That kind of confidence is scary.”
