Mid-season takeaways: Basketball and hockey

Brandon Loe, Executive Content Director

January 12, 2022

BGSU men’s basketball’s Daeqwon Plowden takes his place on the block during a foul shot in BGSU’s 69-57 loss to Akron at the Stroh Center on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

Both BGSU basketball teams welcomed in new faces this season to build upon their program with the athletes that already call BGSU home. The Falcons hockey team also brought in two new players who are turning heads in the rink. Oftentimes when new players first step foot on the playing surface, the average fan doesn’t know what to expect.

Robyn Fralick’s recruiting was top notch again

BGSU women’s hoops saw leaps and bounds of success last year with a large majority of it being propelled by Nyla Hampton, Kenzie Lewis and Lexi Fleming. This year, more newcomers are stepping up after BGSU lost Fleming to injury just prior to the year. Freshman Amy Velasco and Xavier transfer Morgan Sharps have both proved to be the center of attention for women’s basketball. Sharps has averaged over 11 points per game coming off the bench for the Falcons while Velasco has contributed across the board after starting nine games so far this season.

Plowden and Reece are a 1-2 punch

Daeqwon Plowden and Joe Reece have set the tone for BGSU men’s basketball this year. This combination has both players in the top 12 in conference rebounding statistics. This has helped Bowling Green to second in the team rankings across the conference, only the Toledo Rockets have more total rebounds. Reece is ranked third in the MAC for shooting percentage and leads all players for BGSU. Plowden is ninth on the MAC scoring charts and on the defensive side of the ball is third in blocks per game. It will be important for both Reece and Plowden to continue to contribute and gel together as the team continues on into MAC play.

Swankler and Stoever shine

Austen Swankler and Christian Stoever have arrived at BGSU and have risen to the occasion for the Falcons on ice. Swankler has proved to be the most productive asset on the offensive end for Bowling Green and through this point in the year leads all BGSU players in scoring and is tied for 10th on the CCHA conference list. Christian Stoever has taken his job as netminder and ran. The freshman has logged more minutes than his junior counterpart, Zack Rose, and ranks fourth in save percentage in the CCHA. Stoever’s save percentage of .913 ranks just .003 behind second highest in the entire conference. His best performance came in December against Ferris State when he recorded 41 saves.