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ATHENS, OH.– The Bobcats Women's Basketball team (4-17, 2-8 MAC) is returning home this Wednesday (2/8) to face the Bowling Green Falcons (20-2, 9-1 MAC). The MAC contest will take place at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio and will be available to stream on ESPN+. Tipoff between the Bobcats and Falcons is set for 7pm.
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Bobcats have faced off against the Falcons over 90 times in recorded history. Both teams have excelled in the Mid-American Conference with the all-time series standing at 34-57. Bowling Green currently holds the advantage over the Bobcats, but the last two matchups between the Ohio based teams, ended in a Bobcats victory.
LAST TIME OUT
The last time Ohio saw the Bowling Green Falcons was February 19th of last year. The game was the second matchup of the season and resulted in a Bobcats win, 82-69. The competition was dominated by Ohio's Gabby Burris, hitting a career high of 26 points. Three other Bobcats scored in double figures to help Ohio pick up the conference victory on the road, with Erica Johnson pouring in 17, Cece Hooks scoring 16, and Madi Mace rounding out the double-digit effort with 10 points of her own. Prior to the February 2022 matchup, the Bobcats played the Falcons in January defeating them 85-70. With the last two time outs resulting in losses for the Falcons, they are seeking revenge on Wednesday.
MAC PLAY
Both teams are far into MAC play for the 2022-23 season with 10 games under their belts. Ohio has fallen to: Akron, Kent State, Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Ball State, and Toledo but have defeated their rival Miami in overtime, and most recently, taken the Eastern Michigan Eagles 65-55. The Falcons currently hold a 9-1 conference record, starting the play with a loss to Ball State (73-81), before defeating: Eastern Michigan (79-63), Central Michigan (101-68), Akron (71-66), Toledo (88-76), Kent State (66-57), Buffalo (64-61), Northern Illinois (66-50), Western Michigan (74-56), and Miami (88-59).
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
In Bowling Green's most recent contest they faced off against the Miami RedHawks, defeating them by over 25 points. Leading the Falcons was Allison Day with 27 points, followed by Elissa Brett and Nyla Hampton with 14 apiece. Brett also led the Falcons in rebounds grabbing 6 alongside Olivia Hill. Nyla Hampton had 5 assists and Sophie Dziekan topped the Falcons board with 2 blocks. Overall, BGSU shot 45.2% from the field, went 10-of-25 (40%) from three-point range, and outrebounded Miami 41-34. The Falcons also forced 22 turnovers on the RedHawks proving strong defensively.
LEADING BOWLING GREEN
Overall, the Falcons are being led by Elissa Brett with 229 total points, averaging 13.6 points a game. She is closely followed by Allison day with 276 accumulated points, averaging to 12.5 a game. Nyla Hampton is also up there with 253 points as well as Jocelyn Tate with 224. Jocelyn Tate also leads the Falcons in rebounds totaling 137; 44 offensive and 93 defensive. Elissa Brett is close behind with 133 rebounds; 26 offensive and 107 defensive. In terms of assists and steals, Nyla Hampton leads in both categories. Hampton has secured 64 steals this season and distributed 77 assists.
PROJECTED STARTERS FOR BGSU
Over the 2022-23 season, the Falcons have dominated the MAC with the following starters: Elissa Brett (#5), Jocelyn Tate (#11), Nyla Hampton (12), Allison Day (#21), and Lexi Fleming (#25).
OHIO'S MOST RECENT STATS
The Bobcats ended their last game against Toledo going 20-of-55 (36.4%) from the field, 8-of-28 (28.6%) from the three, 7-of-8 (87.5%) from the line, securing 36 rebounds, and 10 assists.
LAST TO LEAD
In the Bobcats last contest, Yaya Felder led the team on offense with 33 points, hitting her second highest scoring game. Felder dominated offensively, leaving the defense to Caitlyn Kroll with 9 rebounds; 4 offensive and 5 defensive. Kroll also led in assists securing 5 for the Bobcat. Lastly, Kroll, Jaya McClure, and Kate Dennis all had steals for the Bobcats, making up their total of three. Kendall Hale also played a role for Ohio's offense going 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from the three.
NOW LEADING OHIO
Throughout the 2022-23 season, Ohio has been led on the offense by sophomore guard, Yaya Felder in scoring. Felder currently totals 442 points for the Bobcats, averaging 21 a game. Caitlyn Kroll follows with 187 points, and behind her is Abby Garnett with 149. Caitlyn Kroll also leads Ohio in rebounds, totaling 129; 112 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive. In terms of steals Yaya holds 46 for the season and Kroll is behind with 39. Leading in blocks is Ella Pope with an impressive 14, followed by Garnett with 12.
MATCHUP NOTES
- Ohio's Yaya Felder is 2nd in the MAC for scoring and is only 0.8 away from the number 1 average
- Ohio defeated the Falcons twice last season
- BGSU is the number one team in the MAC
- Ohio is looking for their first at home MAC win
- This will be the 5th encounter between head coaches Bob Boldon and Robyn Fralick
- BGSU's Allison Day holds the MAC high in field goals
Up Next:
After Wednesday night's matchup against Bowling Green, the Ohio Bobcats will remain at the Convocation Center to play Northern Illinois on Saturday, February 11th. This will be the second time Ohio will see the Huskies this season and are looking to redeem themselves after a 66-78 loss on (1/14). The rematch will be at 1 pm and can be streamed on ESPN3.
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