THE MATCHUP
Western Michigan (13-10, 6-5 MAC)
at Bowling Green (10-12, 2-9 MAC)
Series Record – WMU trails, 35-30
Date / Time – Feb. 7, 7 p.m.
Location – Bowling Green, Ohio (Stroh Center)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN3
Radio – 1660 AM The Fan, Aaron Coyle
Live Stats – wmustats.com
Twitter Updates - @WMU_WBB
THE MATCHUP
The Broncos and the Falcons first met in 1977, with this being the 66th meeting between the two. Although the Falcons lead the all-time series 35-30, Western Michigan has owned the recent history, winning the last seven meetings including a 67-58 victory early this season in Kalamazoo. The Broncos used a 28-point fourth quarter to erase a 11-point deficit, defeating the Falcons and picking up their first Mid-American Conference win of the season. Junior guard Deja Wimby poured in a season-high 18 points while junior counterpart Breanna Mobley went for 13 points and 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their mini road trip to Bowling Green, the Broncos return home on Saturday, Feb. 10 to host Ball State for their annual Play4Kay Pink Game at 2 p.m. The game is also a doubleheader with the men's team and fans can redeem their ticket for a men's ticket at halftime. There will also be a silent auction one hour prior to tip for an authentic pink WMU game jerseys. Western Michigan will then hit the road for back-to-back road games at Toledo (Feb. 17) and Ball State (Feb. 21).
BRONCOS ZIP PAST AKRON
Western Michigan snapped its mini two-game losing streak last time out against Akron on Saturday, Feb. 3 with a final score of 76-60, its largest margin of victory in conference play. Redshirt senior Marley Hill put on an impressive performance with a career-high 27 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists all while not committing a single turnover in 34 minutes. The double-double was her fourth in a Brown & Gold uniform and second this season. The Broncos shot an impressive 49.2 percent from the floor to improve their home record to 8-2 overall.
CATCH UP ON THE BROWN & GOLD
With just seven games left in the regular season, the Broncos, who are tied for third in the MAC West, have the sixth ranked scoring offense in the MAC, averaging 69.7 points per game and are conference leaders in scoring defensing, holding their opponents to just 64.9 points per game. Western Michigan has three players averaging in double figures with Breanna Mobley leading the way with 15.8 points per game to go along with a team-high 8.5 rebounds followed by Deja Wimby with 10.8 and Marley Hill adding 10.3. Wimby has been the floor general this season, dishing out a team-high 115 assists, good for 5.5 per game which is the fourth-best in the MAC.
STRUGGLES ON THE ROAD
At home this season, the Broncos have been stellar with a record of 8-2 averaging 77.3 points per game compared to just 63.4 on the road and a 4-6 record in unfamiliar territory. In University Arena WMU has a higher scoring margin, turnover margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage all while averaging more assists and steals.
BRIGHT FUTURES
The future looks bright for freshman guards Jordan Walker and Nina Farkic, as the pair both started for the second time together this season against Akron last time out. Head coach Shane Clipfell called upon Farkic to log 30 minutes against the Zips as the Canadian went for seven points, three rebounds and three assists in her second start for the Brown & Gold. Walker tallied her 14th start against Akron as she notched her fifth double digit game with 11 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Walker is second on the team in assists (47) and steals (34) and is averaging 6.1 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
#SCTOP10
Fans can find Western Michigan's freshman guard Jordan Walker on Thursday's (Feb. 1) SportsCenter's Top 10 plays after an impressive ankle-breaker move against her Toledo opponent. Against the Rockets, the Muskegon, Mich., native was all over the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in 33 minutes.
FALCONS SCOUTING REPORT
Bowling Green, who is coached by sixth year head coach Jennifer Roos, enters this game 10-12 overall and 2-9 in conference play and are riding a five-game losing skid. Bowling Green has a pair of players who are averaging in double figures, led by Carly Santoro with 13.1 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. Sydney Lambert comes into the game averaging 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Falcons. As a team, BGSU sits fifth in the MAC East division with a league's worst scoring offense (63.2) and are 10th in scoring defense (69.0).
