KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team finishes their string of road games off on Jan. 26 when they travel back to the Buckeye State for a mid-week tilt with the Bowling Green Falcons. Tip-off in Bowling Green, Ohio on Wednesday night is set for 7 p.m.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Wednesday's contest between the Broncos and Falcons will be available for streaming via ESPN3. The link to the stream is listed above, and can also be found HERE.
 
FIGURING OUT THE FALCONS (8-7, 3-3 MAC)
Bowling Green gets set to host Western Michigan after a road win of their own over Eastern Michigan this past Monday by a final score of 71-60. The Falcons led for all but 1:01 of game time on their way to their third MAC win of the season.

Three BGSU players went for double figures at EMU, led by senior forward Kadie Hempfling who finished with 19 points on 6-11 shooting and eight rebounds. Freshman forward Zoe Miller sank her first six shots of the game and finished with 14 total points to along with three rebounds on the night, while junior guard Elissa Brett closed out the double-digit efforts, adding 10 points and eight rebounds to the Bowling Green cause.

As a whole, the Falcons average 74.53 PPG on a conference-leading 45.2 percent from the field, while allowing 68.1 PPG on defense for a scoring margin of +6.4. The BGSU scoring average currently ranks third among all teams in the Mid-American Conference. Bowling Green also shoots at a MAC-best clip of 37.5 percent from three-point land and 68.4 percent from the foul line for an average of 8.2 made threes and 11.7 made free throws each time they take the floor, making them one of the top offensive teams across the Mid-American Conference.

In the rebounding efforts, the Falcons pull down 36.9 total RPG while posting a rebounding margin of +1.2 on the season. Bowling Green currently sits one spot higher than WMU at third place in the conference in rebounding defense, limiting opponents to an average of just 35.73 boards. So far this year, BGSU has been ushered by Kadie Hempfling, who gives the Falcons 11.5 PPG on 51.1 percent shooting, as well as 4.4 rebounds per contest.
 
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM WESTERN MICHIGAN (10-4, 4-1 MAC)
Western Michigan returns to the state of Ohio following a recent visit to Oxford, where they outlasted Miami, 63-54. The RedHawks closed the gap on the Bronco lead, but the comeback effort was stifled by excellent WMU defense and focus from the free throw line down the stretch.

Three Broncos had double-figure afternoons, headlined by the forward tandem of redshirt senior Reilly Jacobson and redshirt sophomore Taylor Williams, who each recorded double-doubles in the win. Williams led the way with 18 points on 7-10 shooting and 12 rebounds, while Jacobson registered 13 points, 12 boards, and five assists in her 36-minute performance. The pair accounted for over half of the Broncos' rebounds on the day and kept the lead afloat during the RedHawks last-ditch effort in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore guard Lauren Ross rounded-out the double-digit efforts for WMU despite being the focal points of the Miami defensive scheme, adding 11 points and five rebounds in the contest. The Bronco reserves provided a spark as well, with junior guard Sydney Shafer and redshirt junior forward Abby Voss each posting nine points. Shafer added four rebounds to the team campaign, while Voss threw in three boards of her own.

Collectively, Western Michigan averages 67.5 PPG at a rate of 42.0 percent from the field, while holding opponents to just 58.9 PPG for a scoring margin of +8.6. The Broncos scoring defense currently ranks second in the conference, while WMU also ranks third in the MAC in scoring margin through 14 games this season. Furthermore, WMU shoots from deep at a clip of 30.3 percent and find the net on 69.3 percent of their free throw attempts for an average of 6.6 made threes and 11.9 successful foul shots per contest.

The Broncos have been marshalled by Lauren Ross throughout the season, as Ross gives her squad 20.1 PPG and shoots at a rate of 47.9 percent. Ross also registers 6.3 rebounds each time out to go along with 2.1 APG. Additionally, she ranks third in the MAC in scoring and field goal percentage, leading all conference sophomores in both categories while also joining fellow Bronco, Taylor Williams, in the MAC's top 15 rebounders. Williams currently sits at fourth with 9.1 boards per game, while Ross comes in at thirteenth with her 6.3 RPG.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Following Wednesday's game against BGSU, the Broncos return home to Kalamazoo to host the Ohio Bobcats on Jan. 29. Tip-off inside University Arena on Saturday is set for 2 p.m.

Students get into all WMU home games free with their Bronco ID's, and tickets for all Bronco home games can be found wmubroncos.com/tickets.

Saturday's home contest will also feature the return of America's Best Frisbee Dogs for your halftime entertainment. We cannot wait to see you all inside University Arena to cheer on the Broncos!

#LetsRide