The BG News Sports Blog

BG baseball hosts Dayton

2012-03-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Following a 2-6 spring break trip to Florida, the BG baseball team will finally play on its home field.

The Falcons will take on Dayton today at 3 p.m. at Warren Stellar Field. It is the home opener for the Falcons, who are already 14 games into the season with a 3-11 record.

The Falcons’ pitching has struggled this season, particularly of late. BG has allowed double-digit runs in three of its last four games. The Falcons have lost all four of those games.

Jason Link leads BG with a 1.59 earned-run average coming out of the bullpen in six appearances. However, the Falcons have gotten little production from their starting rotation.

Among pitchers who have mades starts for BG this year, Andrew Lacinak leads the team with a 4.91 earned-run average. The four other pitchers who have started games for BG this year — Cody Apthorpe, Matt Malewitz, Ethan McKenney and Patrick Martin — all have earned-run averages greater than 6.14.

Offensively, the Falcons have struggled with the long ball, hitting two home runs this season — one by T.J. Losby and one by Matt Vannett. However, the Falcons are hitting a strong .291 as a team.

Leading the team in batting average is outfielder Jake Thomas, who has emerged as an unlikely presence at the top of the Falcons’ lineup. Through 10 games — eight starts — Thomas is hitting .400 with seven RBI and five runs scored.

The Falcons have received strong production from their outfield in general, with Andrew Kubuski and Patrick Lancaster each having batting averages greater than .300.

Two areas that have plauged the Falcons the most is on the basepaths and in the field. BG is only 6-for-14 on stolen bases. The Falcons have also committed 36 errors in 14 games after committing only 55 errors in 51 games last season.

Those errors have caused the Falcons to allow 23 unearned runs this season. This season, 24 percent of the runs the Falcons have allowed have been unearned.

Falcon Softball Finish 3-2 at Adidas Invitational

2012-03-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Falcon Softball finished 3-2 this past weekend at the Adidas Invitational in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The Falcon’s started of the tournament with a double header against Winthrop University and Campbell University, earning a split with a loss and victory respectively.

Hitting was a key part of the Falcon’s game against Winthrop despite losing a close game 9-8. Junior Andrea Arney led the team going 3-for-4 with two home runs earning six RBI’s. Hannah Fulk also homered in the game and went 2-for-3 with two RBI’s.

The team showed resilience as they went into the third down 5-1. Arney got hot, hit a home-run and brought in three runs to bring the score to 5-4.

Despite Arney’s hitting, the Eagles scored four more runs to bring the total to 9-4 needing the Falcon’s to come from behind. Arney hit another home run yet it wasn’t enough as the Falcon’s ended the game a run short with a score of 9-8.

Friday afternoon saw the team play Campbell University where the Falcon’s retaliated and won 4-0.

“I am proud of the way the team played game two,” said head coach Shannon Salsburg. “Jamie set the tone on the mound and the team responded with solid defense and clutch hitting.”

Freshman Jamie Kertes earned the shutout on the mound and the victory.

Saturday the Falcon’s again played a double header, this time against Gardner Webb and Albany. The team swept the day winning both games 8-0 and 3-2 respectively.

Junior Paige Berger set the tone against Gardner Webb, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, while Katie Yoho went 2-for-2 with a single and a home run. This marks the second shutout of the tournament and the fourth put on by the Falcon’s this year.

Albany was a closer game with the Falcon’s scoring all three runs in the first inning thanks to a Yoho three-run hit giving the Falcon’s an early 3-0 lead.

Albany would respond with two of their own runs thanks to a strong performance from pitchers Paige Imholz and Kertes.

The Falcon’s concluded the tournament Sunday with a loss to St. Johns 3-2. Again Kerney lead the Falcon’s offensively with a home run and RBI to give the Falcon’s their only two runs, while the Red Storm scored all their runs early in the first.

The Falcon’s (10-7) will return to Bowling Green before heading to Farifax, Virginia this weekend to partake in the Red Blossom Classic.

Softball Heads to South Carolina for Adidas Invitational

2012-03-08T14:51:00.003-08:00

With Katie Yoho having been named the Papa Johns Player of the Week last week, the Falcon's will travel to Rock Hill, South Carolina for their tournament this Friday.
The Adidas Invitational being held at Winthrop University will see the Falcon's play 5 games that will test their 7-5 record this season.
First up the Falcon's will play the host team, Winthrop, followed by Campbell University Friday afternoon.
Saturday will feature a Gardner Webb and Albany double-header for the Falcon's and Sunday will bring a game against St. Johns university.
Having yet to play a home game, the Falcon's have done well being constantly on the road. Bringing impressive hitting and a young, but talented pitching squad, the Falcon's have been able to go toe-to-toe with every opponent they've faced. Paige Berger, Hannah Fulk, and Yoho all have demonstrated leadership at the plate, while the freshmen Paris Imholz and Jamie Kertes have done well joining Jessica Odell and Erin Greenwalt on the mound.
Defense will be key in the Falcon's performance this weekend.

Temple to leave the Mid-American Conference

2012-03-07T09:08:00.004-08:00

UPDATE, MARCH 9: According to a MAC press release, BG will move back to East Division for football. The Falcons were to move to the West Division for the 2012 season to accommodate Umass' move to the MAC. With Temple leaving for the Big East, that accommodation will no longer be necessary.

“Temple University requested to be released from its obligation, as a football-only member of providing two season’s prior notice before departing the Mid-American Conference," MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in the release. "As a result the Conference and its member institutions engaged in a dialogue with Temple regarding an appropriate resolution. We have come to an agreement that is fair to the parties involved.”

“As a result, the Mid-American Conference has adjusted its football divisional alignment. Bowling Green State University will compete in the East Division that will consist of seven member institutions. The West Division will have six members. The eight-game Conference schedule should be released within several weeks.”

Temple negotiated a $6 million with the MAC. Since the season is still months from starting, nothing changes from BG's standpoint.

ORIGINAL POST: The Temple Owls, which has been a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference since 2005, will reportedly leave the conference to compete in the Big East, effective for the 2012 season, according to the Associated Press.

All other Temple sports compete in the Atlantic-10 conference.

The Owls competed in the East Division, and their departure will once again leave the MAC at 13 football members — six in the East, seven in the West.

During the season, it was announced that Massachusetts-Amhurst will join the MAC as a football-only school in 2012 in order to give the conference 14 football teams, thus evening out the divisions.

As part of this addition, BG was relocated to the West Division. The Falcons originally competed in the West in 2002 and 2003, but have been in the East since the 2004 season.

It is unclear whether the Falcons will remain in the West Division, or return to the East Division, where they compete in men's and women's basketball.

Falcons split pair of games

2012-03-06T16:14:00.002-08:00

The BG baseball team picked up a dramatic 4-3 win against Georgetown, and followed that up with a clunker against Penn, a 13-2 loss.

Against the Hoyas, BG scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to go ahead and eventually win. A pair of two out singles — one by Andrew Kubuski and one by Brian Bien — did the damage for BG.

Andrew Lacinak started for BG and went five strong innings, allowing two runs — one earned — on four hits and two walks.

BG's offense and defense failed them against Penn. The Falcons had only six hits and committed four errors, leading to six unearned runs.

T.J. Losby had both RBI for the Falcons.

Five games into the tournament, BG is 2-3, and 3-8 on the season. The Falcons have an off day Wednesday, and will return to action Thursday against Yale.

Yoho Named Athlete of the Week as Falcon's Finish Positve

2012-03-05T11:33:00.003-08:00

Katie Yoho was named Papa Johns player of the week for her performances for the Falcon's softball team at the Under Armour Invitational.
Yoho went 8-16 and added two home-runs for the Falcon's during their time in Clearwater, Florida. Yoho also added 4 RBIs and scored three runs herself.
With Yoho's impressive hitting the Falcon's finished out their tournament by beating St. Francis for a second tome on Sunday, by a score of 4-2.
The Falcon's finished 3-2 with losses coming from Quinnipiac University and Florida Gulf Coast University. The team beat St. Francis twice and had an impressive come-from-behind game against Bethune-Cookman.
Strong hitting once again drove the Falcon's to their victories, and their pitching depth also contributed. All pitchers were used several times as the Falcon's managed to keep hitters out of sync.
This Invitational brings the Falcon's to a 7-5 record this season, and allowed Yoho to pass Paige Berger in the season home-run total.

Game Three: BG @ Northern

2012-03-05T08:42:00.003-08:00

Game three started off differently than the previous two games because there was no score in the first period. Northern Michigan held the advantage in shots 9-5 and both teams went 0-3 on power-play chances.

The Wildcats broke through first just under five minutes into the second period. Mitch Jones received a pass and fired a wrsit shot past Hammond that barely snuck in under the crossbar.

The Falcons responded as Dan DeSalvo held the puck after a Wildcats turnover and he rushed in on goalie Jared Coreau. DeSalvo whizzed the puck past him to tie the game 1-1 in the second period.

Just a little over two minutes later BG struck again as Adam Berkle broke through Northern's defense on a breakaway and he missed his initial shot, but DeSalvo was there to clean up the rebound and put it home for his second goal of the night and the go-ahead goal 2-1.

A little later after that goal, Berkle created offense again. He threw a shot at Coreau, which again he let up a huge rebound, but this time Berkle finished what he started and put the puck in the back of the net for the Falcons third straight goal. The score was 3-1 Falcons heading into the third period.

In the third period Northern tried to get to Hammond, but he was solid and the defense cleared many of the rebound chances. BG scored again as Ryan Viselli scored on a pass from Ryan Carpenter to make the final score 4-1 in favor of the Falcons.

This is the second straight year the Falcons advance in the playoffs as the #11 seed. Also the second straight year they fell behind 1-0 to Northern Michigan and then beat them with two straight wins.

Berkle led the Falcons in points in the series with seven (2 goals, 5 assists) and DeSalvo scored 5 goals and recorded one assist in the series. He scored only four goals the whole regular season.

It doesn't get any easier as the Falcons now travel to top ranked Ferris State in the second round of the CCHA playoffs. They were 0-4 against the Bulldogs this season.

Falcons swept in doubleheader

2012-03-04T21:53:00.002-08:00

After picking up a win to start its spring break invitational, the Falcons ran into strong pitching from Northeastern as the Huskies took two games from BG.

On day after a 25-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game, the Huskies received two fantastic outings from their starting pitchers. In a game one, 4-3 win, Northeastern starter Andrew Leenhouts went the distance, throwing seven innings, allowing three runs out eight hits, striking out four.

In game two, a 5-2 Huskies win, Dylan Maki one-upped his counterpart, also going the distance, allowing two runs — one earned — on five hits in seven innings.

T.J. Losby hit his first home run of the year in game one, while Logan Walker and Brian Bien each drove in a run for BG in game one.

The Falcons only mustered five hits in the second game, but three came off the bat of Jake Thomas, who returned to the leadoff spot after sitting game one. While Thomas has only appeared in five of BG's nine games, his his hitting 9-for-17 (.529) with three RBI.

Ethan McKenney started game one for BG and went the distance, throwing six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.

Pat Martin started game two, but did not fare as well as McKenney. He lasted only three innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on three hits and three walks.

Now at 2-7, BG returns to action Monday afternoon as it takes on Georgetown.

Game Two: BG @ Northern Michigan

2012-03-04T07:31:00.003-08:00

The Falcons are battle-tested coming into this series and they showed how tough they are last night against Northern Michigan.

The first period started exactly like the first game, with BG coming out ready to play. Just 32 seconds into the game, Dan DeSalvo carried the puck into the Wildcats' zone and fired a shot past Northen goaltender Reid Ellingson for the 1-0 lead early.

The Wildcats responded at the 4:07 mark of the period when Steven Vigier tipped in a shot from the top of the zone and beat BG goalie Andrew Hammond to tie the game up. They scored again with just over a minute remaining in the first period. Justin Florek managed to score after a scramble in front of Hammond and the score was 2-1 Northern Michigan heading into the second period.

Just two minutes into the second period, the Wildcats scored again as they got a gracious bounce in the BG zone and Matt Thurber hammered the shot past Hammond for the 3-1 lead.

At this point the Falcons were on the brink of elimination, but they didn't give up.

At the 3:54 mark of the second period Marcus Perrier fired a shot from the point that beat Ellingson and cut into the lead 3-2.

Then again five minutes later, the Falcons tied the game up when Sullivan fired a wrist shot that dinged off the post and past Ellingson. The game was tied 3-3.

With just under a minute left in the second period the Falcons took control of the game. DeSalvo received a nice outlet pass and skated by the Northern Michigan defense. He faked out Ellingson and beat him with the backhand shot to give him his second goal of the game and the lead for the Falcons 4-3.

With five seconds left in the second period Vigier broke through the Falcon zone and was taken down from behind rewarding him a penalty shot to tie the game up, but Hammond stoned him preserving the one goal lead.

The Wildcats tried to come back but Hammond played sensational in the third period. Bryce Williamson added an empty-net goal for the Falcons as they beat Northern Michigan 5-3. They forced a game three tonight at 7:35 p.m.

Gymnastics sets season highs in loss to Ball State

2012-03-03T19:39:00.003-08:00

The BG gymnastics team narrowly missed out on its first Mid-American Conference win, as Ball State mounted a last-second comeback to upset the Falcons 194.025-193.9 in Muncie, Ind.

The Falcons led the Cardinals after three rotations, but the balance beam again proved to be their undoing, as Gina Locigno and Danielle Wishart both hopped off in the final minutes of competition.

Despite the falls, BG nearly set a season high on beam, as Monica Eaton (9.625), Megan Valentini (9.775), Megan Harrington (9.775) and Jamilah Ali (9.85) gave standout performances.

While the Falcons struggled, Ball State turned in an impressive showing on floor exercise, scoring 48.825. The Cardinals hit all 24 routines, breaking 194 for the first time this year.

“We’ve kind of been in this pattern where the opposing team is having their best meet of the year,” said coach Kerrie Beach. “As I’ve said in the past, what the other team does doesn’t affect what we do. I just hope it really ignites that fire in our athletes.”

The fire was lit in the first half of the meet, as the BG gymnasts again put together six strong uneven bar routines, scoring 48.45 to open the meet. Monica Eaton tied for the win with Ball State’s Kayla Kmiecik, scoring 9.8. Locigno (9.775) and Lindsay Koch (9.675) hit season-high scores to help the Falcons.

On the vault, three Falcons scored the three highest scores of the night, led by Wishart’s career-high 9.9. Lacey Swords (9.775) and Ali (9.825) hit solid vaults to set up Wishart’s high, stuck full-twisting Yurchenko.

After two events, BG led Ball State by .425. On the floor exercise, the Falcons ran into some trouble, as Ali and Wishart both flew out of bounds on their opening passes, and no gymnast scored above a 9.75.

“We weren’t quite as in control as we usually are,” Beach said. “It’s an event that’s usually really strong for us. I was surprised to see us bouncing out of bounds.”

Surprisingly, BG’s lead over Ball State grew after the troubles on floor. Stellar performances by several Falcons on beam were not enough to overcome two falls, and Ball State achieved the slimmest of victories.

While a 193.9 marks the Falcons’ highest away score to date, it also signifies another meet that the team’s goal of scoring a 194 has eluded them.
“I can’t even tell you the level of frustration,” Beach said. “The team’s working so hard and I know that’s been a major goal of theirs. But you know when you’re that close that many times that it’s going to happen. We still have plenty of meets left to get that 194 or higher.”

The Falcons continue MAC competition next week, traveling to take on Kent State in the team’s third-straight away meet.

Falcons fall to Buffalo on final day of regular season

2012-03-03T18:42:00.003-08:00

With seeding placement in the Mid-American Conference Tournament on the line, the BG men's basketball team fell to Buffalo Saturday afternoon, 68-64.

With the loss, the Falcons will be the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament, giving them a home game Monday night at 7 p.m. against No. 11 seeded Central Michigan. The Falcons defeated the Chippewas 71-58 earlier this season.

A'uston Calhoun paced the Falcons with 23 points, while Dee Brown (15) and Jordon Crawford (13) also scored in double figures for BG.

The Bulls used an aggressive inside presence throughout the game, attempting 25 foul shots, while BG had only eight free throw attempts.

Mitchell Watt led the Bulls with 20 points, who shot 47.9 percent from the field, including 38.5 percent from three-point distance.

Impressive Come From Behind Win Propels Falcon's Softball Team Into Day Three

2012-03-03T18:32:00.003-08:00

A strong come from behind performance highlights the Falcon’s play at the Under Armour Invitational through day two.

Day one saw the Falcon’s defeat St. Francis yet fall to Quinnipiac University.

The Falcon’s took the plate against St. Francis and drove home only one run, but it was enough. Katie Yoho was able to drive a single home-run in the seventh and was either teams only score, as the Falcon’s pulled through a 1-0 victory.

Game two took place against Quinnipiac University, where the Falcon’s fell 7-4. Paige Berger, Erika Stratton, Hannah Fulk, and Yoho all collected RBIs.

The excitement came on Saturday as the Falcon’s defeated Bethune-Cookman University 8-6. The Falcon’s at one point down 5 runs, rallied in the fifth to score four runs on three hits.

The sixth inning saw more of the team’s dynamic hitting, as the Falcon’s scored four more runs again just on three hits.

Berger, Yoho, and Andrea Arney all recorded RBIs while Rachel Proehl scored on a throwing error.

“We battled hard for the win today,” said Coach Shannon Salsburg. “The entire team contributed to this win. It is huge to know we can battle from behind no matter the score.”

Despite the impressive come-from-behind win, the team was unable to keep the momentum against Florida Gulf Coast, losing 6-1.

The game went back and forth for the majority of the game, until the fifth inning where FGCU scored five runs of off five hits.

Between the two days, the Falcon’s used all their pitchers and will look forward to playing an encore game against St. Francis on Sunday.

Twelve runs, 21 hits lead BG baseball to victory

2012-03-03T17:58:00.002-08:00

A season-high 21 hits and 12 runs led the BG baseball team to its second win of the season, a 12-5 victory against Mt. St. Mary's on Saturday in the Falcons' first game of the RussMatt Invitational in Florida.

Seven Falcons had multi-hit games, led by Jake Thomas, who batted leadoff for the second consecutive game. He went 4-for-5 with two RBI, two runs scored and a walk.

Andrew Kubuski, Patrick Lancaster and Brandon Howard each had three hits for BG. Howard had two RBI, Kubuski had one and Lancaster scored three runs.

Cody Apthorpe once again struggled on the mound for BG, facing 15 batters in 2 1/3 innings pitched. However, he only allowed two runs on six hits and two walks.

Ben Singer picked up the win in relief, giving up an unearned run on one hit and no walks in 4 1/3 innings. Trevor Blaylock got the last six outs for BG, allowing a run on four hits.

The Falcons will be back in action tomorrow, playing a doubleheader against Northeastern.

Game One: BG @ Northern Michigan

2012-03-03T07:37:00.003-08:00

The BG hockey team was ready to play Friday night as they scored a goal in the opening minute of the game. Connor Kucera sent a shot at the net that found Adam Berkle's stick. He deflected the puck to Dan DeSalvo who buried the shot in the back of the net. The Falcons were up 1-0 in the opening minute.

Then at the 11:58 mark of the first period, Northern Michigan's Justin Florek tied the game up heading into the second period of play 1-1.

The second period started quickly again as this time the wildcats scored just five minutes into the period making the score 2-1.

The Falcons responded as Berkle stole the puck and carried it in front of the Wildcats' net. He shot the puckl low and beat Northern goaltender Jared Coreau to tie the game up 2-2.

Late in the second period, the Falcons committed a penalty so the Wildcats started the third period on a power-play. Andrew Cherniwchan made the Falcons pay as he deflected a shot past BG goalie Andrew Hammond to give the Wildcats a 3-2 advantage with just over 18 minutes left in the game.

Howerever, the Wildcats struck again as senior Tyler Gron received a nice pass out of the penalty box and started a 2-on-1 advantage towards Hammond. He decided to keep the puck and beat Hammond and made the score 4-2.

The Falcons were then shut down on offense and lost game one of the three-game playoff series.

The game tonight is a win or go home situation. They need to win to force a game three. The game starts at 7:35 p.m.

Baseball picks up first win

2012-02-28T16:53:00.002-08:00

Matt Malewitz pitched 3 1/3 strong innings in his first start of the season to help lead the BG baseball team to a 5-2 victory against Dayton, the Falcons' first win of the season.

BG had previously lost all five games it had played.

Malewitz, an All-MAC selection as a sophomore in 2009, gave up two hits, no runs and no walks, striking out two, to pick up his first win of the season. He was flanked by Jason Link, who followed up with 3 2/3 strong innings, allowing an unearned run on three hits and a walk, striking out three.

Andrew Lacinak pitched a perfect eighth inning for BG, and Ben Singer finished off the game in the ninth. He made things interesting, allowing three hits and an unearned run, but was able to finish off the win.

The Falcons had a season-high 15 hits. The top-of-the-lineup experiment continued for coach Danny Schmitz, who put Jake Thomas into the leadoff spot. He responded by going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

In fact, the top four in the Falcons' lineup did significant damage. Thomas, T.J. Losby, Andrew Kubuski and Drew Kuns combined to go 10-for-17. Kubuski and Kuns each had three hits, while Kuns had two RBI.

Five Falcons — Thomas, Losby, Kubuski, Kuns and Tyler Wynn — had multi-hit games.

The Falcons defense committed four errors in the game, leading to two unearned runs.

The Falcons will be back in action Friday, as they take on Mt. St. Mary's in the first game of the RussMatt Invitational in Florida.

Richards fired after 12 seasons

2012-02-27T12:07:00.002-08:00

BG women's soccer coach Andy Richards has been fired after 12 seasons at the helm of the program, the University announced in a statement.

Assistant coach Kellie Evans will serve as interim head coach for the 2012 season. A national search for a permanent head coach will begin in November.

“We would like to thank Andy for his years of service and contributions to BGSU women’s soccer,” BG director of athletics Greg Christopher said in a statement. “That being said, it is in the best interest of the program that we move in another direction.”

In 12 seasons at Bowling Green, Richards was 108-121-27 overall and 58-62-16 in MAC play. His teams won the MAC Tournament in 2004 and 2005, along with a regular season title in 2005.

However, the women's soccer team has struggled of late. BG hasn't posted a winning season since a 12-6-4 record in 2008, and had only six wins this past season.

BG baseball swept by Oklahoma State

2012-02-26T22:29:00.001-08:00

For the second straight weekend, the BG baseball team went winless, dropping all three games in a series against Oklahoma State.

The Falcons dropped game one of the series, due to a superb effort on the mound by Oklahoma State pitcher Andrew Heaney.

The left-hander went 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks, recording 12 strikeouts.

While the Falcons were only able to manage two runs in the game, they did put 13 runners on base behind 10 hits and three walks.

Logan Walker was moved up to the leadoff spot in the lineup and responded by going 2-for-4 with a walk. Andrew Kubuski added two hits, while Brandon Howard and Alex Davison each had RBI base-hits.

Cody Apthorpe started the game, but ran into trouble in the second inning. In that inning, he allowed four runs as the Cowboys batted around.

He finished the game by going four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out three.

Saturday's game did not bring as much success for BG. While the Falcons scored a season-high three runs, their pitching faltered in a 13-3 loss.

Patrick Martin started the game and had similar results as Apthorpe, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk in four innings.
Trevor Blaylock relieved him and allowed seven runs — six earned — on six hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Walker saw an end to his three-game hitting streak, going 0-for-4, but he had a walk and scored a run.

T.J. Losby had the only multi-hit game for the Falcons, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Drew Kuns had the other RBI for BG, going 1-for-3 and adding a run.

For the second straight game, the Cowboys received a strong effort on the mound, but this time it was from a reliever. Chase
Stevens pitched five innings in relief of Kyle Ottoson, allowing no hits and two walks, striking out 13 of the 16 batters he faced.

While Sunday's game started off well for BG, it did not finish as such in a 6-2 loss.

Ethan McKenney started the game for BG and was strong early. He allowed only one hit through five innings, but fell apart in the sixth inning. In the inning, he gave up three hits, a walk and four runs.

He finished the game going 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk, striking out three.

Losby had another strong game for BG, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

Davison and Patrick Lancaster also had multi-hit games, each going 2-for-4, with Davison scoring a run.

The Falcons will be back in action March 3, as the team begins an eight-game in seven day stretch at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla.

Falcon Softball Split 2-2 at Hilltopper Classic

2012-02-26T18:43:00.003-08:00

Hannah Fulk continued her hit streak to five games as the Falcon’s competed in the Spring Hilltopper Classic in Bowling Green, Ky.

Fulk registered a hit in the Falcons’ first two games despite losing both games. Paige Berger continued her streak to four games before Western Kentucky snapped her streak.

The Falcons first played Indiana State on Saturday morning to a close 4-3 loss.

“[Saturday] was a tough loss,” said coach Shannon Salsburg. “We didn’t control the things we could, and they capitalized on our mistakes.”

The Falcons registered two runs in the first inning of play, before the Sycamores came back for the win. Berger went 2-for-4 with another home run, giving her 25 for her career, as she inches closer to the school record.

Friday night the Falcons played the host team of Western Kentucky. The team proved to be a tough match-up as they beat the Falcon’s 6-1.

The first run of the game didn’t come until the third inning, as WKU tallied its first run of the night. The sixth inning saw the Hilltoppers register four runs off of four hits.

“Today one inning was the difference in both games,” Salsburg said. “We talked as a team about shutting down the big innings. We look forward to playing all seven innings tomorrow the way we played six today.”

The game saw freshman pitcher Paris Imholz receive her first career loss.

Day two of the Classic saw a resurgence, as the Falcons closed off the day with two wins.

The Falcons played Morehead State first and won by a score of 6-3.

The Eagles came out sluggish and the Falcons pushed aggressively, especially from the batting of Katie Yoho. Yoho went 3-for-4 on the day, driving in two home runs and five RBIs. Berger also added another home run to the Falcons’ tally.

“We did a good job of attacking early and often,” Salsburg said.

Sunday afternoon saw the Falcons take down Murray State for the Sunday sweep.

Unlike in game one, the Falcons fell behind early by three runs, but with aggressive hitting and base running, the team managed to get the win. Berger and Yoho both contributed as well as Erika Stratton who gave the Falcons their first two RBIs.

The team used its pitching depth as it used three different pitchers in game; sophomore Erin Greenwalt earned the win while Jamie Kertes earned the save. Both were firsts for the pitchers.

Sunday saw the end of Hulk’s hit streak as she failed to reach base. The day also saw Berger move into second place for the career home run record with 26, as both she and Yoho now lead the team in home-runs this season with three.

This marks the first back-to-back wins this season, and the team will look to carry that momentum with their 4-3 record.

Women's basketball clinches top four seed with win over Buffalo

2012-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

The Falcons hung on throughout a sloppy win, and in doing so, they clinched a top four seed for the Mid-American Conference tournament.

With that in mind, if the Falcons earn the three or four seed, they have to win three games to win the championship, if they seed the one or two spots, they are automatically advanced to the semifinals and would only have to win two games to win the title.

In the team's 62-52 victory over Buffalo, BG had to play catch-up right out of the gate.

The Bulls got the first possession and scored, then the Falcons almost immediately turned it over, resulting in a 0-4 deficit within the first minute.

BG trailed the entire first half, tying it up a few times, but never surpassing them - they did come within a point, 29-28, by the end of the half.

The Falcons picked up their game in the second half, battling for their first lead all game. By the time the last 20 minutes concluded, Jessica Slagle scored 19 points and both Chrissy Steffen and Alexis Rogers posted double-doubles.

BG hits the road for back-to-back road games against Akron and Ohio for their upcoming contests.

Gymnastics stumbles in tri-meet

2012-02-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

The BG gymnastics team was marred by inconsistency on uneven bars and balance beam Sunday, falling to host team Maryland (194.475) and North Carolina (193.125).

The Falcons finished in third place with a score of 191.5, led by strong performances from Gina Locigno, Danielle Wishart and Jamilah Ali. Ali tied for first place on beam, hitting a season-high 9.825.

The problems began for BG on the uneven bars, the team's first event. Lacey Swords and Amanda Lievendag both missed key release skills, falling from the bar. Megan Harrington (9.475), Locigno (9.575) and Monica Eaton (9.7) completed their routines to salvage a 46.7 on the apparatus.

"Bars was a rough start," coach Kerrie Beach said. "We're seeing some new athletes getting into the lineup and I think they're adjusting to competition again. We're hoping to see some of the athletes that have been in the lineup get a little more consistent as well."

The troubles continued on beam, where the first performer, Dawn Christman, fell on her first skill: a front tuck mount. Megan Valentini continued her string of solid routines, scoring a 9.425 to get the Falcons back on track. Locigno (9.65) and Wishart (9.7) extended the rally. Harrington suffered a second fall, before Ali's winning routine in the last spot.

Halfway through the competition, the Falcons had dug themselves into a large hole, trailing second-place North Carolina by over a point.

A steady floor exercise lineup did all it could make up the difference, highlighted by Christman's season-high 9.85, good enough for second place on the event. Valentini (9.725), Locigno (9.75) and Harrington (9.775) came through as well, capping off the BG floor lineup, which is still ranked in the nation's top 25.

The Falcons finished up on vault, with Christman (9.775), Wishart (9.775) and Ali (9.825) posting big numbers. The team's final score of 191.5 is its second lowest of the season.

"Today really did not reflect what we've been doing in training," Beach said. "On bars, they've been doing a great job in practice. Some of them seem able to carry that over to the meet and others still seem nervous. We may need to do some more pressure sets in practice. On beam we had some uncharacteristic mistakes but I think we're on the right track there."

The BG gymnastics team is back at home this Saturday for a Mid-American Conference matchup with Northern Illinois. The Falcons lead NIU in the rankings, 191.680-191.370.

BG hockey at Notre Dame live chat

2012-02-03T15:28:00.001-08:00

Hockey: BG at ND live chat

Meet the new guys: Falcons' 2012 recruiting class

2012-02-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Head coach Dave Clawson announced a 20-member recruiting class for the Class of 2012 Tuesday. The class does not include running back Andre Givens, receiver JaRon Stokes or punter Brian Schmeidebusch. The first two are transfer students who enrolled for the Spring 2012 semester. Schmeidebusch, the punter for BG in 2011, was awarded a scholarship for the 2012 season. Here is the 20 members of the Falcons' recruiting class:

Michael Allen WR, 5-10, 175, Los Angeles, Calif.
Junior College: Spent two seasons at East L.A. College ... was named the team’s Freshman of the Year ... earned first-team all-league as a sophomore. Is an early enrollee

Clawson on Allen: "He was a player who a year ago was committed to San Diego State ... because he didn't play this year he fell off the radar for a lot of people, but we feel like we've found a really special player here. He's dynamic, athletic, a guy who I think has a chance to help us early. He's very similar to Eugene Cooper."

J.J. Beggan, OL, 6-4, 290, Pittsburgh, Pa.
High School: Currently attends Seton LaSalle High School ... coached by Greg Perry ...team captain ... helped lead team to a 20-4 record as a junior and senior ... anchored an offensive line that produced a 1,700 yard rusher and an offense that averaged 35.5 points and 325.8 yards of offense per game his senior season ... was named a two-time All-Century conference offensive and defensive lineman ... was named All-State (AA) by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers Association as a senior.

Clawson on Beggan: "We've had a lot of live evaluations on him. We think he's physical, he's tough. He's going to be an inside player for us. He's one of those rare guys nowadays who committed to us early and stuck with us the whole way through."

Jacob Bennett, OL, 6-6, 290, Lebanon, Ohio
High School: Currently attends Lebanon High School ... coached by Shawn Lamb ... was named first-team Greater Western Ohio Conference South Division ... earned honorable mention All-Southwest District (Div. I) by the Associated Press.

Clawson on Bennett: "We really believe he's a diamond in the rough. We love his size, love his athleticism. We think he can end up being a 6-6, 6-7, 325 pound offensive lineman before his career here is over."

Coy Brown, LB, 5-11, 215, Wakarusa, Ind.
High School: Is a 2012 graduate of Northwood High School ... coached by Scott Hoover ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state and all-area as a senior ... was named to the first-team All-Indiana Football Coaches Association that same year ... helped lead team to a 4A win in the State Sectionals ... was elected to play in the North/South Indiana All-Star game. Is an early enrollee.

Clawson on Brown: "He is physical and tough. He's a very versatile athlete. We think he has a chance to be an excellent linebacker."

Dalton Chapman, OL, 6-7, 285, Grove City, Ohio
High School: Currently attends Grove City High School ... coached by Matt Jordan ... earned second-team All-OCC and honorable mention All-Central District his senior year at offensive tackle ... as a junior was named to the second-team All-OCC and honorable mention All-Central District as a defensive end ... was name honorable mention at offensive tackle in the All-Central District as a sophomore.

Clawson on Chapman: "He' an excellent student, a tall, leaning, physical athlete who has a ton of growth potential. He fits the mold of what we're looking for along the offensive line."

Jhalil-Nashid Croley, LB, 6-3, 245, Cincinnati, Ohio
High School: Currently attends Princeton High School ... coached by Gary Croley ... team captain ... earned second-team All-Ohio, first-team all-conference and first-team all-city as a senior ... was nominated for the Tri-State (Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana) Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 102 tackles that same season.

Clawson on Croley: "Jordan Hopgood and Dwayne Woods also went to his school. He had some BCS offers early in the process ... he was a guy who broke some of Dwayne Woods' high school records, and I think he's going to be after some of his college records now."

Scott Davis, TE, 6-5, 240, Richmond, Va.
Prep School: Spent one season at Fork Union Military Academy ... coached by John Shuman. High School: Was a 2010 graduate of Mills E. Godwin High School ... coached by John Phillips ... team captain ... earned first-team all-district, All-Metro and All-Region as a defensive end and tight end his senior year ... was team’s offensive MVP. Is an early enrollee.

Clawson on Davis: "He lived six doors down from me when I lived in Richmond ... He is a dual threat tight end. He's big enough to be physical at the point of attack, and athletic enough to be a threat as a pass catcher. We thought that he was just too good to pass up."

Logan Dietz, OL, 6-5, 280, Pittsburgh, Pa.
High School: Currently attends Pittsburgh Central Catholic ... coached by Terry Totten ... team captain ... earned first-team all-conference as a junior and senior ... was third-team 4A all-state as a junior and second-team all-state as a senior.

Clawson on Dietz: "He fits the mold of what we're looking for. He's tall, he's athletic, he moves extremely well. He's another tall, physical player who can become a prototypical lineman for us."

Anthony Farinella, K, 6-3, 180, Woodridge, Ill.
High School: Currently attends Downers Grove South High School ... coached by John Belskis ... team captain and 4.0 student ... was the West Buburban Conference Special Teams Player of the Year ... named to the Tom Lemming All-Chicagoland team as a place kicker ... named a Top-12 kicker by chrissailerkicking.com ... had 46 touchbacks as a senior ... was a state champion in wrestling and a state qualifier in the 800-meters.

Clawson on Farinella: "He was his conference's Special Teams Player of the Year ... Most importantly for us, he had 46 touchbacks this year. He's a good competitor and I think he can help us early."

Erick Hallmon, LB, 6-0, 195, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
High School: Currently attends Cardinal Gibbons High School ... coached by Mike Morrill ... team captain ... four year starter ... earned second-team all-county as a senior ... recorded 65 tackles, one interception and one touchdown that same season ... played in the Broward All-Star Game and the Nike South Florida versus Dade County All-Star Game.

Clawson on Hallmon: "This was a guy where it helped being patient. He was originally committed to Texas Tech. At some point, he opened up his process and we were able to stay involved with him ... We think he can be an outside linebacker, but he might grow into playing an inside position."

Greg Hohenstein, LS, 6-3, 195, Warrenville, Ill.
High School: Currently attends Wheaton-Warrenville High School ... was a two-time state finals long snapper ... played in the 2010 ESPN Rise versus Maine South game as a long snapper ... earned academic all-conference as a senior ... converted on 61 of 62 snaps to the punter and 120 of 120 snaps on field goals and extra points in his career ... ranked 17th nationally and fourth in the midwest according to Rubio Long Snapping.

Clawson on Hohenstein: "He was in our specialists camp and had great times as a long snapper. He was by far the best long snapper in our camp and became our No. 1 target. With [long snapper] Corey Johnson being a senior, we wanted to have the next long snapper on campus."

(David) Kelii Kekuewa “Chief”, OL, 6-3, 300, Keaau, Hawaii
Junior College: Spent two seasons at Arizona Western Junior College ... coached by Tom Minnick ... team captain ... led the Matadors to an 11-1 record, including an appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association Football Championship game ... was part of an offensive line that finished the year sixth in rushing offense and was part of an offense that averaged 50.2 points per game ... earned first-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, first-team All-Western States Football League and first-team All-National Junior College Athletic Association. Is an early enrollee.

Clawson on Kekuewa: "He's strong, physical. We graduated two of our top three centers, so this was a position where we wanted an older guy, a junior college guy. We thought that he was too good to pass up. He has a chance to help us early."

James Knapke, QB, 6-3, 185, Fort Wayne, Ind.
High School: Currently attends Bishop Luers High School ... coached by Matt Lindsay ... team captain ... was a three-year starter and first quarterback in the state of Indiana to win three state championships ... earned All-State honors as a senior and was a two-time MVP and first-team all-conference member ... owns the school and conference passing records with 5,983 passing yards and 76 touchdown passes.

Clawson on Knapke: "He was our first choice as a quarterback ... He's the only quarterback in the history of the state of Indiana to win three consecutive state championships. He has a very live arm and is athletic."

Izaah Lunsford, DT, 6-3, 265, Cincinnati, Ohio
High School: Currently attends Shroder Paideia Academy ... coached by Gerald Warmack ... team captain ... was a three-year starter ... earned all-league honors as a junior and senior ... also lettered in basketball and track ... was named first-team all-league in track ... owns the school record in the shot put.

Clawson on Lunsford: "He was at our traveling camp down at Lakota West, we fell in love with his work ethic and size. I think he's going to be a very good player, has good size potential."

Mike Minns II, DT, 6-0, 300, West Palm Beach, Fla.
High School: Currently attends Dwyer High School ... coached by Jack Daniels ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state and all-county as a senior, his only season as a starter ... that same season he recorded nine sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries ... played in the Nike South Florida versus Dade County All-Star Game.

Clawson on Minns: "We love his size. He's ready made — 300 pounds today. At times on film he is unblockable. He's very compact and plays with leverage. He can change direction. He reminds me a lot of Chris Jones on film."

Josh Pettus, S, 5-10, 200, Detroit, Mich.
Junior College: Was a two-year starter at the College of DuPage ... coached by Gary Thomas ... team captain ... as a sophomore was an All-American Nominee, while earning first-team all-conference and first-team all-region honors ... led his team with five interceptions and was second with 72 tackles that same season ... won his team’s Most Inspirational Award ... team MVP ... helped his team win the Graphic Edge Bowl as a freshman.

Clawson on Pettus: "We thought he is a safety who was too good to pass up. We think he's a guy who can come in and make an immediate impact. He can tackle; he gets guys on the ground. He has excellent ball skills. He turned down a handful of BCS offers to play close to home."

James Sanford, S, 6-2, 190, Xenia, Ohio
High School: Currently attends Xenia High School ... coached by Bob DeLong ... team captain ... earned first-team all-conference honors in his junior and senior season ... was selected to play in the Ohio North/South All-Star game.

Clawson on Sanford: "He's a big-time player, we really like him on film. He can play the high safety for us, but is physical enough to play the low safety too."

Ben Steward, OL, 6-7, 300, Holt, Mich.
High School: Currently attends Holt High School ... coached by Al Slammer ... team captain ... as a senior he was named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team and the Lansing State Journal Dream Team ... earned first-team all-state and first-team All-CAAC Blue recognition ... three year starter that blocked for three 1,000-yard rushers ... was nominated to play in the Michigan High School Coaches Association All-Star Game ... was named to the Mid-Michigan Sports Journal Dream Team.

Clawson on Steward: "He's big and physical, the type of tackle body that we want to recruit. We love how physical and tough he is."

Will Watson, CB, 6-1, 185, Tampa, Fla.
High School: Currently attends Tampa Jefferson High School ... coached by Jeremy Earle ... team captain ... was named the 2011 Returner of the Year in Hillsborough County ... was second-team All-Tampa Bay Area in 2010 ... helped lead his team to the 3A Florida State Championship as a junior.

Clawson on Watson: "He was a very early commit to Iowa State ... We want to get bigger corners, and he has height, length and range. The standard at corner for us was high ... we wanted to take a corner who we felt could come in early and compete and possibly play early. He can do a lot of things for us."

James White, WR, 6-1, 180, Southfield, Mich.
High School: Currently attends Crockett Technical High School ... coached by Rodereck Oden ... team captain ... earned first-team all-state class “B” honors as a senior ... was ranked as the 47th best recruit by Midwest Blue-Chip ... helped lead his team to a 10-2 record and a Public School League Championship (Div. 1) as a senior.

Clawson on White: "He's a very versatile athlete. He's tall and has range, and good ball skills. With what we graduated at receiver, this position was a priority and we're happy to get him."

National Signing Day: updates as they come in

2012-02-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today is one of the most important days of the year for any football team: National Signing Day, the day in which programs are built. Coach Dave Clawson will be holding a 3 p.m. press conference to formally announce the recruiting class of 2012. Until then, here is a list of prospects the Falcons have received National Letters of Intent from (courtesy BGSUFalcons.com). All star rankings are according to Scout.com

Logan Dietz, OL, 6-5, 280, Pittsburgh, Pa. (3-star)
Dalton Chapman, OL, 6-7, 285, Grove City, Ohio (2-star)
Ben Steward, OL, 6-7, 300, Holt, Mich. (2-star)
J.J. Beggan, OL, 6-4, 290, Pittsburgh, Pa. (2-star)
Jhalil-Nashid Croley, LB, 6-3, 245, Cincinnati, Ohio (2-star)
James Knapke, QB, 6-3, 185, Fort Wayne, Ind. (2-star)
James White, WR, 6-1, 180, Southfield, Mich. (3-star)
Jacob Bennett, OL, 6-6, 290, Lebanon, Ohio (2-star)
Mike Minns II, DT, 6-0, 300, West Palm Beach, Fla. (2-star)
(David) Kelii Kekuewa “Chief”, OL, 6-3, 300, Keaau, Hawaii JUCO (2-star)
Coy Brown, LB, 5-11, 215, Wakarusa, Ind. (2-star)
Scott Davis, TE, 6-5, 240, Richmond, Va. (2-star)
Michael Allen, WR, 5-10, 175, Los Angeles, Calif. (NR)
Izaah Lunsford, DT, 6-3, 265, Cincinnati, Ohio (2-star)
James Sanford, S, 6-2, 190, Xenia, Ohio (3-star)
Greg Hohenstein, LS, 6-3, 195, Warrenville, Ill. (NR)
Erick Hallmon, LB, 6-0, 195, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (2-star)
Josh Pettus, S, 5-10, 200, Detroit, Mich. JUCO (2-star)
Will Watson, CB, 6-1, 185, Tampa, Fla. (NR)
Anthony Farinella, K, 6-3, 180, Woodridge, Ill. (NR)

Miller to sit out weekend game after suffering mild stroke

2012-01-27T07:24:00.000-08:00

BG women's basketball coach Curt Miller will not travel with the team to Mount Pleasant, Mich. this weekend after doctors determined he suffered a mild stroke late in the game during BG's victory over Eastern Michigan on Sunday, the University said in a press release.

"This has been a wake-up call for me and I have already begun the process of finding a healthier balance,” Miller said in the release. “I am passionate about coaching and I look forward to my return soon. I, along with the rest of our coaches and players, would like to thank the community for its ongoing support of our program.”

It has not been determined when Miller will return to the sidelines.

“Our first priority is Curt’s health,” Director of Athletics Greg Christopher said in the same release. “Although he has been cleared to continue coaching, we all felt it was best to take a step back right now. We fully expect Curt to return to the bench soon. Until then, everyone involved with our department and the women’s basketball program will support Curt and our student-athletes.”

Associate Head Coach Jennifer Roos will lead the program in Miller's absence, serving as acting head coach Saturday at Central Michigan.

Women's basketball picks up another road win

2012-01-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

Head coach Curt Miller said championship teams win on the road.

BG picked up another with a 63-52 win against Ball State University Wednesday night.

Senior Jessica Slagle led the Falcons with 22 points, and Danielle Havel had the most rebounds with nine.

The Falcons and the Cardinals played a close game, but the gap in points came from BG being able to capitalize off of their 19 steals. On the other hand, BSU only had seven.

For the first time in a long time, BG was out rebounded by their opponent - 38 to 30.

The Falcons led the Cardinals at the half 39-22, but the Cardinals fired back in the second half with 30, but it just wasn't enough to catch the Falcons.

Brittany Carter led BSU with 11 points - half as many as Slagle, and Suzanne Grossnickle led the balanced attack on the boards with seven.

The Falcons are scheduled to play their second road game in a row against CMU on Saturday.

BG Men's basketball vs. Central Michigan live in-game updates

2012-01-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight's starters for the Falcons:
C Cam Black
F Scott Thomas
F A'uston Calhoun
G Dee Brown
G Jordon Crawford

For Central Michigan:
F Oliver Mbaigoto
F Andre Coimbra
G Derek Jackson
G Trey Zeigler
G Austin McBroom

20:00 CMU wins opening tip
19:36 Trey Zeigler makes the first bucket of the game for CMU
17:59 Goaltending called on Central on a Cam Black layup attempt, 2-2
16:41 Crawford hits a layup on the fast break to give BG a 4-2 lead
15:13 Timeout BG, CMU with a 7-6 lead
14:16 Scott Thomas drops a 3, scored tied 9-9
12:49 official timeout, 12-11 CMU
12:10 Oglesby hits a layup and is fouled, hits the free throw. 15-13 BG
9:01 Dee Brown fouled, makes both shots, 19-15 BG
7:40 official timeout 19-17 BG
4:10 timeout CMU, 25-19 BG
:30 timeout Central, 29-21 BG
End of half. 31-21 BG'

Second hafl
19:42 Zeigler makes the first bucket of the second half
18:39 Dee Brown drains a 3, 36-25 BG
16:55 Scott Thomas with a steal and score, 42-28 BG and CMU calls a timeout
15:37 official timeout, 44-28 BG
13:09 timeout BG, 48-37 Falcons
8:46 Scott Thomas drills a 3. 56-43 BG
3:42 timeout CMU. 64-48 BG
1:48 timeout CMU. 69-52 BG
Final: BG wins 71-58

BG women's basketball remains undefeated

2012-01-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Someone had to lose.

This time it was the Miami Redhawks - now 4-1, after their 61-58 defeat to the reigning Mid-American Conference leaders - the Falcons.

BG did exactly what head coach Curt Miller asked them to do; they kept Miami off the foul line. They didn't have the chance at any shots from the line in the first half, but they got 10 attempts in the second.

Alexis Rogers posted another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Chrissy Steffen who contributed 12 points.

Both teams alternated shots in the first half, until the Falcons pulled away with a lead right before half time.

BG led in every statistical category in the first half and ended the first 20 minutes with a 32-23 lead over the Redhawks.

Just the opposite took place in the second half.

The Redhawks out did the Falcons in every way except in baskets. Miami tried to catch BG and even scored more points in the last 20 minutes, but it wasn't enough to come away with a win.

The Falcons held Courtney Osborne to just 14 points on the night. Miami's go-to girl was Hannah Robertson with 19 points.

With a perfect record in the MAC, BG heads home to take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

BG Men's basketball vs. Akron in game updates

2012-01-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

A'uston Calhoun hits a 3 too start the scoring
18:29 Scott Thomas with a layup off an offensive rebound
17:29 Akron's Zeke Marshall picks up a charging foul.
17:05 Thomas nails a 3 to make it 8-0
16:48 Walsh responds with a 3 for Akron
15:35 Calhoun with a thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound
13:55 Dee Brown hits a jumper to extend the lead to 12-3
12:23 Craig Sealey hits a layup off another offensive rebound
11:14 Officials timeout. 16-7 BG
10:05 Marshall with an easy dunk to make it 16-9
9:16 BG calls timeout after Akron hits a 3 to make it 16-12
6:22 Gilliam hits an alley-oop dunk to tie the score at 16
4:51 Cam Black with a hook shot to make it 18-16
4:02 Intentional foul called on Akron. Thomas hits 1 of 2 free throws to make it 20-18 BG
2:19 Jehvon Clarke hits a 3 to make it 23-18
1:13 Akron calls timeout after Thomas drains a 3. 26-20 BG
0:00 at the half BG leads Akron 26-20

Second half
19:32 Black hits the first bucket of the half, 28-20 BG
17:55 Black makes a layup and is fouled. Misses the free throw. 32-25 BG
16:37 Abreu hits a layup and is fouled by Black. He misses the free throw
15:28 Officials timeout. 34-27 BG
14:27 Clarke hits a 3 to make it 37-29 BG
12:06 Clarke hits a layup to make it 39-35 BG
9:35 Oglesby picks up his fourth foul. Marshall hits both free throws to make it 43-39 BG
7:52 Akron calls timeout after three straight baskets from BG. Falcons lead now 49-39
6:04 BG calls timeout after two quick Akron buckets make it 49-46
2:46 Calhoun throws down a dunk to make it 53-50 BG
1:30 Akron hits a 3 to tie the game at 53
:31 Thomas picks up a foul, Diggs hits one of two free throws
:11 Black hits a layup and is fouled. misses the free throw 55-54 BG
:8 timeout Akron
0.5: Akron hits a layup. Last second shot by BG no good. 56-55 Akron, final

BG vs. OSU Hockey Live Chat

2012-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

BG vs. OSU Hockey Live Chat

BG women's basketball earns first conference win over Kent State

2012-01-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

In the Mid-American Conference opener at the Stroh, the Falcons paced a 76-57 win over the Golden Flashes in a rebounding frenzy.

Both Chrissy Steffen and Alexis Rogers put up double-doubles, 27-10 and 16-11, respectively. Overall, the Falcons had a commendable 52-28 rebounding advantage, which led to 28 second chance points.

With a slow shooting night for BG, Steffen managed to beat her previous season high of 25 points with another basket, giving her a season best of 27 points and the title of MAC Player of the Week. In the last three games, Steffen has added 67 points to BG totals.

BG opened up with a 4-0 lead, then Kent State answered back with five. It was a free throw from Danielle Havel that began a 13-0 run for the Falcons. BG led 37-23 at the half.

Both teams were slow offensively to start the second half. Each team took turns making solid one-sided runs until Steffen hit a three to turn their nine point lead into 19 points over the next few minutes.

For the Golden Flashes, Melanee Stubbs scored 12 points off the bench, and Jamie Hutcheson contributed 10.

BG improves to 11-3 on the season, with their first conference victory. Their next game against Akron on Jan 7 will be the second of four games at home. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.

BG women’s basketball wins on the road against Colorado State

2012-01-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

In the Falcons final non-conference game, Chrissy Steffen the team to a 70-57 victory over the Rams on Saturday.

Steffen had a career-high 25 points in the game, along with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman Jasmine Matthews also had season bests with 12 points and four three-point shots.

The Falcons led early with a layup from Alexis Rogers, but Colorado State took a nine point run after that. Midway through the first half, senior Jessica Slagle gained momentum for BG with a driving layup, but they still trailed the Rams 13-4.

After Miller took a timeout, the Falcons chipped away at the Ram's lead. Jillian Halfhill hit a three pointer that started an 8-0 run. Back on a roll, BG led the game into the locker rooms 32-25 at the half.

Back on the court, BG shut down every CSU attempt to regain the lead.

The Ram's Sam Martin and Meghan Heimstra both had 12 points on the game.

This win was a different win, as coach Miller returned to FortCollins. Miller was the associate head coach for the Rams for three years, before starting his career with the Falcons in 2001.

Falcons fall to Duquesne

2011-12-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

The BG men's basketball team was unable to hang onto a 12-point first half lead as it fell to Duquesne, 86-76.

The Falcons came out strong, taking a 29-17 advantage mid-way through the first half, but that lead had evaporated by halftime, as BG trailed the Dukes by six at the break.

For one of the few times this season, BG had success on the offensive boards, outscoring Duquesne 16-6 on second-chance opportunities. However, turnovers plagued the Falcons, as they coughed up the ball 18 times — compared to only seven turnovers by the Dukes — and allowed Duquesne to score 22 points off those turnovers.

While the Falcons' bench had been playing well of late, BG only got seven points from the bench in this game — all coming from Chauncey Orr, who also had five rebounds in 17 minutes of action for the most successful game of his young career.

Scott Thomas and A'uston Calhoun once again paced the BG attack. Both played a team-high 37 minutes, while Calhoun led the team with 24 points and eight rebounds. Thomas wasn't far behind, as he tallied 20 points, two rebounds and four assists.

BG closed a five-game road trip with a New Years Day tilt with Texas-San Antonio, before returning home Jan. 7 for a conference matchup against Ohio.

Falcons take down FIU, 61-53

2011-12-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

The BG men's basketball team picked up its first road win Thursday night with a 61-53 win over Florida International.

Scott Thomas led the way for BG, dropping a double-double. He played 39 minutes, dropping 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. He also had four steals.

Jordon Crawford and Torian Ogelsby also scored in double figures. Crawford had 15 points, while Ogelsby had 11 on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night.

The Panthers entered halftime with a four-point lead, but 36 second-half points paced the Falcons to victory.

This was helped by a huge shooting advantage for BG. The Falcons shot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half, while the Panthers only shot 32.1 percent.

BG is off until Dec. 28, when it takes on Duquesne on the road.

Women's basketball hit scoring highs in win against Madonna

2011-12-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Falcons head into the holidays with a big win over Madonna University - 91-41.

With their highest point total all season, the team put up a united front led by Noelle Yoder with 14 points. Yoder's efforts tied her season best point total, which she achieved early in the season against Evansville. Jessica Slagle and Danielle Havel contributed solid performances with 13 points apiece. All of the 12 Falcons saw playing time, and added points to the board.

BG out rebounded the Crusaders 60-27 and shot 44.6 percent from the field compared to the 29.8 percent effort from Madonna. After this win, MU falls to 5-6 going into the new year, where it puts the Falcons at 8-3, tied for the best record in the Mid-American Conference with Miami University.

Despite the fifty point margin between the Falcons and the Crusaders, Kaylee McGrath led her team with 16 points and nine rebounds, followed by Becca Wojcinski and Megan Murphy who had six points each.

The Falcons are off for the holiday, but will resume their schedule and play their last two non-conference games on the road before the year ends. BG will match up with Wyoming on Dec. 29 at 7p.m. Mountain Time and then head to Colorado State on Dec. 31 with a one day prep for their game scheduled for 1p.m. Mountain Time.

Tomic named new volleyball coach

2011-12-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Danijela Tomic has been named the fourth coach in BGSU volleyball history, the University announced Monday.

Tomic, formerly of Florida International, was the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2009, leading the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009. In seven seasons at FIU, she posted a 158-61 record.

“We are thrilled to welcome Danijela to the BGSU Athletics team,” Director of Athletics Greg Christopher said in a statement released by the University. “Throughout the research process, Danijela’s name was brought up by everyone in volleyball circles. Those positive reviews played out in the interviews as well. Danijela’s passion, vision and commitment to excellence are evident to anyone who spends time with her. Not only will Danijela help elevate Bowling Green volleyball, but she will help make our entire department better.”

A native of Bosnia, Tomic took over the FIU program in 2005 and made an immediate impact, helping the team achieve a 12-win improvement from the previous season.

She replaces Denise Van De Walle, who retired following 29 seasons at the helm of BGSU volleyball.

“I am honored and privileged to have this opportunity to lead the Falcon volleyball program,” Tomic said in the statement. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of the BGSU family. I want to thank Greg Christopher and Lesley Irvine for giving me this opportunity and for supporting my vision for the future of the program.”

BG women's basketball clips winning streak against Creighton

2011-12-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

A three-pointer made all the difference in the final 49-47 win for Creighton. Carli Tritz, with her hot hand, added three with 1:11 left in the game to take the lead and silence the Falcons. She left the court in Omaha, Neb. with 12 points and she went 2-2 in three-point shots.

Even though BG lost, it was only by a basket. Chrissy Steffen put up 10 points, and both Jessica Slagle and Danielle Havel had nine.

The Falcons held the lead for most of the first half, then with a late push, Creighton went up 26-25 before the buzzer.

Creighton returned strong and held the lead until Havel hit a three to tie up the game with 3:34 left. Allison Pappenfuss followed with a jumper to take the lead, but the decision fell in the hands of Tritz with her three-point shot.

BG will return home to play Madonna University on Wed. Dec. 21, at 7p.m., for their last contest before Christmas.

MSU drops Falcons, 74-60

2011-12-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

The BG men's basketball team fought valiantly, but in the end, Michigan State was too much.

The Falcons only trailed 35-33 at the half, but 16 points from Brandon Wood and 39 second-half points helped the No. 21 Spartans come out on top, 74-60.

The Falcons received very little production from their starting lineup. The starting five of Scott Thomas, Luke Kraus, Anthony Henderson, Dee Brown and Cam Black combined for only nine points — seven of which came from Thomas — on 4-for-28 shooting.

The Falcons' bench was forced to pick up the slack, and it did, led by a career game fro Jehvon Clarke. The freshman guard dropped a career-high 14 points, while adding two assists and two steals.

Jordon Crawford and A'uston Calhoun also had strong games off the bench. Crawford had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Calhoun chipped in 12 points and six rebounds. However, he was limited by foul trouble, as he picked up four in the game.

That bench effort was matched by Michigan State, led by Draymond Green's double-double off the bench. He had only 12 points, but had 10 rebounds — four being offensive — and six assists. Braden Dawson and Derrick Nix also scored in double figures for the Spartans.

The Falcons are off until Thursday, when they take on Florida International in Miami.

Women's basketball earn big win over Austin Peay

2011-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

By Michele Wysocki
Assistant Sports Editor

BG was off to a sloppy start in the first half with missing three shots in a row that could have given them the lead. With Austin Peay playing aggressive, BG didn't take the lead until midway through the first half when Alexis Rogers hit back-to-back shots. She led the team with 15 points the first half and three steals. Chrissy Steffen hit a shot at the buzzer to end the first half and give the Falcons a 34-18 advantage over the Governors.

Whitney Hanley and Meghan Bussabarger led AP with five points apiece; combined they possessed the better half of their points scored so far.

Coming out of the locker room strong, BG extended their lead. With 11:36 to play the scored was gaped at 51-27, Falcons on top. Allison Pappenfuss contributed a strong performance with eight points in the second half, eight rebounds, and three assists. All but two rebounds came in the second half.

Shots were falling short on both sides throughout the second half of the game. Freshman Noelle Yoder went the distance and made back-to-back three point shots with six minutes left to play. When Yoder added six to an already high score, BG led Austin Peay 63-29.

In the last minutes of the game, BG had five off the bench players on the court including Simone Eli who saw playing time for the first time this season. She's been out do to a hand injury.

Autins Peay played hard and fouled even harder. Overall the Governors had 20 on the night, compared to BG's 15.

BG remains home for Sunday's contest against the Jacksonville Dolphins. Schedule is set for 2 p.m. in the Stroh.

BG men's basketball vs. Malone in game news and notes

2011-12-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Falcon fans. In about 35 minutes, the Falcons and Pioneers will tip off here at the Stroh Center. If you can't make it out to the game tonight, check back here for live updates from the game.

Pre-game notes:

-For Malone, freshman guard Michael Shull and freshman forward Zach Wasson will not dress tonight.

-Tonight's projected starters for the Falcons are: Luke Kraus (G 4.9 ppg, 1 apg, 1.6 rpg), Dee Brown (G 9.6 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.4 rpg), Cam Black (C 3.9 ppg, .6 apg, 4.1 rpg), Scott Thomas (F 12.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 6.7 rpg) and A'uston Calhoun (F 9.6 ppg, .7 apg, 6 rpg).

-Tonight's project starters for Malone are: Kyle Lodermeier (G 2.8 ppg, 2 rpg), Isiah Elliot (G 10 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Eric Coblentz (G 15 ppg, 5 rpg), Zach Bates (F 8.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Cory Veldhuizen (14.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg).

Tonight's starters:

For Malone: Richardson, Elliott, Coblentz, Bates and Veldhuizen.

For BG: Jordon Crawford, A'uston Calhoun, Cam Black, Scott Thomas and Dee Brown.

First Half:

20:00: Malone wins tip off

19:16: First basket of the game. Calhoun throws down a dunk off a slick pass from Thomas.

18:24: Three baskets for BG, three A'uston Calhoun dunks, two off alley-oops. 6-0 BG.

17:52: Timeout Malone after BG starts the game on an 8-0 run.

16:48: Foul on Veldhuizen after a Cam Black basket, but he misses the free throw.

15:44: Media timeout.

14:22: Luke Kraus drops a three to make it 15-7 BG.

13:40: Malone takes it second timeout; 19-7 BG.

12:23: Jehvon Clarke checks into the game for BG.

11:02: Media timeout. James Erger checks into the game for BG.

9:16: Foul on Ogelsby as Richardson makes a layup but misses the free throw. 24-14 BG.

7:10: Coblentz hits a three to cut the lead to 28-22 BG.

6:19: Calhoun completes a three point play for BG, making it 32-22 BG.

3:22: Media timeout.

0:00 Calhoun with a dunk at the buzzer. BG leads 41-24 at the half.

Second half

19:37: Thomas hits a layup to give BG the first points of the second half.

17:30: Timeout Malone.

15:17: Media timeout. 52-26 BG.

10:17: Media timeout. 62-31 BG.

7:27: Media timeout. 70-32 BG.

2:21: Malone timeout. 84-38 BG.

FINAL: BG 87, Malone 44.

Women's Basketball to face Youngstown on Tuesday

2011-12-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

By Michele Wysocki
Assistant Sports Editor

After a 10 point win over Butler, the women’s basketball team is searching for their fifth consecutive win — this time on the road.

The Falcons head to Youngstown State on Tuesday.

The Penguins have an overall record of 4-3 and are coming off a big win against Western Michigan.

BG just added another win to their record, 4-2, on Saturday in a 71-61 contest against the Bulldogs.

Lone senior Jessica Slagle was the team’s highest scorer with 15 points on the day — a career high for her, following close was Alexis Rogers with 14 points, and she led the team with eight rebounds.

The Falcons had 15 steals in the game, their fourth game out of six where they have hit double digits.

The matchup between the Falcons and the Penguins will be the team’s only road game this week. They will return home to the Stroh Friday to take on Austin Peay.

Leading scorers for the Penguins include forwards Brandi Brown who is averaging 16.6 points per game, along with Hedi Schlegel with 11.7.

Brown recently passed her 1,000 career points milestone for the Penguins.

They are shooting 36.7 percent from the field and average 34.7 rebounds.

Guard Chrissy Steffen leads the team with 16.2 points per game, with another guard Jillian Halfhill next in line with 8.8.

The Falcons edge the Penguins slightly in field goal percentage with a total of 37.1, the team is averaging 35.7 rebounds per game.

After Saturday’s game against Butler, Slagle said they have to tighten up on their opponent’s three point shots. Butler shot a 41.2 percentage of three point shots compared to BG’s 34.8 percent.

Overall the Falcons are 32.8 from the outside line, compared to Youngstown’s 27 percent.

The Falcons and the Penguins are scheduled to tipoff at 5:15 pm at Youngstown State.

Ex-BG coach Meyer named Ohio State coach

2011-11-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

After a year off from coaching for health and family reasons, one of college football's most polarizing coaches is back on the gridiron.

Urban Meyer, who was the head coach at BG in 2001 and 2002, has been named the new head coach at Ohio State, the school announced. Meyer was officially introduced as the school's new coach in a press conference Monday evening.

Meyer used his two seasons at BG to springboard one of the most successful coaching careers of the last decade. He went 17-6 in two seasons at the helm of the Falcons, including a 51-28 win over Missouri in a 9-3 2002 season, and helped lead the Falcons into a brief period of Mid-American Conference dominance in the early 2000s.

As was the case at each of his two succeeding stops, Meyer's BG teams were known for having explosive offenses. In his second and final season at BG in 2002, the Falcons averaged 40.8 points per game, and averaged 448.9 yards per game.

His spread offense system helped turn Josh Harris into one of the the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. During the 2002 season, Harris ran for 734 yards and 20 touchdowns, while throwing for 2,425 yards and 19 touchdowns.

After BG, he spent two seasons as head coach at Utah, where he led the Utes to a BCS bowl bid in 2004, the first time that a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference made a BCS bowl game. In that game, Utah defeated Pitt.

Following the 2004 season, he left Utah to coach at the University of Florida, where he had one of the most successful six-year runs in recent college football memory.

Over those six season, he went 65-15 and won two national titles, one in 2006 and the other in 2008.

However, health is a major concern for Meyer. He initially resigned as head coach at Florida on December 26, 2009, due to health concerns. However, he announced a day later that he would only be taking a leave of absence, and did not miss coach a game for the Gators.

On December 8, 2010, following a 7-5 regular season, Meyer once again announced his resignation, citing health and family reasons.

Meyer, who spent the 2011 season as an ESPN analyst, has a 104-23 career coaching record, including a 7-1 mark in bowl games. He was the sixth-fastest coach in NCAA history to reach 100 career wins.

His contract at OSU — seven years, $40 million — is worth $26 million more, over the same amount of years, that his first contract with Florida was.

Falcons defeat Austin Peay 82-72

2011-11-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

A'uston Calhoun dropped 19 points and BG shot 62 percent on three-pointers as the Falcons toppled Austin Peay, 82-72, Monday night at the Stroh Center.

The game was a part of the first day of the three-day Progressive College Basketball Experience Classic that the Falcons are hosting. Detroit and George Washington, the other two teams playing in the Classic, faced off before BG and Austin Peay, with George Washington winning, 86-73.

Calhoun added seven rebounds, while Dee Brown scored 17 points for the Falcons, who shot 46.4 percent from the floor.

Head coach Louis Orr opened up his bench, after rolling with a primarily seven-man rotation the first two games of the season. Torian Oglesby played extended minutes for the first time this season, and he responded by dropping eight points on four-of-five shooting, with six rebounds — five of them offensive.

Anthony Henderson and James Erger played for the first time this season, albiet minimally. Erger had a rebound in six minutes off the bench, while Henderson played seven minutes, but he dropped both three-point shots he attempted.

Jordon Crawford had a strong game dishing the ball, handing out seven of BG's 15 assists, while also adding seven points.

Craig Sealey, one of BG's breakout players to start the season, was in foul trobule much of the night, and as a result, did not make much of an impact. He had two rebounds, but made only one-of-four shots and played only nine minutes for the Falcons.

Austin Peay had four players score in double figures, led by a double-double from Will Triggs, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jerome Clyburn led the Governors with 17 points.

BG continues the Progressive CBE classic Tuesday night with a game against Detroit at 7:30 p.m. The Falcons finish the tournament Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with a game against George Washington.

BG hockey vs. Miami Live Chat 11-19-11

2011-11-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2f04dc4949" >BG hockey vs. Miami Live Chat</a>

Falcons fall to No. 16 Purdue, 54-53

2011-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Despite a valiant effort, the BG women's basketball team dropped a tightly contested contest to No. 16 Purdue Thursday night.

Jill Stein's jump shot with 4:14 to go gave the Falcons a lead they held until the final minute of play, when Brittany Rayburn hit a layup with 51 second left to put Purdue ahead. After a pair of Chrissy Steffen free throws put the Falcons ahead again, Courtney Moses hit a layup with 13.5 seconds remaining to put Purdue ahead for good.

Danielle Havel attempted a three-point shot with second remaining, but the shot was just off the mark and the rebound was swatted out to mid-court.

Alexis Rogers paced the Falcons with 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while Steffen added nine points, two assists and two steals, playing in all 40 minutes.

The Falcons went with a three guard system for much of the game, running out a starting lineup of Rogers and Havel at forward and Steffen, Jillian Halfhill and Jessica Slagle at guard.

The Falcons will be back in action Sunday at 12 p.m. as they take on Evansville at the Stroh Center.

BG football vs. Ohio live chat

2011-11-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=46a9f879e1" >BG football vs. Ohio live chat</a>

Kickoff time for Buffalo announced

2011-11-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

The athletic department has announced that the start time for the football team's Nov. 25 season finale at Buffalo will be 12 p.m.

The game takes place next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This will mark the first time since 2008 that the Falcons played their final regular season game on the road.

Wojtala, Tonyan named BGSU Athletes of the Week

2011-11-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

BG sophomore hockey player Came Wojtala, and volleyball player Danielle Tonyan, have been named the Papa Johns BGSU Athletes of the week for their efforts last week.

Wojtala, who leads BG with 13 points this season, had a goal and three assists this past weekend as the Falcons swept Canisius by scores of 4-1 and 3-1.

Tonyan had 36 kills and hit .293 in two games last week, losses to Miami and Northern Illinois. Tonyan leads the Falcons with 407 kills this season.