Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN FALCONS (5-1) AT #4 IOWA HAWKEYES (7-1)

TIME: 12:30pm CT

TV: FS1 – Kim Adams and Sloane Martin

SERIES: First Ever Meeting – Iowa is 10-2 all-time against MAC opponents

THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 90.3 PPG, 51.0% FG, 37.2% 3PT, 13.9 TO BGSU: 70.3 PPG, 45.3% FG, 39.4% 3PT, 17.3 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 65.1 PPG, 37.4% FG, 27.5% 3PT, 14.9 TO, +9.4 REB MARGIN BGSU: 66.8 PPG, 40.0% FG, 29.1% 3PT, 15.8 TO, +0.5 REB MARGIN

INJURY REPORT

Iowa F Hannah Stuelke- Doubtful (right leg)

– Lisa Bluder said during Wednesday’s media availability that Stuelke, who has missed the last two games, should be considered ‘doubtful’ for tomorrow’s contest, but did not elaborate on her injury. She was injured in the fourth quarter against Purdue-Fort Wayne on November 24th.

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED LINEUP

Caitlin Clark	Point Guard	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging 29.6 PPG, 6.4 REB, 7.5 AST. Shooting 50.0% from 3pt range over the last four games (22/44). Gulf Coast Showcase MVP.
Molly Davis	Guard	5-7/ 5th Sr.	Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team. Averaging 6.1 PPG and 3.4 AST. 42 points over her last five games.
Gabbie Marshall	Guard	5-9/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 5.0 PPG and shooting 31.6% from three-point range. Has made a three-pointer in three straight games.
Kate Martin	Guard	6-0/ Grad Sr	Averaging 10.4 PPG, 5.6 REB and shooting 58.6% from the floor. 56 points and 24 rebounds over the last four games.
Sharon Goodman	Center	6-3/RS Jr.	Averaging 10.3 PPG, 4.5 REB and shooting 73.9% from the floor. Has scored in double figures three times. Ranked third in the country in FG%.

BOWLING GREEN FALCONS PROJECTED LINEUP

Lexi Fleming	Guard	5-5/ RS Sr.	Averaging 16.8 PPG, 4.8 REB and 3.5 AST. Has made a team-high 17 three-pointers and scored 15+ points in four games.
Amy Velasco	Guard	5-7/ Jr.	Averaging 14.2 PPG and 3.5 AST. Has knocked down 12 of her 23 three-point attempts (52.2%). Scored in double figures in all six games.
Paige Kohler	Guard	5-8/ True Fr.	Averaging 10.8 PPG, 4.0 REB and 4.7 AST. Scored 20 points in her first career game against Cleveland State.
Erika Porter	Forward	6-0/ Sr.	Transfer from Baylor. Averaging 8.7 PPG and 3.7 AST. Shooting a team-high 61.0% from the floor.
Olivia Hill	Forward	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging 5.3 PPG and 3.0 REB. Scored a season-high 12 points against Xavier.

BOWLING GREEN PLAYERS TO WATCH: G Lexi Fleming and G Morgan Sharps

Lexi Fleming has played her fair share of college basketball and has played a lot of good basketball over the course of her career at BGSU. She was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2021, averaging 15.9 points per game, but missed her sophomore year with an injury. She started 20 of 36 games last season and has looked really good through six games this season. Fleming is averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game, while shooting 46.2% from the floor, including a team-high 17 three-pointers. She has scored in double figures in 44 of her 69 career games played and has made 125 three-pointers in her career. Defensively, Fleming is averaging 2.03 steals per game during her career, including 3.0 steals per game this season.

The top three-point shooter on the Falcons, Morgan Sharps is back in the rotation after suffering a season-ending right knee injury back in mid-January. Sharps made 72 threes and shot 44.2% from three-point range as a junior, while she was on track to make 89 threes last season, before her injury. She missed the first four games of the season, but has scored 26 points, including 7/14 shooting from behind the arc in her first two games back. The Falcons can shoot it from outside as a group, but Morgan Sharps can get hot in a hurry.

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: Bowling Green Guards vs Iowa Guards

Don’t sleep on the Falcons when it comes to their guard play. So far, they have gotten a lot of production from that part of the lineup and they just added Morgan Sharps back into the fold, after an injury kept her out for the first four games. Through six games, nearly 77.9% of their scoring is coming from their top four guards and it’s a spread out attack, with each averaging in double figuers. They have also accounted for 46 of the teams 50 three-pointers and are shooting 40.0% from behind the arc. If Bowling Green manages to keep the game reasonably close, it will be because their guards are able to fill it up and hit three-pointers. Gabbie Marshall and the rest of the Iowa guards cannot just sleep walk through this matchup.

THE BREAKDOWN

The Falcons are coming off of a 30-7 season, including a trip to the MAC Tournament Championship and the WNIT Final Four. BGSU is under the direction of first year head coach Fred Chmiel and has two returning starters from last season. So far this year, they are off to a 5-1 start, including a notable win over Cleveland State in the season opener. Bowling Green is 18-43 all-time against the Big Ten, with their last win coming against Michigan in the 2014 WNIT.

We’ve already taken a look at the top two players in the Falcons lineup in Fleming and Sharps, so let’s take a look at the rest of the important names to know in the BGSU rotation.

Guard Amy Velasco has gotten off to a good start this season, averaging 14.2 points, while shooting 52.2% from three-point range. After shooting just 38.7% from the floor and 27.6% from behind the arc last season, Velasco has scored in double figures in all six games this season. Joining her as the last guard to keep an eye on, true freshman Paige Kohler has been a contributor right away. The #5 player in Ohio for the class of 2023, Kohler knocked down four threes and scored 20 points in her first career game against Cleveland State. She has scored in double figures three times and is second on the team in defensive rebounding.

6’0 forward Erika Porter spent time at both Illinois and Baylor, before finding her way to Bowling Green this season. It’s been a boom or bust start to the season for the senior from New Jersey. Porter scored a combined 40 points on 19/26 (73.1%) shooting against Cleveland State and Lehigh, but combined for just 12 points on 6/15 (40.0%) shooting in the other four games. Rounding out the starting lineup is 6’0 forward Olivia Hill. She is in her first year as a starter and is averaging 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Her season-high was a 12 point night in a win over Xavier.

Off the bench, the big name to watch, along with Morgan Sharps, is 6’1 forward Taya Ellis. The freshman out of Ontario has scored just eight points in six games, but her 5.6 rebounds per game leads the team. She pulled down 11 rebounds against Lehigh and nine against Xavier, while her 13 offensive rebounds in 76 total minutes figures out to 6.8 per 40 minutes. Ellis will attempt to extend possessions for the Falcons and close the expected rebounding gap.

A deeper look at the stats behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Falcons…

THE PICK

Bowling Green is no slouch mid-major program. The Falcons have made a posteason tournament in each of the last three seasons, including a run to the WNIT Final Four last year. Their guard play will not be any easy task to defend, but in the interior, the Hawkeyes will have a size advantage. When Iowa had the size advantage against FGCU, they shot 61.5% inside the arc and outrebounded the Eagles 43-20. Since the loss to K-State, the Hawkeyes have won four games in a row, while averaging 97.0 points per game.

Normally, you’d worry about a bit of rust after getting five days off, but the coaching talked publicly about how well the team has been practicing this week. It’s going to be a tall task for Bowling Green. WarrenNolan.com projects Iowa to win 84-63. The Hawkeye offense continues to click and scores over 90 for the fifth game in a row. IOWA 92 BOWLING GREEN 68