Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Travel To Kent State
January 09, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2003
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Bowling Green (7-4, 3-0) at Kent State (9-1, 2-0) 2 p.m., Saturday, January 11, MAC Center (6,327) Series Record: BGSU leads 74-54 Television: Fox Sports Ohio Last Meeting: KSU 70, BGSU 59 Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)/WLQR-AM (1470) Internet: bgsufalcons.com
FALCONS LEAD THE MAC WEST
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team leads the MAC West Division with a 3-0 record and boasts a five-game winning streak. The Falcons will be facing a Kent State team that has won a record 17 straight MAC contests and 17 in a row at home. The Golden Flashes have won the last six meetings with BGSU. Since the 1999-2000 season, BGSU (51 league wins) and Kent State (58) are the two winningest programs in MAC play. The two teams met in last year's MAC Tournament Championship game. The Falcons lead the overall series, 74-54.
ANOTHER STRONG START IN THE MAC
For the third time in four seasons, BGSU has started the MAC season with a 3-0 record.
DEFENSE FUELS FALCONS
The Falcons lead the MAC in steals (9.1) and rank fourth in the conference in scoring defense (65.1), third in field goal percentage defense (41.7), third in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0), and third in turnover margin (+1.78). The Falcons held Ball State to 23.8% shooting in the first half and limited the Cardinals to 18 points. Against Buffalo, BGSU held the Bulls to 39 points on 28.3 percent shooting through the first 34 minutes of the game. Since the 2000-2001 season, BGSU is 16-0 when it holds opponents to 60 points or less and 33-3 over the course of Dakich's six-year tenure.
MAKING A STOP
When BGSU made a defensive stop in the final six seconds to win the game at Northern Illinois, it marked the eighth time in 10 games over the last two seasons that BGSU has won a game on defense when leading by one or two points in the final 10 seconds of a game.
FALCONS ON FOX SPORTS OHIO
Saturday's game with Kent State will be the first of four appearances on Fox Sports Ohio during the MAC campaign. Home games against Akron (January 18, 4 p.m.), Kent State (February 6, 8 p.m.) and Western Michigan (February 15, 2 p.m.) will be aired on regional television. Please note the time changes for all three home games. The ESPN Bracket Buster scheduled for February 22 will be on ESPN, ESPN 2 or ESPN Regional television.
DURING THE FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK
The Falcons are holding opponents to 39.9% shooting from the field and 26.0% accuracy from three-point range... the Falcons are forcing an average of 18.8 turnovers per game...BGSU is averaging 9.9 steals... the Falcons held Ball State to an opponent low 33.9% shooting... the Falcons shot a season-best 53.7% from the field (22/41) at Northern Illinois...BGSU shot a season-high 85.3% from the line (29/34) against Cleveland State... the Falcons had a season-best five blocked shots against Cleveland State...sophomore John Reimold's 11 straight free throws made during the CSU game, matched the 2001-2002 top Falcon effort by Keith McLeod who also made all 11 shots against Evansville... Reimold has made 18 of 19 free throws (94.7%) during those five games...five players are averaging four rebounds or more (Reimold-5.2, Eyink-4.8, Mattox-4.6, Netter, 4-2, and Lewis-4.0).
