Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Host Ball State In Key MAC West Matchup
February 15, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2005
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Ball State (12-9, 7-6) at Bowling Green (14-7, 8-5) Wednesday, February 16 - 7 p.m. Anderson Arena (4,700) - Series Record: BGSU leads 34-32 Last Meeting: at Ball State 86, BGSU 62
The Race Is On
BGSU enters Wednesday's as one of four teams vying to finish at the top of the MAC West Standings with three weeks left in the season. Western Michigan (9-5), BGSU (8-5), Toledo (8-6), and Ball State (7-6) all have a shot at the West title.
The Falcons are the only team in the MAC with a winning league record on the road at 4-3.
BGSU is 74-17 at Anderson Arena since the 1998-99 season.
Last year, BSU captured an 81-71 win in Bowling Green, while the Falcons' last win against the Cardinals in Anderson Arena, came in 2003, 61-57.
The Falcons are in their eighth season under head coach Dan Dakich. Dakich is second all-time at BGSU in winning percentage (.573) and fifth all-time in wins with a 130-97 record. He and his family were honored by the Red Cross prior to the NIU game for raising $1,777 for victims of the recent tsunami disaster overseas.
With a 79-60 MAC record, he ranks 11th all-time in conference game winning percentage and is 11th in MAC history in overall winning percentage. He also is one of just 19 MAC coaches to ever win 125 games or more at his institution and his 79 league wins rank 12th all-time in MAC history.
The Falcons lead the MAC and are ranked ninth in the country shooting 49.9% from the field this season. BGSU also ranks sixth in the nation and leads the league in assists at 17.3 per game. BGSU also is sixth nationally and leads the league in free throw shooting at 76.6%. The Falcons are second in the league in blocked shots at 4.0 per game.
Senior Josh Almanson is third in the MAC averaging 17.4 points on a league-best 61.4% (ninth in the nation) shooting effort from the field. He also is eighth in the league in blocked shots (1.0). He is the ninth most improved player in the country in scoring average adding 9.4 points per game to his total from a year ago. He had 23 points and nine rebounds at Kent State and became the 34th BGSU player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in his career. He now has 1,003 career points scored.
Senior John Reimold is fifth in the MAC averaging 17.0 points and ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (54.3%) and first in three-point field goal percentage (48.7%). He had 19 points on Saturday at Kent State. His three-point field goal percentage was sixth nationally last week. He has scored 1,603 points as a collegian (1,201 at BGSU and 402 at Loyola-Maryland as a freshman).
Junior Steven Wright, who had 15 points and seven assists at Kent State, is averaging 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in the last four games. He also is averaging 4.9 assists in the last five games.
Freshman center Scott Vandermeer has started the last three games and his presence in the middle has had an immediate impact. Making his first collegiate start, he tied a school record with seven blocked shots (Skip Howard vs. Toledo in 1973) and also added six rebounds and six points against Ohio. In three starts, he is averaging 4.7 points, six rebounds and 3.7 blocks in 20 minutes of action per game.
More importantly, the Falcon defense has been much stingier allowing 64.7 points on 38.5% shooting from the field and 32.4% accuracy from long distance in the three games that Vandermeer has started. In addition, BGSU is holding a +7.4 edge in rebounding.
