Bowling Green State University Athletics
MAC Tournament Game Notes: BGSU Takes On Ohio
March 05, 2007 | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2007
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2007 FIRST ENERGY MAC TOURNAMENT #12 Bowling Green (13-17, 3-13) vs. #5 Ohio (18-12, 9-7) Wednesday, March 7, 3 p.m. Quicken Loans Arena (11,000-Lower Bowl) Series Record: BG leads 65-55 Radio: BGSU Network (Todd Walker and Kirk Cowan)
FIRST ENERGY MAC TOURNAMENT BEGINS WEDNESDAY
For the first time in Mid-American Conference history, all 12 teams will advance to Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena for the First Energy MAC Men's Basketball Tournament. #12 BGSU will play #5 Ohio at 3 p.m. on Wednesday with the winner advancing to play #4 Miami at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Friday's semifinals (7 p.m. and 9 p.m.) will air on Fox Sports Ohio. The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m., Saturday, March 10 and will air on ESPN2.
FALCONS AND THE MAC TOURNAMENT
BGSU is 5-1 in MAC Tournament first round games under Dan Dakich. The Falcons advanced to the 2002 Tournament Championship game against Kent State.
LEFELD IS TOP MEN'S BASKETBALL STUDENT ATHLETE IN LAST 18 YEARS
Senior center Matt Lefeld will likely be remembered for two things. He is the top student-athlete the program has produced in the last 18 years and foot pain that requires hours of therapy to play or practice have limited his ability. He was named third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America this past week. Lefeld, a native of Coldwater, Ohio, holds a 3.97 grade point average and is majoring in purchasing and supply chain management. He is the first Falcon athlete this year to earn Academic All-American accolades. To be honored, a student-athletes must have a GPA above 3.2 and be a starter or important reserve. Lefeld, a two-time Academic All-MAC and CoSIDA All-District choice, is now listed as one of the top 15 scholar-athletes in all of Division I men's basketball. He has started 17 games this season and averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds. For his career, he has played in 104 career games and started 57 times. Lefeld is just the fourth men's basketball player in the history of the program to be honored with this distinction. John Heft was an honorable mention pick in 1969, Joe Faine earned second team honors in 1980 and Steve Martenet was a third team choice in 1988. Over time, BGSU student-athletes have been named Academic All-American on 65 occasions.
SAMARCO IS THE MAC'S TOP SCORER, ONE OF FALCONS' TOP JC TRANSFERS EVER
Senior Martin Samarco is looking to become the third Falcon under Dan Dakich (Keith McLeod-2002, John Reimold-2005) to lead the MAC in scoring. The Ypsilanti, Michigan native and transfer from Schoolcraft College is averaging 19.6 points heading into the tournament. He also is just the second junior college transfer to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in his career (Tommy Harris-1,137 points). His 19.3 career scoring average ranks fifth all-time in BGSU history. He had his 26th 20+ point effort with his 21 points against Miami. Against EMU, he became the 35th member of the 1,000 point club with the Falcons and is now 27th all-time in scoring with 1,136 points. He was named MAC East Player of the Week (1/8) for the second time this season after his 43-point performance against Buffalo earlier this year. He made a career-high 16 field goals and tied his career-best with seven three-point field goals. He also was honored earlier this season (12/18) and has been chosen for the award four times in his career. He was the top returning scorer in the MAC after he finished second in the league averaging 18.9 points per game. He also is fourth all-time in three-point field goals made at BGSU with 174 and set a school record last year with 100. He is the eighth player that Dan Dakich has coached that has scored 1,000-points or more at BGSU.
HAMBLET MAY BE THE MAC'S HOTTEST PLAYER
Junior Ryne Hamblet may be the hottest player in the MAC. In the last three games, he is averaging 23.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds and is shooting 65.6% from the field and 66.7% from long distance. He is coming off a career-high 28-point game against Miami where he tied a career-best with six three pointers and established a career-standard with six free throws made. He had 21 points and four assists against Kent State after having a 20-point, 10-assist effort last week against Akron. In two games against the Zips this season, he has dished 20 assists. He scored 24 points and added six rebounds and three steals in 41 minutes at Buffalo. In the last nine games, he is averaging 15.7 points and is shooting 50.0 (25/50) from three-point range.
DAKICH IS 10TH ALL-TIME IN WINS BY A MAC COACH, THIRD AT BGSU
BGSU Coach Dan Dakich is in his 10th season with the Falcons and is tied for third in Falcon history with 156 career wins. He is 156-139 (53.1) overall and is 89-89 in the MAC. With the win against Jacksonville State, he surpassed Western Michigan's Bob Donewald to move into 10th place in overall victories by a MAC coach. He ranks 12th all-time in MAC history in league wins. His four 18+win seasons are tied for second most by a Falcon coach as he notched those in his first eight seasons after BGSU had posted just four 18+win seasons in the previous 14 seasons prior to his arrival. Since the 2001 season, BGSU is 32-3 when allowing 60 points or less, including 4-0 this season. BGSU is now 30-6 since the 2001-02 season when holding a one possession lead in the final minute of a game A former player at Indiana (1981-85), Dakich spent 11 seasons on the staff of the Hoosiers under the NCAA's all-time leader in victories, Coach Bob Knight. Dakich was an assistant coach for 262 of Knight's record setting 880+ collegiate wins.
MILLER HAS HAD A SOLID SEASON
Sophomore forward Nate Miller posted the league's only triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Buffalo. He is averaging 14.0 points and 7.6 rebounds. In league play, he is averaging 14.9 points (6th in the league), 7.6 rebounds (6th) and 2.1 steals (4th) in MAC games only. He came to BGSU after playing one semester at UNC-Wilmington. He is a graduate of Springfield South High School.
MAC TOURNEY ODDS AND TRENDS
Falcons Against The Field vs. Toledo (UT leads 2-1) vs. Kent State (KSU leads 5-1) vs. Akron (BGSU leads 2-0) vs. Ohio (BGSU leads 4-2) vs. Miami (Miami leads 6-1) vs. Western Michigan (Series is tied 1-1) vs. Central Michigan (CMU leads 1-0) vs. Eastern Michigan (EMU leads 4-1) vs. Ball State (BGSU leads 4-1) vs. NIU (NIU leads 2-1) vs. Buffalo (teams have never met)Wins At Quicken Loans Arena BGSU 91, Cleveland State 86 (December 4, 1999) BGSU 60, Akron 58 (March 7, 2002) BGSU 69, Ball State 57 (March 8, 2002) BGSU 80, Cleveland State 72 (December 28, 2002)
Falcon Bests At the MAC Tournament in Cleveland (2000 to present) Minutes: 45, Brandon Pardon and Anthony Stacey (Miami, 3/5/00) Points: 36, Keith McLeod (Ball State, 3/8/02) Rebounds: 13, Len Matela (Kent State, 3/9/02) Field Goals: 12, Keith McLeod (Ball State, 3/8/02) FG Attempted: 18, Keith McLeod (Ball State, 3/8/02) Steals: 4, Keith McLeod (Ball State, 3/8/02) Cole Magner (Central Michigan, 3/13/03) 3-Pt Field Goals: 4, Keith McLeod (Twice) John Reimold (Kent State, 3/11/04) 3-Pt. Field Goal Attempts: 13, Keith McLeod (Akron, 3/7/02) Free Throws: 15, Ron Lewis (Central Michigan, 3/13/03) FT Attempts: 18, Ron Lewis (Central Michigan, 3/13/03) Assists: 7, Cole Magner (Central Michigan, 3/13/03)
