Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Head to Akron for Sunday Night Hoops
January 19, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) -
BGSU at AKRON
Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008 • 7:00 p.m.
Rhodes Arena (5,500) • Akron, Ohio
RECORDS: BGSU 7-8 (2-1 MAC) // Akron 13-3 (3-0 MAC)
RADIO: Falcon Radio Network - Todd Walker
SERIES: BGSU leads, 23-15 // STREAK: Akron - 5
LAST MEETING: at Akron 93, BGSU 87 (Feb. 24, 2007)
BGSU Notes, Stats & Player Bios in PDF Format
THE GAME
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team continues a busy stretch of the Mid-American Conference schedule ... the Falcons of head coach Louis Orr head to Northeast Ohio for the second consecutive weekend, taking on the University of Akron in a Sunday night (Jan. 20) contest ... tipoff is 7:00 p.m. at UA's Rhodes Arena (5,500) ... BG is in the midst of a stretch which sees the team play three times in a seven-day span ... following the UA game, the Falcons will wrap up the first swing through the MAC's East Division with a Wednesday (Jan. 23) game vs. Miami University ... that contest will begin at 7:00 p.m. at venerable Anderson Arena (4,700).
THE OPENING TIP
• The Falcons are coming off an 83-70 win over Buffalo Thursday night (Jan. 17) at Anderson Arena ... BGSU is 2-1 in the MAC, good for third place in the East Division ... the Falcons are a game behind divisional co-leaders Akron and Kent State, as the two Northeast Ohio squads are off to 3-0 MAC starts.
• Junior Brian Moten had a career-high 20 points in the win over UB, pacing four double-digit scorers for the Falcons ... three of Moten's teammates had 13 points apiece in the victory.
• One of those three teammates, sophomore Otis Polk, also had a career-high 10 rebounds, for his first collegiate double-double ... Polk has averaged 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over the last six games ... he has a team-high 25 offensive boards (4.2 per game) during that span.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Four of the eight players that saw action in the Buffalo game scored in double digits ... the Falcons' top-two scorers on the season, junior Nate Miller and redshirt freshman Chris Knight, were not among that group ... Miller and Knight still remain one-two on the BGSU season scoring list, with 13.4 and 12.1 points per game, respectively ... and, Miller leads the team in scoring in MAC games only, with 13.0 ppg ... but, no fewer than six of the Falcons' eight players that have seen action in conference play are averaging at least 6.0 ppg ... juniors Brian Moten and Darryl Clements are scoring 12.3 and 11.3 ppg, respectively, vs. conference foes ... Knight is at 8.0 ppg in MAC action, with freshman Joe Jakubowski (6.3 ppg) and sophomore Otis Polk (6.0 ppg) are not far behind.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Akron game with a 7-8 record on the season, and BGSU is off to a 2-1 start in MAC play ... BG opened the league schedule with a 52-49 home win over Ohio (Jan. 5), before losing at Kent State, 63-49, Saturday (Jan. 12) ... the Brown and Orange rebounded with Thursday's (Jan. 17) 83-70 win over Buffalo.
• The Falcons won two of three games on the homestand that closed the 2007 calendar year and began '08, with a 52-48 win over Eastern Illinois (Dec. 29) and a 96-78 loss to Duquesne (Jan. 2) at Anderson Arena ... the EIU win had snapped a four-game losing streak.
• The Falcons opened the season with a three-point loss to Western Carolina, before posting a three-game winning streak ... those wins came over Belmont, Cincinnati and Morehead State ... Temple snapped that streak with a win over BG, before the Brown and Orange bounced back with a nine-point decision at Furman to close the month of November ... the losses during the Falcons' four-game streak came to Oakland, Northern Colorado, Illinois State and Indiana State, with none of them by more than 11 points.
• The Falcons are 4-3 at home, 2-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games ... BGSU is averaging 65.6 points per game to the opponents' 67.2 ppg ... the Falcons are shooting 44.3 percent from the field, while allowing the opponents to shoot just 40.2%.
• Individually, junior Nate Miller leads the team in scoring ... Miller, who had a double-double in the win over Ohio and a team-high 17 points at KSU, is averaging 13.4 points per game, and is second on the team with 6.1 rebounds per contest ... he leads the team in steals (1.7 spg) and is second among current Falcons in assists (2.4 apg).
• Redshirt freshman Chris Knight is second on the team in scoring, and leads the Falcons in rebounding ... Knight has 12.1 points and 7.0 boards per game to date, and is shooting 46.5% from the field ... Knight's total of 73 field goals made is just three behind Miller's team-leading total.
• Junior Darryl Clements has 7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game ... he ranks third among active Falcons in scoring, and is second in steals (1.4 spg), third in assists (2.2 apg) and fourth on the team in rebounding ... freshman Joe Jakubowski is averaging 6.6 points per game ... he tops the Falcons with 2.7 assists per game, and also leads the Brown and Orange with 16 three-point field-goals made.
• Junior Brian Moten, coming off a career-high 20-point game vs. Buffalo, now has 5.9 ppg, and is shooting 46.2% from the field and 40.0% from the three-point line ... sophomores Marc Larson and Otis Polk have split time at center, and both are shooting over 50.0% from the floor ... Larson has 5.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.1 blocked shots per game ... Polk, after posting a double-double in the Buffalo game, now has 5.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg, ranking third on the team in the latter category ... he leads the Falcons in blocked shots, with 20 (1.3 bpg) this season to date.
• Soph Ryan Sims has played in all 15 games off the bench, and is averaging 1.5 ppg, while freshman Cameron Madlock has seen action in four games ... sophomore Matt Karaffa made his collegiate debut in the Indiana State contest.
• Clements, Larson and Miller each have started all 15 games to date for first-year BGSU head coach Louis Orr ... Jakubowski has started each of the last seven games, while Knight has started 14 times, including each of the last four ... the Falcons went 13-18 overall and 3-13 in MAC play in 2006-07.
SCOUTING AKRON
Akron will enter Sunday's game with an overall record of 13-3 ... the Zips are a perfect 3-0 in MAC play after a 55-54 win over Ohio Thursday night (Jan. 17) ... Akron also has league wins over Miami (69-54; Jan. 5) and Buffalo (76-68; Jan. 12) to date ... the Zips have won 19-straight games at Rhodes Arena, and 22 consecutive regular-season league games at home ... overall, UA is 49-2 at home over the last four years ... this season, Akron is 9-0 at home, 2-2 on the road and 2-1 in neutral-site contests ... individually, senior forward Jeremiah Wood leads the team in both scoring and rebounding, with 14.7 points and 8.5 boards per game ... senior guards Nick Dials and Cedrick Middleton have 12.9 and 10.7 ppg, respectively ... Dials leads the team in three-point field goals made (40) and assists (3.9 apg), while Middleton has made 30 treys and paces the Zips in steals 1.4 spg) ... another senior, forward Quade Milum, has 7.8 ppg to date ... Dials and Wood each have started all 16 games to date, while Middleton has made 14 starts for head coach Keith Dambrot ... junior forwards Nate Linhart (6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Jimmy Conyers (4.0 ppg) round out the probable starting lineup ... Dambrot welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team that finished 26-7 overall and 13-3 in MAC action ... Dambrot has a record of 81-30 in his fourth season with the Zips, and is 189-100 in his 10th season as a collegiate head coach ... the school's athletics web site is www.gozips.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Akron, 23-15, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Zips have won the last five meetings ... UA swept last year's two games, with an 82-63 victory at Anderson Arena (Jan. 14, 2007) and a 93-87 win in the Rubber City (Feb. 24, 2007) ... the Falcons' last series win was a 77-72 triumph at Rhodes Arena on Jan. 14, 2004 ... BGSU is 13-5 in home games, 9-9 in road games and 1-1 in neutral-site contests vs. the Zips ... the complete list of BGSU-UA series results can be found on page 59 of the 2007-08 BGSU media guide (available in pdf format at BGSUFalcons.com), as well as in the pdf version of these notes (at the top of this page.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Brian Moten had a career-high 20 points as the Falcons raced past Buffalo, 83-70 ... Moten was one of four double-digit scorers for the hosts, as junior Darryl Clements, sophomore Otis Polk and freshman Joe Jakubowski each scored 13 points ... Jakubowski's point total was the highest of his brief BGSU career to date, while Polk had his first career double-double, leading all players with a personal-best 10 rebounds ... Andrew Atman and Andy Robinson each had 11 points to lead a balanced UB scoring attack, as six Bulls scored at least eight points ... the Falcons forced the Bulls into 25 turnovers, a season high for a BGSU opponent, and BG enjoyed a 26-11 advantage in points off turnovers ... the home team also shot better than 50 percent from the field in each half, making 28 field goals in 52 attempts (53.8%) on the night ... the Bulls took an early lead, on a three-point play by Atman just 20 seconds into the game ... a three-point field goal by Clements, however, gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead with just under two minutes elapsed, sparking a 7-0 run, and BGSU never trailed again ... later in the half, a Jakubowski jumper capped BG's second 7-0 run of the night and gave the Falcons a 12-point lead at 22-10 ... the Brown and Orange led by a 43-26 score at the half, and UB never got closer than 11 points in the final 20 minutes ... Clements had a career-high seven assists in the win.
DOUBLE(-DOUBLE) TROUBLE
Sophomore Otis Polk had his first career double-double in the Buffalo game, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds ... it marked the fourth time in the last five games that a Falcon player had recorded a double-double ... junior Nate Miller and redshirt freshman Chris Knight each have had two double-doubles this year to date.
• Miller's two double-doubles this year came during the Falcons' recently-completed three-game homestand ... Miller had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Ohio (Jan. 5) ... the Springfield, Ohio, native had 17 points and 14 boards in the Eastern Illinois game (Dec. 29) ... Miller now has seven career double-doubles, the most among current Falcons ... that total includes a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) at Buffalo last Feb. 13.
• Knight had a double-double in his collegiate debut, in his hometown, no less ... the Cincinnati native had 16 points and 10 boards in his first game at BGSU, against Western Carolina (Nov. 9) at the Peggy Cronin Classic on the UC campus ... his other double-double came in the Duquesne game (Jan. 2), as he had 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds vs. the Dukes.
THE MILLER 500
Junior Nate Miller's first basket in the Kent State game (Jan. 12) put him over the 500-point mark for his BGSU career ... Miller is the Falcons' active scoring leader ... he now has a total of 525 points in 38 career games at the University, an average of 13.8 ppg ... to put that into historical perspective, Miller's ppg average is higher than 17 of the 36 players on BG's list of 1,000-point scorers.
MILLER TIME
Junior Nate Miller has been an integral part of the Falcons' offense all season long ... Miller has 12 double-digit scoring games in BG's 15 contests, and has scored at least eight points in every game this year ... he is averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game, and has led the Falcons in scoring three times in the last five games ... in the span of three games from late November to early December, Miller tied his career high with 21 points twice, vs. both Temple and Oakland ... that was part of a four-game span in which Miller shot 62.2% from the field, going 28-for-45 in that time ... for the season, Miller is second on the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg), and he leads the Falcons in steals (1.7 spg).
OTIS PLAYS BIG
• Sophomore Otis Polk has displayed some solid play off the bench this season, and has blossomed over the last few weeks ... the Detroit native had his first collegiate double-double in the Buffalo game, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.
• At Kent State (Jan. 12), Polk scored three points, but led the Falcons in rebounds (seven) and blocked shots (a career-high four) ... and, the 6-9 center also had two assists to tie for the team lead in that department ... he had a breakout game vs. Duquesne (Jan. 2), with a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes, also a career high.
• Polk has averaged 7.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over the last six games ... he leads the team in blocks and is tied for the BG lead in boards in that time ... Polk has set or matched his career rebounding best no fewer than four times in that six-game span.
• Polk has had a total of 25 offensive rebounds over the last six games ... he had posted as many as three offensive boards in a game twice in his first 37 career contests, but has had at least three ORs in each of the last six games ... his total of six offensive rebounds vs. Ohio was a career high.
• On the year, Polk has scored 85 points (5.7 ppg), made 30 field goals and pulled down 76 rebounds (5.1 rpg), topping his totals for all of last year ... as a freshman, Polk had totals of 18 FGM, 41 points (1.5 ppg) and 55 boards (2.0 rpg).
ONE MORE BIG NOTE ON BIG OTIS
Soph Otis Polk averaged 3.4 rebounds over the season's first nine games ... in the last six, the Detroit native has averaged 7.5 rpg, including 4.2 offensive boards in that time.
MOTEN OFFENSE
Junior Brian Moten scored a career-high 20 points in the win over Buffalo Thursday (Jan. 17) ... for Moten, it marked his fourth double-digit scoring game of the season, and his third in the last four games ... his previous career scoring best was 18 points, against Jacksonville State last season (Dec. 29, 2006) ... the Saginaw, Mich., native made six field goals, just one off his career high, vs. UB.
DISPLAYING A SMOOTH SHOOTING MOTEN AT THE LINE
In addition to points, junior Brian Moten set another career best on Thursday vs. UB, making a total of seven free throws ... Moten, after attempting a total of just one free throw in the season's first 10 games, has gone 18-for-21 over the last five contests ... he was a perfect 5-for-5 from the line vs. Duquesne, and went 7-for-8 against UB.
A FEW MORE NOTES FROM THE BUFFALO GAME
• The Falcons now lead Buffalo, 12-4, in the all-time series between the teams ... BGSU holds an 8-1 advantage in home games vs. the Bulls.
• BGSU's total of 83 points was the team's second highest of the year ... the Brown and Orange scored 86 points in a win over Morehead State in the home opener (Nov 17).
• Sophomore Otis Polk set a career high by making seven free throws in Thursday's game ... he got to the line 12 times, also a career high and a season best for a BGSU player.
• The Falcons set season highs for free throws made (24) and attempted (35).
• BGSU scored 43 points in the first half, tying for the team's second-highest point total in a half this year ... the Falcons had 46 points in the second half of the Duquesne game, and had scored 43 points in a half on four prior occasions this year.
• The Falcons forced Buffalo into 25 turnovers, a season high for a BGSU opponent.
CLEMENTS COMING ON
Junior Darryl Clements has become a key contributor for the Falcons this season ... on Thursday vs. Buffalo, he scored 13 points and dished out a career-high seven assists ... Clements entered the season with a total of two double-digit scoring games in his career, but has seven in this year's 15 games ... Clements led the Falcons in scoring in two-straight games, with a career-high 18 points vs. Illinois State and 12 more at Indiana State ... with 119 points this season to date, Clements has already topped his point total for all of last season (87), and is just 10 points away from matching his total for the first two seasons combined.
JOE OF ALL TRADES
Freshman Joe Jakubowski has gotten some valuable on-the-job training in his first few months in a Falcon uniform, and has helped his new team in multiple ways ... Jakubowski scored 13 points, the highest total of his young collegiate career, in the Buffalo game ... he now has five double-digit outings this season ... Jakubowski dished out a career-best seven assists, the most of his young career, against Duquesne ... he had 10 points that night, one game after just missing a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds vs. Eastern Illinois ... the Rossford, Ohio native made his first start vs. Illinois State, and has been in the lineup ever since ... he has played 28.3 minutes per game this year, but has averaged 33.0 mpg - second on the teamor the team - over the last eight contests.
BLOCK PARTY
The Falcons had a total of eight blocked shots in the Kent State game, the third time this season that BG has had as least eight rejections ... after blocking four more shots in the Buffalo game, BGSU continues to lead the MAC in blocks, with an average of 4.47 per game.
LEADERS OF THE MAC
In addition to blocked shots, the Falcons also lead the MAC in field-goal percentage defense, having allowed opponents to shoot just 40.2 percent from the field this year ... BGSU is second in the conference in three-point FG pct. defense (29.6%) ... three Falcons - sophomores Otis Polk (third) and Marc Larson (fourth) and redshirt freshman Chris Knight (T-sixth) - are among the top-seven players on the blocked shots list.
AMONG THE MAC LEADERS IN CONFERENCE GAMES
Through three MAC games, sophomore Otis Polk ranks third in the conference in rebounding, with 8.7 rpg in league play ... he is second in the league in offensive rebounds (4.33 pg) ... junior Darryl Clements is tied for second in the MAC in steals in MAC games only (3.0 spg) ... Polk and redshirt freshman Chris Knight are part of a tie for second in blocked shots (2.0 bpg)
MANY WAYS TO FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• All BGSU men's basketball games are aired on the Falcon Sports Radio Network, with Todd Walker calling the action ... former Falcon standout Kirk Cowan provides color commentary at home games ... stations on the network in the greater Bowling Green area have included WCWA-AM 1230 (Toledo), WPFX-FM 107.7 (Findlay/North Baltimore) and WBUK-FM 106.3 (Ottawa).
• Student station WBGU-FM 88.1, the flagship for BG hockey and women's basketball, carries men's basketball games when there is not a conflict with one of the aforementioned sports ... the announcers vary by game.
• Nearly every home game is televised in the Toledo area by the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) ... a number of BGSU's other 2007-08 games are scheduled to be televised as well ... the Falcons' Feb. 10 home game vs. Toledo will be shown on ESPNU ... BG's Feb. 13 contest at Eastern Michigan is scheduled to be aired by Comcast Local ... the Feb. 19 game at Ohio will be part of the ESPN Full Court package, and the Falcons' final regular-season game, at Miami on March 9, will be aired by FSN Ohio and has been changed to a noon start.
FALCONS PICKED FOR SIXTH
The Falcons have been picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference's East Division in the 2007-08 preseason poll ... the poll is the result of voting by members of the MAC News Media Association ... BGSU received 47 points in the poll, five fewer than Buffalo ... Kent State was the voters' choice to win the East Division, narrowly beating out Miami for that honor ... Ohio and Akron were tabbed to place third and fourth, respectively, followed by UB and BGSU ... Western Michigan was picked to win the West Division, nearly 30 points ahead of Toledo ... KSU received seven votes to win the MAC Tournament, while WMU received six and Ohio and Miami five apiece ... the Falcons received one vote to win the league tourney, which will be held at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland from March 12-15, 2008.
