Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Head to Ypsi for Midweek Matchup
February 12, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2008
Orr's Tuesday press conference
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) -
BGSU at EASTERN MICHIGAN
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 • 7:06 p.m.
Convocation Center (8,824) • Ypsilanti, Mich.
RECORDS: BGSU 11-11 (6-4 MAC) // Eastern Michigan 8-14 (4-6 MAC)
RADIO: Falcon Radio Network - Todd Walker
TELEVISION: Comcast Local - Ben Holden and Clarence Black
SERIES: BGSU leads, 43-36 // STREAK: EMU - 1
LAST MEETING: Eastern Michigan 65, at BGSU 63 (Feb. 10, 2007)
BGSU Notes, Stats & Player Bios in PDF Format
Relive the 2007-08 Season to Date with Game-by-Game Boxscores & Recaps in PDF Format
THE GAME
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team, following an emotional win in a rivalry game, looks to build upon that momentum ... the Falcons of head coach Louis Orr close Mid-American Conference cross-divisional play with a Wednesday (Feb. 13) game at Eastern Michigan University ... tipoff is set for 7:06 p.m. at EMU's Convocation Center (8,824), with the game televised by Comcast Local ... following the EMU game, the Falcons will return home and also return to intra-divisional action, hosting the University of Akron on Saturday (Feb. 16) at venerable Anderson Arena (4,700).
THE OPENING TIP
• The Falcons, picked to finish sixth (i.e., last) in the East Division in the MAC's preseason coaches poll, have a 6-4 league record with six conference games remaining ... BGSU is tied for the fifth-best record among the league's 12 teams.
• BGSU is coming off a 69-58 win over arch-rival Toledo on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 10) ... junior Nate Miller had a double-double, tying his career high with 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds ... sophomore Otis Polk had 12 points, including eight of the Falcons' points during a 10-0 second-half run ... that run gave BG a 60-48 lead with 2:34 left.
• BGSU has doubled the MAC win total for all of last season ... as mentioned, the 2007-08 Falcons are 6-4 in conference play ... last year's team had a 3-13 league mark.
THIS PLACE SEEMS FAMILIAR ...
Three members of the BGSU coaching staff have connections to Ypsilanti ... assistant coaches LaMonta Stone and Andy Moore held similar positions at Eastern Michigan ... Stone, in his fourth year with the Falcons, was at EMU for two seasons, from 2000-02 ... the Detroit native then moved on to Ohio State for two years before joining the BGSU program ... Moore was the director of basketball operations at EMU during the same two years that Stone was in Ypsi ... Moore then made the short trip to Ann Arbor, spending five seasons at the University of Michigan before joining the BG staff in May of 2007 ... while at U-M, Moore worked with current EMU head coach Charles Ramsey for several seasons ... additionally, Falcon head coach Louis Orr's wife, Yvette, is a native of Ypsilanti.
BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Sophomore Otis Polk tied his career high with four blocked shots in Sunday's win over Toledo ... Polk now has 33 blocks this year, the ninth-highest single-season total in school history ... the Detroit native is 11 rejections shy of third place on the list, a spot currently held by Ed Colbert (44 in 1990-91) ... Cornelius Cash holds the record, with 59 blocks in 1973-74 ... the list is in the PDF at the top of the page.
BLOCK PARTY II: CHRIS AND MARC MIGHT STOP BY, TOO
Sophomore Otis Polk, as mentioned, is ninth on the BGSU single-season list for blocked shots ... classmate Marc Larson and redshirt freshman Chris Knight each are seven blocks away from joining the top-10 on that same list ... both Knight and Larson have 24 blocks this year to date.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Eastern Michigan game with an overall record of 11-11, and BGSU is 6-4 in MAC play ... BG is coming off a 69-58 win over Toledo before a national-TV audience on Sunday (Feb. 10) ... that came on the heels of an overtime loss, 81-77, to visiting Central Michigan last Wednesday night (Feb. 6) ... the Falcons opened the league schedule with a 52-49 win over Ohio (Jan. 5), before losing at Kent State, 63-49 (Jan. 12) ... the Brown and Orange rebounded with an 83-70 victory against Buffalo (Jan. 17), but suffered an 80-44 setback at Akron three days later (Jan. 20) ... BG posted narrow home wins over Miami (55-52; Jan. 23) and Northern Illinois (63-59; Jan. 27) before heading to Ball State and picking up a 63-53 decision (Jan. 30) ... that winning streak came to an end with a 64-50 loss at Western Michigan (Feb. 2), followed by the CMU setback.
• The Falcons opened the season with a 4-2 record, including a 2-1 mark at the season-opening Peggy Cronin Classic at Cincinnati ... the wins in that tourney came over Belmont and host UC ... the Falcons' other victories over the first six games of the year came against Morehead State and at Furman ... then, however, the Brown and Orange suffered a four-game losing streak ... three of those losses came on the road, and none by more than 11 points.
• The Falcons won two of three games on the homestand that bridged the New Year, with a 52-48 win over Eastern Illinois (Dec. 29), a 96-78 loss to Duquesne (Jan. 2) at Anderson Arena and the MAC-opening victory over Ohio.
• The Falcons are 7-4 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games ... BGSU is averaging 63.9 points per game to the opponents' 66.1 ppg ... the Falcons are shooting 44.7 percent from the field, while allowing the opponents to shoot just 40.6%.
• Individually, junior Nate Miller leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game ... Miller, who had a game-high 20 points vs. CMU and a double-double (21 points and 11 rebounds) vs. UT, also paces the Falcons in assists (2.8 apg) and steals (1.5 spg), and is second on the squad in rebounding (5.9 rpg) ... Miller has hit double digits in scoring in a team-high 17 of BG's 22 games this year.
• Redshirt freshman Chris Knight is second on the team in scoring, and leads the Falcons in rebounding ... Knight has 10.8 points and 7.3 boards per game, and is tied for second on the team in blocked shots (1.1 bpg) ... Knight's total of 96 field goals made is second on the Falcons, behind Miller's team-leading total of 114 FGM.
• Junior Darryl Clements has 8.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game ... he ranks third on the Falcons in scoring, and is second in steals (1.3 spg), third in assists (2.3 apg) and fourth on the team in rebounding ... Clements leads the team with 22 three-point field goals made ... junior Brian Moten, who has led the Falcons in scoring in three of the last eight games, has 7.6 ppg ... he is shooting 52.6% from the field and 42.9% from the three-point line, leading the team in both categories.
• Freshman Joe Jakubowski is averaging 6.7 points per game, and is second on the Falcons in assists, with 2.7 per outing ... Jakubowski's total of 60 helpers is one behind Miller ... the freshman is second in three-pointers made, with 21 this year to date ... sophomores Otis Polk and Marc Larson have split time at center, and are averaging 5.6 and 5.0 points per contest, respectively ... Polk has 4.7 rpg, ranking third on the team ... he is shooting 51.2% from the field, and leads the Falcons in blocked shots, with 33 (1.5 bpg) ... Larson has 2.6 rpg and 1.1 blocks per game, and is shooting an even 50.0% from the floor ... he is tied for second on the team in blocks and ranks third in FG pct.
• Soph Ryan Sims has played in 20 games off the bench, and is averaging 1.2 ppg, while freshman Cameron Madlock has seen action in 10 games, and has 1.2 ppg and 1.1 rpg ... sophomore Matt Karaffa made his collegiate debut in the Indiana State contest, and also saw action vs. Akron and Western Michigan.
• In MAC action, Miller leads the team in scoring, with 13.7 ppg, while Moten is also in double digits, at 11.7 ppg ... Clements has 9.7 ppg and a team-high 1.7 steals per game in MAC play ... Knight has 8.1 ppg and a team-leading 7.3 rpg, while Jakubowski has 6.7 ppg and Polk 5.7 ... Polk also has 5.3 rpg off the bench in conference games.
• BGSU is shooting 44.5% from the field to the opponents' 41.3% in MAC action ... the Falcons have made 129 free throws - nearly as many as the opposition has attempted (144) - in those 10 games.
• Clements, Larson and Miller each have started all 22 games to date for first-year BGSU head coach Louis Orr ... Jakubowski has started each of the last 14 games, while Knight has started 21 times, including each of the last 11 ... that lineup has taken the floor at the beginning of all 10 MAC contests ... the Falcons went 13-18 overall and 3-13 in MAC play in 2006-07.
A WIN OVER EASTERN MICHIGAN WOULD ...
• improve BGSU's MAC record to 7-4, which would more than double the team's conference win total for all of last season (3-13 in MAC games a year ago);
• snap a six-game losing streak to teams from the state of Michigan;
• give the Falcons four road wins this year, topping the total for all of last season (3-10 a year ago);
• make BG's record 4-2 against the West as MAC cross-divisional play concludes;
• put BGSU's overall mark back over .500, at 12-11; and
• give the Falcons a three-game winning streak in road contests vs. EMU.
SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan enters Wednesday's game with an overall record of 8-14, and the Eagles are 4-6 in MAC play ... Eastern is 5-4 at home, 3-9 on the road and 0-1 in neutral-site games this season to date ... in conference games, the Eagles are 3-1 at the Convocation Center, but 1-5 in contests away from Ypsilanti ... EMU posted a 63-56 win over Ohio last Wednesday (Feb. 6) to snap a three-game losing streak vs. East Division foes, but the Eagles dropped a 68-64 contest at Buffalo Sunday (Feb. 10) ... individually, junior point guard Carlos Medlock leads the team in scoring, with 13.5 points per game, and also has a team-high 4.2 assists ... senior wing Jesse Bunkley has 10.4 points per contest, while sophomore forward Justin Dobbins is averaging 9.8 ppg ... Medlock, Dobbins and senior guard Jarred Axon (8.8 ppg) each have made over 40 three-point field goals this year, with all three ranking in the top-10 in the MAC ... Dobbins and Medlock each have started all 22 games this season ... junior guard Tyler Jones (4.5 ppg), senior guard Travis Lewis (4.1 ppg, a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game) and junior forward Wendale Farrow 4.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) join those two in the probable starting lineup for head coach Charles E. Ramsey ... Ramsey welcomed back 11 letterwinners, including all five starters, from last year's team that finished 13-19 overall and 6-10 in MAC action ... Ramsey has a record of 28-54 in his third season as a collegiate head coach, all with his alma mater ... the school's athletics web site is www.emueagles.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons lead Eastern Michigan, 43-36, in the all-time series between the teams, but the Eagles won the most recent meeting ... in last season's lone matchup, Eastern pulled out a 65-63 victory at Anderson Arena (Feb. 10, 2007) ... that win snapped a three-game BGSU series win streak, a streak that included a pair of games at the Convocation Center ... in the last meeting in Ypsilanti, the Brown and Orange downed the host Eagles by a 79-72 count (Jan. 18, 2006) ... overall, BGSU has won nine of the 12 meetings over the last decade ... in all, the Falcons are 27-9 in home games, 16-24 in road contests and 0-3 in neutral-site action vs. the Hurons/Eagles ... the complete list of BGSU-EMU series results can be found on pages 59-60 of the 2007-08 BGSU media guide (available in pdf format right here at BGSUFalcons.com -- click around a little bit; you'll find it), and a list of the most recent meetings can be found on page 3 of the pdf version o' these here notes.
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Nate Miller tied his career scoring high, and sophomore Otis Polk keyed a late-game run as the Falcons surged past arch-rival Toledo, 69-58, Sunday afternoon (Feb. 10) at Anderson Arena ... Miller was 9-of-13 from the field en route to a game-high 21 points, and the junior had a double-double, with a game-best total of 11 rebounds ... the Falcons outrebounded UT, 21-7, in the first half, en route to a 39-24 advantage on the boards for the game ... Polk had 12 points, including eight in BGSU's 10-0 run late in the second half ... those eight points included an emphatic tomahawk dunk with just under five minutes remaining ... junior Darryl Clements also had 12 points for the Falcons, who shot 50.0 percent from the field in the first half and a blistering 61.1% in the second ... for the game, BG was 26-of-48 from the floor (54.2%) ... Tyrone Kent led the Rockets with 15 points, but the BG defense held Kent to just a 5-for-20 day from the field ... Jerrah Young had 14 points for the Blue and Gold ... the Falcons took a 12-point halftime lead, and BG led by as many as 15 points early in the second half ... but the Rockets rallied to get as close as two on several occasions, the last at 50-48 ... but, Polk started the aforementioned 10-0 run with a tip-in at 7:34, and freshman Joe Jakubowski drew a foul and hit both tosses ... after a UT miss, Jakubowski drove the lane and dished the ball to Polk for the dunk and a 56-48 advantage with 4:44 remaining ... four more points by Polk gave BG a 12-point lead, and the Rockets got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
MILLER TIME
Junior Nate Miller has emerged as a go-to player for the Falcons ... Miller had a pair of 20-point games last week, with 20 vs. Central Michigan and 21 more - tying his career high - vs. Toledo ... he leads the Falcons in scoring, with 13.6 points per game (13.7 ppg in MAC games), and has a team-high 17 double-digit games this season to date ... Miller scored 11 of 14 points for the Falcons during a key stretch of the CMU game, with four of BG's final seven points of regulation, and BG's first seven points of the overtime period ... vs. Toledo, he had a double-double, with 11 rebounds, and also had five assists in the win ... Miller was 9-of-13 from the field in that game.
BIG OTIS
Sophomore Otis Polk had 12 points in the win over Toledo, tying his career high with four blocked shots ... eight of Polk's 12 points came during a key 10-0 run late in the second half ... those eight points included an emphatic tomahawk dunk with just under five minutes remaining ... that was followed by a pair of free throws with 3:03 left, and a layup half a minute later ... the layup capped the 10-0 run and gave BG a 60-48 lead, and the Rockets could get no closer than seven points thereafter ... Polk has four double-digit games this season to date.
CLEANING THE GLASS
BGSU had a rebounding margin of +15 in the Toledo game, matching the team's best this season ... the Falcons also had a +15 margin on the boards vs. Eastern Illinois ... against UT, the Brown and Orange had a whopping 21-7 rebounding advantage in the first half en route to a 39-24 margin for the game ... Toledo's total of 24 boards matched a season low for a BGSU opponent (Morehead State).
CLEANING THE GLASS II
Junior Nate Miller had a game-high 11 rebounds in Sunday's win over Toledo ... redshirt freshman Chris Knight also was in double digits, with 10 rebounds vs. the Rockets ... the game marked the second time this year that two Falcon players hit double figures in rebounding ... Miller had 14 boards and freshman Joe Jakubowski 10 in the Eastern Illinois game.
SOLID SHOOTING
The Falcons shot 50.0 percent or better in both halves vs. Toledo, en route to a 54.2% FG percentage for the game ... BGSU has shot over 50.0% in seven games this season to date.
DOUBLE(-DOUBLE) TROUBLE
• Junior Nate Miller had his third double-double of the season in the Toledo game, with game-high totals of 21 points and 11 rebounds ... Miller's other two double-doubles this year came during the Falcons' three-game homestand that ended calendar year 2007 and began 2008 ... 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 eight 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.
• Sophomore Otis Polk had his first career double-double in this year's Buffalo game, scoring 13 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds ... it marked the fourth time in five games that a Falcon player had recorded a double-double.
• Redshirt freshman Chris Knight has had two double-doubles this year to date ... he 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.
ORR EARNS A MIDSEASON MENTION
Last week (Feb. 5), the MAC Report Online web site (www.macreportonline.com) announced its midseason awards ... BGSU head coach Louis Orr was listed as the site's MAC Coach of the Year at the midway point ... among other things, the article stated, 'halfway through the season, Orr is the clear leader for Coach of the Year honors in the MAC."
HOME (AND ROAD) IMPROVEMENT
With at least eight games remaining this season, the Falcons have matched or surpassed last year's win totals in numerous categories ...
• The Falcons have a MAC record of 6-4 this year ... BGSU has doubled the team's conference victory total from all of last season ... the Falcons went 3-13 in MAC play a year ago.
• After the win over Toledo, BGSU now has a 5-1 home record in MAC games ... the Falcons went 3-5 in conference games at Anderson Arena last year.
• BGSU enters the Eastern Michigan game with a mark of 1-3 in MAC road games this season, after going 0-8 in such games last year.
• The Falcons enter Wednesday's action with a record of 3-6 in all road games this season, matching the win total for all of last year ... BG went 3-10 in away contests in 2006-07.
PHALCON PHRESHMAN PHENOMS
Several first-year Falcons are at the top of their class when it comes to the MAC statistics ... Chris Knight leads all MAC freshmen in scoring (10.8 ppg, 20th in MAC) and rebounding (7.3 rpg; fifth), and is also the MAC's top freshman shot-blocker (1.09 bpg; tie-fifth) ... Joe Jakubowski paces all league frosh in assists (2.73 apg; tie-12th).
LEADERS OF THE MAC
The Falcons continue to lead the Mid-American Conference in several team defensive categories ... BGSU paces the MAC in field-goal percentage defense (40.6%), three-point FG pct. defense (30.8%) and blocked shots (4.77 bpg).
TRYING TO BLOCK IT OUT
As mentioned, the Falcons lead the MAC in blocked shots, averaging 4.77 per game ... individually, the Falcons have three players among the top-six blockers on that list ... sophomore Otis Polk is second in the MAC, while classmate Marc Larson and redshirt freshman Chris Knight are tied for fifth.
MOTEN OFFENSE
Junior Brian Moten has provided the Falcons with an offensive spark this season, especially since the 2008 calendar year began ... Moten has hit double digits in scoring nine times, including eight times in the last 11 games ... he is averaging 7.6 points per game this season, and is second on the team in scoring in MAC games, with 11.7 ppg vs. conference opposition.
NOTIN' MOTEN
• Junior Brian Moten is shooting a team-best 53.8 percent from the field in MAC play, and also is tied for the BG lead with 11 three-point field goals made in conference games ... he is shooting 42.3% from long distance (11-for-26) against MAC foes, good for fifth in the entire league.
• Moten has given the Falcons valuable minutes off the bench, with season-high totals in three consecutive games ... he played 33 minutes at Ball State, 34 at Western Michigan and a career-high 38 minutes vs. Central Michigan.
• Moten is shooting a blistering 69.2% from the field in the five games vs. MAC West-Division foes ... that stretch includes an 8-fof-9 performance in the win at Ball State and a 6-for-8 night vs. CMU.
• The Saginaw, Mich., native is ranked among the MAC leaders in several categories ... in league games, Moten is tied for 15th in scoring, seventh in field-goal percentage, and, as mentioned, fifth in the MAC in three-point FG pct.
UP NEXT
The Falcons return home this weekend, taking on the University of Akron on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 16), beginning at 2:00 p.m. ... following the Akron game, BGSU will have just one more home game, on March 1 vs. Kent State, so you're gonna want to be there.
