Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons. Rockets. Sunday.
February 08, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2008
Coach Orr Friday press conference
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU vs. TOLEDO
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 • 4:05 p.m.
Anderson Arena (4,700) • Bowling Green, Ohio
RECORDS: BGSU 10-11 (5-4 MAC) // Toledo 7-14 (4-5 MAC)
RADIO: Falcon Radio Network - Todd Walker and Kirk Cowan
TELEVISION: ESPNU - Michael Reghi and Jim Chones
SERIES: Toledo leads, 82-74 // STREAK: Toledo - 3
LAST MEETING: at Toledo 64, BGSU 48 (Feb. 3, 2007)
BGSU's Notes, Stats & Player Bios (28 exciting pages) in PDF Format
BGSU's Game-by-Game Boxscores & Recaps (11 more pages) in PDF Format
One-Stop Shopping: Toledo Stats in PDF Format
THE GAME
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team, looking to bounce back from the first Mid-American Conference home loss of the season, concludes a two-game homestand with a rivalry game ... the Falcons of head coach Louis Orr meet the University of Toledo in Sunday (Feb. 10) action ... tipoff is set for 4:05 p.m. at venerable Anderson Arena (4,700), with the game televised nationally on ESPNU ... following the UT game, the Falcons will head north to take on Eastern Michigan University on Wednesday (Feb. 13), before returning to intra-divisional play with a Feb. 16 home game vs. the University of Akron.
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 5-4 league record with just over half of the conference schedule completed ... BGSU is tied for the fifth-best record among the league's 12 teams.
• BGSU is coming off an overtime setback to Central Michigan, 81-77, on Wednesday night (Feb. 6) ... the loss snapped the Falcons' modest five-game winning streak in home conference games, dating to last season ... BG is now 6-4 at Anderson Arena this season, including a 4-1 mark in MAC games at "The House That Roars."
• Perhaps not surprisingly, BGSU has met Toledo more times than any other opponent ... Sunday's meeting is the 157th in the storied rivalry ... the Rockets hold an 82-74 series advantage.
ORR EARNS A MIDSEASON MENTION
On Tuesday (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."
MAYORAL MATCHUP
There will be a game within a game when the Battle of I-75 renews on Sunday ... halftime festivities will include the "BG-Toledo Mayoral Showdown" at Anderson Arena, as the mayors of the two cities, Bowling Green's John Quinn and Toledo's Carty Finkbeiner, will go head-to-head in a free-throw shooting contest ... the winner will emerge with bragging rights, at least until the next mayoral competition ... the loser will fly the flag of the opposing school for the duration of next week at his respective City Hall, and will provide photographic evidence of the flag-flyery to the other.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• The Falcons enter the Toledo game with an overall record of 10-11, and BGSU is 5-4 in MAC play ... BG is coming off an overtime loss, 81-77, to visiting Central Michigan on Wednesday night (Feb. 6) ... the Falcons have dropped two consecutive contests to Michigan foes after putting together a three-game winning streak ... 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 last weekend (Feb. 2).
• 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 6-4 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games ... BGSU is averaging 63.6 points per game to the opponents' 66.5 ppg ... the Falcons are shooting 44.2 percent from the field, while allowing the opponents to shoot just 40.8%.
• Individually, junior Nate Miller leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game ... Miller, who had a game-high 20 points vs. CMU Wednesday, also paces the Falcons in steals (1.6 spg), and is second on the squad in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (2.7 apg) ... Miller has hit double digits in scoring in a team-high 16 of BG's 21 games this year.
• Redshirt freshman Chris Knight is second on the team in scoring, and leads the Falcons in rebounding ... Knight has 11.1 points and 7.2 boards per game, and is shooting 44.3% from the field ... Knight's total of 94 field goals made is second on the team, behind Miller's team-leading total of 105 FGM.
• Junior Darryl Clements has 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game ... he ranks third on the Falcons in scoring, and is second in steals (1.3 spg), third in assists (2.1 apg) and fourth on the team in rebounding ... junior Brian Moten, who has led the Falcons in scoring in three of the last seven games, has 7.6 ppg ... he is shooting 52.3% from the field and 43.9% from the three-point line, leading the team in both categories.
• Freshman Joe Jakubowski is averaging 6.7 points per game ... he leads the Falcons in assists, with 2.8 per outing ... Jakubowski's total of 58 helpers is two ahead of Miller ... the freshman is tied for the team lead in three-point field goals made, as he and Clements each have 20 ... sophomores Otis Polk and Marc Larson have split time at center, and are averaging 5.3 and 5.0 points per contest, respectively ... Polk has 4.7 rpg, ranking third on the team ... he is shooting 49.4% from the field, and leads the Falcons in blocked shots, with 29 (1.4 bpg) ... Larson has 2.5 rpg and 1.1 blocks per game, and is shooting an even 50.0% from the floor, ranking second on the team in FG pct. and blocks.
• 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 12.9 ppg, while Moten is also in double digits, at 12.0 ppg ... Clements has 9.4 ppg and a team-high 1.8 steals per game in MAC play ... Knight has 8.6 ppg and a team-leading 7.0 rpg, while Jakubowski has 6.7 ppg and Polk 5.0 ... Polk also has 5.3 rpg off the bench in conference games.
• BGSU is shooting 43.4% from the field to the opponents' 41.9% in MAC action ... the Falcons have made 116 free throws - nearly as many as the opposition has attempted (128) - in those nine games.
• Clements, Larson and Miller each have started all 21 games to date for first-year BGSU head coach Louis Orr ... Jakubowski has started each of the last 13 games, while Knight has started 20 times, including each of the last 10 ... the Falcons went 13-18 overall and 3-13 in MAC play in 2006-07.
A WIN OVER TOLEDO WOULD ...
• improve BGSU's MAC record to 6-4, which would double the team's conference win total for all of last season (3-13 in MAC games a year ago);
• snap a two-game losing streak;
• give the Falcons a 5-1 record in MAC home games this season;
• break a three-game series losing streak to Toledo; and
• mark the ninth consecutive BG-UT meeting won by the home team.
SCOUTING TOLEDO
Toledo enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 7-14, and the Rockets are 4-5 in MAC play ... UT is 7-1 at home, but 0-13 on the road this season ... in conference games, the Rockets are 4-0 at Savage Hall, but 0-5 in contests away from the Glass City ... Toledo posted a come-from-behind, 59-56 win over Kent State last weekend (Feb. 2), but suffered a 76-47 loss at Miami on Wednesday night (Feb. 6) ... individually, junior guard Tyrone Kent leads the team - and the MAC - in scoring, with 17.4 points per game, and also has a team-high 3.1 assists ... junior guard Jonathan Amos has 12.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while senior forward Jerrah Young has 9.0 points and a team-leading 5.9 boards per contest ... junior guard Ridley Johnson averaging 8.8 points per game ... he has made 35 three-point field goals this year, second on the team behind Kent's total of 50 ... Amos, Johnson, Kent and Young each have started all 21 games this season to date ... still another junior guard, Anthony Byrd (4.2 ppg), joins those four players in the probable starting lineup for head coach Stan Joplin ... Joplin has four letterwinners back from last year's team that finished 19-13 overall and 14-2 in MAC action ... Joplin is in his 12th season as head coach at his alma mater, and has a record of 199-150 ... the school's athletics web site is www.utrockets.com.
THE SERIES
The Falcons have met Toledo more often than any other opponent in program history ... Sunday's meeting is the 157th between the arch-rival schools ... the Falcons trail UT, 82-74, in the series, and the Rockets have captured the last three meetings ... last season's only confrontation was a 64-48 Toledo win at Savage Hall (Feb. 3, 2007) ... the home team has been victorious in each of the last eight meetings, dating to the 2002-03 season ... the Falcons have won the last three home games vs. the Rockets, including a 59-52 triumph in the teams' last encounter at Anderson (Jan. 15, 2006) ... the complete list of BGSU-UT series results can be found on page 62 of the 2007-08 BGSU media guide (available in pdf format at BGSUFalcons.com), and a list of the most recent meetings can be found in the pdf version o' these here notes.
LAST TIME OUT
Nate Minnoy converted a last-second putback to force overtime, then converted a key three-point play in the extra session to help visiting Central Michigan to an 81-77 win Wednesday night (Feb. 6) ... CMU's victory snapped a five-game home conference winning streak for the Brown and Orange ... BG junior Nate Miller led all scorers with 20 points, while classmate Brian Moten had 17 off the bench ... freshman Joe Jakubowski rounded out BGSU's double-digit scorers with 13 points ... for the Chippewas, Minnoy scored 18 points off the bench to pace four players in twin figures ... the Falcons, who trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, battled back to take a three-point lead, 61-58, on Miller's layup with 1:54 left in regulation ... the visitors responded with a layup from Minnoy at the 1:37 mark, then got a stop at the defensive end to get the ball back ... Giordan Watson's jumper gave the Chippewas a 62-61 lead with 37.4 seconds remaining, but Jakubowski's 'and-one' driving runner led to a three-point play and a 64-62 BG edge with 24.9 seconds left ... the Chippewas looked to get the ball to Watson, but his jumper was off target in the final seconds ... Minnoy, however, grabbed the rebound and laid the ball off the glass and in with just 0.9 seconds left to force the overtime ... in the OT, Eddie Spencer split a pair of free throws to open the scoring, and a CMU steal led to a three-point play from Minnoy at the 3:41 mark ... that gave the visitors a 68-64 lead, and BG could not narrow the gap any closer than two points thereafter.
A FEW MORE NOTES FROM THE CMU GAME
• Wednesday's game featured eight ties and 12 lead changes ... all eight deadlocks, and 11 of the lead changes, came in the second half ... the final lead change bridged the end of regulation and the start of overtime.
• The Falcons' loss snapped a four-game home winning streak, all in MAC play ... BGSU had won five consecutive games vs. MAC foes at Anderson Arena, dating to the final home game of last season.
• The Falcons still lead Central Michigan, 35-29, in the all-time series between the teams ... but, CMU now has won two-straight meetings ... four of the teams' last five matchups have been decided by five points or fewer.
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 this season, including eight times in the last 10 games ... he is averaging 7.6 points per game this season, and is second on the team in scoring in MAC games, with 12.0 ppg vs. conference opposition.
NOTIN' MOTEN
• Junior Brian Moten is shooting a team-best 53.4 percent from the field in MAC play, and also leads the Falcons with 11 three-point field goals made in conference games ... he is shooting 44.4% from long distance (11-for-25) against MAC foes, good for second in the entire league.
• Moten has given the Falcons valuable minutes off the bench, with season-high totals in each of the last three 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 70.6% from the field in the four 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 16th in scoring, 11th in field-goal percentage, and, as mentioned, second in the MAC in three-point FG pct.
MILLER TIME
Junior Nate Miller has emerged as a go-to player for the Falcons ... Miller leads the Falcons in scoring, with 13.2 points per game (12.9 ppg in MAC games), and has a team-high 16 double-digit games this season to date ... with 20 points in Wednesday's (Feb. 6) Central Michigan game, he missed his career best by a single point ... Miller scored 11 of 14 points for the Falcons during a key stretch of that game, with four of BG's final seven points of regulation, and BG's first seven points of the overtime period.
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 (11.1 ppg, 19th in MAC) and rebounding (7.2 rpg; T-sixth), and is also the MAC's top freshman shot-blocker (1.10 bpg; sixth) ... Joe Jakubowski paces all league frosh in assists (2.76 apg; 12th).
BGSU TO FACE DETROIT IN BRACKETBUSTERS
The Falcons will play at the University of Detroit Mercy in a 2008 O'Reilly/ESPNU BracketBusters game ... BGSU will play the Titans at UDM's Calihan Hall on Saturday, Feb. 23, with tipoff time set for 4:05 p.m. ... the 2007-08 season marks the sixth year of the event, and BGSU has a 7-3 record in BracketBusters-related games ... earlier this season (Nov. 17), the Falcons defeated Morehead State, 86-70, in a return game from the 2007 BracketBusters event ... BGSU has also had home-and-home series with UIC, Youngstown State, Arkansas-Little Rock and Wright State through BracketBusters.
HOME (AND ROAD) IMPROVEMENT
With at least nine games remaining this season, the Falcons have matched or surpassed last year's win totals in numerous categories ...
• BGSU enters the Toledo game with a 4-1 home record in MAC games ... the Falcons went 3-5 in conference games at Anderson Arena last year.
• The Falcons have a MAC record of 5-4 this year ... BGSU is one win away from doubling the team's conference victory total from all of last season ... the Falcons went 3-13 in MAC play a year ago.
• BGSU is 1-3 in MAC road games this season, after going 0-8 in such games last year.
• The Falcons are 3-6 in road games this season, matching the win total for all of last year ... BG went 3-10 in away contests in 2006-07.
SNAPPING A STREAK
The Falcons' 63-53 win at Ball State (Jan. 30) snapped a 15-game losing streak in conference road games ... BGSU's last win at a hostile venue in MAC play came two years and four days prior to the BSU game - Jan. 26, 2006 - a 79-74 triumph at Kent State.
PERFECT 10
The Falcons (and their 10-man active roster) are 10-0 when leading opponents with 10 minutes left in the game.
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 include 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 ... Sunday's 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.
LEADERS OF THE MAC
The Falcons continue to lead the Mid-American Conference in several team categories ... BGSU paces the MAC in field-goal percentage defense (40.8%), three-point FG pct. defense (30.5%) and blocked shots (4.71 bpg).
BLOCK PARTY
As mentioned, the Falcons lead the MAC in blocked shots, averaging 4.71 per game ... individually, the Falcons have three players among the top-six blockers on that list ... sophomore Otis Polk is third in the MAC, while classmate Marc Larson and redshirt freshman Chris Knight rank fifth and sixth, respectively.
BLOCK PARTY II
Sophomore Otis Polk has moved onto the BGSU single-season list for blocked shots, and is threatening to add his name to the Falcon career list as well ... with 29 blocks this year, Polk is tied for ninth on the school single-season chart ... he has 59 career rejections, placing him 16 shy of 10th place on that BG list.
FALCONS PICKED FOR SIXTH
The Falcons were 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.
UP NEXT
Following the UT game, the Falcons will conclude cross-divisional play with a Wednesday (Feb. 13) trip to Ypsilanti to face Eastern Michigan ... then, the Brown and Orange will return to venerable Anderson Arena Saturday (Feb. 16), hosting Akron in a 2:00 p.m. start ... BGSU concludes a four-games-in-10-days stretch with a trip to Ohio for a Feb. 19 matchup with the Bobcats, before stepping outside of conference play for a BracketBusters game at Detroit on Feb. 23.
