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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Open Inter-Divisional Play Wednesday
January 26, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2009
Game #19
Bowling Green (9-9, 2-3 MAC East) vs. Ball State (10-7, 4-1 MAC West)
Jan. 28, 2009 • Bowling Green, Ohio (Anderson Arena) • 7:00 p.m.
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker/Kirk Cowan
Television: BCSN • Greg Franke/Kevin Brechmacher
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
Coach Orr Weekly Press Conference Audio
SETTING THE STAGE
• With renewed confidence coming off of its first road win of the year, the Bowling Green men's basketball team hosts MAC West-leading Ball State in Anderson Arena. The game marks the first of six consecutive games against MAC West teams for the Falcons.
• Bowling Green is 38-33 in 71 meetings all-time against Ball State and the Falcons have won each of the past two meetings. In fact, last year's win at Ball State on Jan. 30 was the team's last conference road win prior to Saturday's victory over Ohio, snapping a string of seven consecutive road losses in the MAC.
• Ball State has not won in Anderson Arena since Feb. 28, 2004, an 81-71 Cardinals victory. The Cardinals, however, have been fairly successful in Anderson Arena in the past decade, splitting the last eight meetings in the facility.
THE OPENING TIP (STORYLINES)
• With Saturday's road win over Ohio, Bowling Green is in the midst of a string of games that the Falcons hope will push them closer to the top of the MAC East standings. Ball State is the only opponent in the next six games with a record over .500 and none of those other five teams are better than four games below .500.
• The Falcons ended a number of streaks that have haunted them for much of the season with Saturday's win. It was Bowling Green's first win in a true road contest this year and also was the first time this year that the Falcons had outscored a MAC opponent in the second half.
• Senior forward Nate Miller is beginning to shine for the Falcons. Closing in on 900 career points, he has scored at least 13 points in five of the past six games, has at least five rebounds in each of those, and is even shooting free-throws better. He has made seven of his past nine shots at the stripe after making just 14-of-38 to start the year.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
• Despite losing its leading scorer and rebounder to a season-ending injury, the Ball State men's basketball team has continued to motor along, going 4-1 in its first run through the MAC West. The Cardinals will attempt to limit possessions and keep the scoring at a minimum. Ball State has scored 60 points or less and still won five times this year.
• The Cardinals ranks 12th in the conference in scoring offense, but first in scoring defense, another indicator of the slow-down pace. Ball State also helps itself by ranking third in the MAC in rebounding, which is important because the Cardinals rank in the bottom two in the MAC in field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, three-pointers made, steals and blocks.
• Anthony Newell led Ball State in scoring and rebounding through the first 13 games, but is out with a season-ending injury. Jarrod Jones and Brandon Lampley are playing well without him in the rotation. Jones is tied for third in the MAC in both rebounding and blocked shots, while Lampley has made 9-of-15 three-pointers in conference play. Laron Frazier is another key player for the Cardinals, averaging 8.8 points per game.
SCHEDULE CHANGES
• Bowling Green's home contest against Kent State has been moved up to a 6:30 p.m. start to accomodate an Fox Sports Ohio television broadcast of the game.
• Bowling Green's game at Akron on March 1 is now scheduled for a 12 p.m. start time for a Fox Sports Ohio television broadcast.
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Bowling Green trailed Ohio Saturday 36-35 with 10 minutes to play in the contest. It marked the first time in head coach Louis Orr's two-year tenure that BG came back from a deficit with 10 minutes to play to win a game. The team had lost 32 consecutive games when it trailed with 10 minutes left since coming back to beat Buffalo 74-73 Jan. 7, 2007.
MILLER'S PUSH FOR 1,000
As Nate Miller gets closer to 1,000 career points, he has increased his scoring average. He has 15 or more points in each of the past three contests to give him 897 for his career. His 15-point effort against Ohio was the 50th double-digit scoring game of his Bowling Green career. At his current pace, he would become the 37th player in BG history to reach 1,000 career points when the Falcons host Kent State on Fox Sports Ohio Feb. 26. Miller is averaging 15.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the past three games.
GOOD KNIGHT
Chris Knight has been named MAC East Player of the Week twice in the past five weeks. Most recently he was awarded after he scored 17 first half points, and finished with 22 for the game, as Bowling Green opened up an early lead and held on for an 86-82 win over Buffalo in the team's MAC opener. Knight was also named MAC East Player of the Week Dec. 29 after averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in leading the Falcons to a pair of wins. He is the only BGSU player to be named conference player of the week this year and it is the third time in his career he has received the award. Knight received the honor a year ago after being named MVP of the Peggy Cronin Classic in Cincinnati.
TRACKING FALCON MILESTONES
A number of BGSU players are closing in on career milestones or have recently reached them:
• Darryl Clements scored 11 points against Akron to reach 500 for his career and had eight rebounds against Ohio to get to 250. He also attempted his 100th career free-throw against Buffalo, qualifying him for BGSU's career leaderboard in free-throw percentage. With his .810 percentage rate, he ranks ninth in school history at the charity stripe.
• Joe Jakubowski needs six more points for 400 in his career and four more steals for 50.
• Erik Marschall needs 11 points for 500 in his career.
• With three more points, Nate Miller will reach 900 for his career. He needs to average 8.6 points during the rest of the regular season to become the 37th player in program history to score 1,000. At his current pace of 11.9 points per game, he would reach the mark at home against Kent State Feb. 26.
• Brian Moten moved into a tie for 10th place in career three-pointers made when he knocked one down against Ohio. He is also just one three-pointer away from becoming just the 10th Falcon to make 100 for a career. With his action against Ohio, he played in his 100th career game, becoming the first player to reach that total since Matt Lefeld played in 105 games from 2003-07.
• Otis Polk moved into fourth place in career blocks at Bowling Green with his 106th against Miami. He needs one more to move into a tie for third and 11 more to tie BGSU's all-time record of 117.
THREE'S THE KEY
Three-pointers made has been a remarkable indicator of success in Bowling Green contests this year. The team that has made the most three-pointers has won 15 of 17 games this year (BG and Ohio made the same number of three-pointers Saturday). BG is 8-2 when making more three's than its opponent and is 0-7 when the opponent makes more. The only games in which three-pointers did not determine the winner was in Bowling Green's 67-65 loss to Central Arkansas and in the Falcons' 67-60 loss to Miami.
BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Junior Otis Polk blocked two shots against Duquesne to become just the fifth player in program history with 100 career blocked shots and moved into fourth place with his 106th block against Miami. He ranks second in the MAC in blocked shots this year and is just 11 behind all-time leader Tom Hall, with 117 from 1989-92. A year ago, he had four blocks in four different games, ending the season with 51, the second highest single-season total in Bowling Green history. Cornelius Cash set the mark with 59 blocks in 1973-74.
KNIGHT TIME
Sophomore forward Chris Knight has begun to show signs of the potential he flashed as a freshman in 2007-08. After missing the first three games of the 2008-09 season, Knight scored just 15 points over the next six games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. But in the last nine contests, he has averaged 10.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, posting the only Falcon double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Eastern Illinois. He grabbed 14 rebounds against Fordham, five on the offensive glass, and scored 17 first-half points in BGSU's MAC opener against Buffalo, finishing with 22 points on the afternoon.
DEEP THINKING
Bowling Green's depth has been critical to success in 2008-09 and the Falcons' bench has contributed in a big way this year. BGSU's bench has scored in double-figures in 16 consecutive games, scoring at least 40 points twice (in wins over Wayne State and Buffalo). The Falcons are averaging 24.6 points per game from their bench this year, compared to just 16.2 points per game for opponents. The Bowling Green bench has outscored its opponent in 13 consecutive games and 15-of-18 contests overall.
DEFENSE WINS
• Bowling Green has bucked down defensively in 2008-09, holding 14-of-18 opponents to less than 45 percent shooting, allowing less than 70 points 13 times. It is a critical stat because the Falcons are just 2-10 under head coach Louis Orr when an opponent shoots 45 percent or better. BG leads the MAC in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots, ranking third in the conference in three-point percentage defense.
• Bowling Green is on pace to post a historically significant season defensively. The Falcons' .393 field goal percentage defense allowed is the best total since the 1963-64 team held opponents to a .390 clip for the year. As well, the team's 63.4 points per game allowed is the best average since the 1962-63 team allowed 62.3 points per contest.
• Bowling Green's defensive prowess has not been more apparent than in the Falcons' win over Detroit. The Titans scored just 38 points, the lowest point total for a BGSU opponent since an 87-37 Bowling Green win over Western Ontario on Feb. 1, 1964. As well, the Titans shot just 22.7 percent from the field and had just two assists. Both of those stats were the lowest BG opponent totals since game-by-game boxscores have been archived (1987-88 season).
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
While Bowling Green has excelled in the first half of most of its contests this year, the Falcons have struggled at times in the second half. BGSU has been ahead or tied at the break in five of its losses this year. Bowling Green is holding opponents to 36 percent shooting in the first half of games this year but opponents are shooting 43 percent in the second half.
Half Scoring Margin FG% FGA%
1st +5.3 232/529 (.439) 174/488 (.357)
2nd -3.1 201/502 (.400) 209/486 (.430)
LEADERS OF THE MAC
The Falcons lead the MAC in four team stats, posting the top field-goal percent defensive unit in the conference, allowing opponents to shoot just .393. The team also leads the MAC in blocked shots (4.5 per game), assists (14.1 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.09).
MAKING THINGS INTERESTING
Bowling Green has played a number of games this year that have been decided in the final possessions. Two of the most exciting of those were a 77-76 overtime win over Georgia State in the season opener and a 52-51 win on the road over Ohio in front of 10,988 fans. Darryl Clements and Brian Moten made three-pointers in the final 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime against Georgia State and Joe Jakubowski knocked down a 25-foot three-pointer as the buzzer sounded in the extra session for the win. Against Ohio, the Bobcats had three possessions in the final 15 seconds but missed three shots, including a blocked shot from Chris Knight with less than four seconds remaining. Clements scored the Falcons' final five points of that game, helping the team overcome a late 47-44 deficit.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 6-2 at home in 2008-09, beating teams by an average of 10.3 points per game. BG is off to its best start at home since the 2004-05 team opened the year with seven wins in its first eight games in "The House That Roars" and the Falcons are 443-178 (.713) all-time in Anderson Arena and 157-52 (.751) in the past 16 years.
WINNING EARLY
Bowling Green had six wins by the team the calendar turned to 2009. Since the 2002-03 season, the Falcons have won more games than that before the turn of the new year just once. The 2006-07 team had nine wins when Jan. 1 struck and last year's team had just five wins by that time.
HITTIN' THE BOOKS
Sophomore point guard Joe Jakubowski was named the Mid-American Conference's Male Scholar Athlete of the Week Dec. 18. He had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the team's 58-38 win over Detroit and has maintained a 3.56 grade point average entering the fall semester. The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week is presented to a male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative gpa of 3.0 or better and performed well during the previous week's competition.
CLEMENTS' CAREER WEEKEND
Senior guard Darryl Clements was named to the NABC Classic All-Tournament team after setting his new career scoring high not just one time, but twice during the season's opening weekend. Clements made a crucial three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in regulation that helped pushed the season opener against Georgia State to overtime -- a game the Falcons eventually won. He then scored a career-high 19 points in the team's loss to Minnesota, before pumping home 22 in BGSU's win over Concordia St. Paul. He also led Bowling Green in assists, steals and field goal percentage during the weekend.
CAN IT GET ANY TOUGHER?
Although Bowling Green went 7-6 in its first 13 non-conference games, the opponents that the Falcons faced will make them stronger in MAC play. BGSU's six non-conference losses have come against teams with a combined record of 78-37. Minnesota is ranked No. 21 in the AP Top 25 and No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, while Ohio State is receiving votes in both polls. Illinois State is also ranked fifth in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
FRESH FACES
Head coach Louis Orr announced the signing of two players for the 2009-10 season during the early signing period. Luke Kraus, of Findlay, Ohio (Findlay HS), and Danny McElroy, of Cincinnati, Ohio (La Salle HS), will join the Falcons next year. Kraus is a two-time player of the year in the Greater Buckeye Conference and McElroy is a tenacious defender who averaged 14.2 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior. Those two will join transfers Darion Goins and Adrion Graves, both of which are sitting out the 2008-09 season due to transfer rules.
MADLOCK TRANSFERS
Bowling Green head coach Louis Orr has announced that sophomore Cameron Madlock has transferred to Lee College, a junior college in Baytown, Texas. Madlock played in 16 games off the bench during the 2007-08 season but had not played in 2008-09.
CATCH THE FALCONS
• Bowling Green's men's basketball games can be listened to through the Falcon Sports Radio Network with Todd Walker, the voice of the Falcons, handling the play-by-play duties. Former Bowling Green basketball player Kirk Cowan does the color commentary at all BGSU home games as well. All but four games can be heard on WFRO 99.1 FM and the others can be heard on WOHF 92.1 FM (Jan. 28 vs. Ball State, Feb. 4 vs. Western Michigan, Feb. 11 at Toledo, and Feb. 18 at Buffalo). As well, all games can be heard on WCSM 1350 AM/96.7 FM in Celina, WONW 1280 AM in Defiance, and WCWA 1230 AM in Toledo.
• BGSU men's basketball coach Louis Orr appears on the Falcons' Nest Coaches Show on select Monday evenings, hosted by Todd Walker. The show runs from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., and is scheduled for live broadcast from Fricker's in Bowling Green (1720 E. Wooster Street).
• All game broadcasts and the Falcons Nest Coaches Show can also be heard via live stream on the official site of Falcon athletics, www.BGSUfalcons.com. Shortly after broadcasts are complete, an archived stream is available to listen to as well.
• BGSU men's basketball coach Louis Orr will talk live on 1470 WLQR "The Ticket" throughout the year. He is scheduled to be on host Norm Wamer's show Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the season.
• Live statistics for all BGSU home men's basketball games are available on the web via Gametracker. Gametracker allows fans to view in-game stats as they occur, and may be accessed by going to www.BGSUFalcons.com. Falcon fans can utilize Gametracker for home events in numerous BGSU sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, hockey, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball.
