Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons And Zips Jostle For MAC Lead Sunday
February 28, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2009
Game #28
Bowling Green (16-11, 9-4 MAC East) at Akron (18-10, 9-4 MAC East)
Sunday, March 1, 2009 • Akron, Ohio (Rhodes Arena) • 12:00 p.m.
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker
Television: FSN Ohio
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
SETTING THE STAGE
• Bowling Green and Akron meet with first place in the Mid-American Conference on the line. The two teams are tied with Buffalo at the top of the MAC standings but the Falcons would be conference champions and the No. 1 overall seed for the MAC Tournament if they win their final three conference games. Since opening the year 1-3 in the conference, Bowling Green has won eight of nine games against MAC opponents.
• BGSU has put together a remarkable transformation on the road in 2008-09. The Falcons lost their first seven road games but have won five in a row away from Anderson Arena since then. All five of those wins came in MAC play, the longest road MAC winning streak since Kent State won seven in a row on the road during the 2001-02 season. Akron is 10-2 at home this year and the Zips' only conference loss at home came against Buffalo.
• Bowling Green holds a 23-18 lead in the all-time series with Akron but the Zips have won eight straight contests since the Falcons won 77-72 at Akron Jan. 14, 2004.
THE OPENING TIP (STORYLINES)
• Akron and Bowling Green are tied, along with Buffalo, for first place in the Mid-American Conference. By virtue of tiebreakers, Bowling Green would be the No. 1 seed if the MAC Tournament started today and Akron would be the No. 3 seed (Ball State, the leader of the West Division would get the No. 2 seed). Five teams sit within one game of the East Division lead and every game down the stretch holds great importance for seeding. BGSU has swept the season series with Buffalo, giving the Falcons a key edge in tiebreakers.
• Junior Otis Polk had one block against Kent State to give him 117 for his career. He is now tied for the program record and one away from holding sole possession of it. His 36 blocked shots so far this year rank as the eighth best single-season total in program history.
• Senior Nate Miller became the 37th player in program history to score 1,000 points with 22 points and 13 rebounds against Canisius and he has scored in double-figures in 10 of the past 12 contests. He leads the Mid-American Conference in steals, has three double-doubles in the past seven games, and is averaging 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds over the past eight games, while shooting 51 percent from the field and picking up 18 steals.
• With Chris Knight injured, senior Brian Moten has stepped into the starting lineup and played well. Moten is averaging 16.7 points in the past three games and has made 10-of-21 (48 percent) three-pointers. In fact, he is 18-of-37 (49 percent) from long range over the past six contests.
SCOUTING AKRON
• Akron enters the game with Bowling Green in a three-way tie for first place at the top of the MAC standings (along with BGSU and Buffalo) on the strength of a 9-2 record in the past 11 games. Just like the Falcons, Akron lost three of its first four conference games and have since won 8-of-9. The Zips are coming off of a 62-57 road win at Buffalo that moved Akron, as well as BG, into that tie for first.
• Akron is a guard-oriented team that likes to defend and take care of the basketball. The Zips rank eighth in the country in turnover margin, getting strong ball-handling from their guards. Akron attempts almost 21 three-pointers a game, shooting them at a .321 clip. The team is also 12th in the nation in three-point defense and 16th in scoring defense. The Zips are first in the MAC in scoring margin and field goal percentage defense, while getting a lot of scoring from long range, making a MAC-best 6.79 three-pointers per game. Akron does struggle at times on the inside and the Zips are 11th in the conference in rebounding.
• No player for Akron averages more than 11.3 points per game but the Zips get scoring from a number of places. Brett McKnight leads the team in scoring despite playing only 21 minutes per game and starting just twice. He comes off the bench with a scoring mindset. Darryl Roberts leads the MAC in free-throw percentage (95.1 percent) and Nate Linhart is fourth in the conference in steals (1.71 per game).
ROAD WARRIORS
Bowling Green has made an amazing transformation over the course of the 2008-09 season from a team that could not win on the road to one that has become tough to beat away from Anderson Arena. The Falcons have currently won five consecutive road games in Mid-American Conference play for the first time ever since joining the MAC for the 1953-54 season. Overall, the five straight road wins are the most since the 2001-02 team opened the season with five straight wins. BGSU will go for six consecutive road wins March 1 at Akron and that would be the longest road winning streak for the team since the 1948-49 season. No team in the MAC has won more than five consecutive conference road games since the 2001-02 Kent State team won seven in a row.
BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Junior Otis Polk blocked one shot against Kent State to move into a tie with Tom Hall (117 blocked shots from 1989-92) atop the all-time career leaderboard at Bowling Green. This year alone he has 36 blocks, ranking as the eighth highest total in program history. He set a career-high with five blocks against Western Michigan earlier this year. Cornelius Cash set the BGSU single-season mark with 59 blocks in 1973-74 and Polk had the second-highest total, with 51, a year ago.
TRACKING FALCON MILESTONES
A number of BGSU players are closing in on career milestones or have recently reached them:
• Darryl Clements played in his 100th career game against Toledo. With classmate Brian Moten, the pair is the first Falcon teammates to have played in 100 games since Brent Klassen, Len Matela and Keith McLeod all reached the mark in the 2001-02 season. He had three steals against Buffalo to go over 100 for his career.
• Joe Jakubowski had the 150th rebound of his career against Canisius and is 39 points shy of 500.
• Nate Miller scored a career high 22 points against Canisius to become the 37th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. With 12 rebounds against Central Michigan, he reached 500 for his career. He also moved into the top 10 in program history with five steals against Eastern Michigan, sliding in at No. 9. With two steals against Buffalo, he went over 40 for the season -- the third time in his career he has had that many. He is just six assists shy of 200 for his career.
• Brian Moten became the 10th player in program history to make 100 career three-pointers with the first of two against Northern Illinois and moved into seventh place all-time in that category with two made three's against Canisius. With his action against Eastern Michigan, he played in his 106th career game, the most since Cory Eyink played in 112 from 2001-05. Moten scored 22 points against Buffalo to go over 750 for his career and needs 18 more for 800.
• Otis Polk moved into a tie for first place in career blocks at Bowling Green against Kent State and currently sits at 117. He needs one more to break BGSU's all-time record. He also reached 300 career rebounds against Western Michigan.
DEEP THINKING
Although injuries have shortened Bowling Green's bench lately, depth has been critical to success in 2008-09 and the Falcons' bench has contributed in a big way this year. BGSU's bench scored in double-figures in 23 consecutive games before being held to six points against Canisius, scoring at least 40 points twice (in wins over Wayne State and Buffalo). The Falcons are averaging 22.4 points per game from their bench this year, compared to just 16.6 points per game for opponents. The Bowling Green bench outscored its opponent in 15 consecutive games at one point this year and 19-of-27 contests overall.
FALCONS DOMINATING MAC BASKETBALL
Bowling Green fans have had the opportunity to see some of the best basketball in the Mid-American Conference this year. The combined record of the men's and women's basketball teams is 40-13, including a 22-4 mark in conference play. The overall record is seven games better than Kent State, the second-best team combined, and the MAC record is four games better than Ball State, the team with the second best conference marks.
QUADRUPLE THREAT
Bowling Green has four active players who have scored at least 500 points in their career, the most on a BG team at one time since the 2003-04 team also had four. Nate Miller, Brian Moten, Darryl Clements, and Erik Marschall have all scored 500 career points with Marschall reaching the mark against Northern Illinois. BG has two other players -- Chris Knight and Joe Jakubowski -- who have passed 400 career points. The last time Falcon fans watched four players with 500 career points all play in the same game came March 11, 2004 against Kent State when Ron Lewis, Kevin Netter, John Reimold, and Josh Almanson all saw action.
THE TOURNEY LOOMS
With just four Mid-American Conference games remaining, Bowling Green is positioning itself for a run at the MAC Tournament. The top seed for the MAC Tourney will go to the division winner with the best record and the No. 2 seed will go to the other division winner. From there, seeds are determined based on conference record with no regard to divisions. The top four seeds all get a bye to the quarterfinals. Currently, the Falcons are tied with Akron and Buffalo for the No. 1 seed, but would receive the No. 3 seed if the tournament were to start today based on tiebreak procedures, earning a bye through the opening round. As the No. 3 seed, Bowling Green would face the winner of No. 6 seed Kent State and No. 11 seed Toledo in quarterfinals.
MAC TOURNAMENT MATCH-UPS (AS OF 2/24)
Tuesday, March 10
#5 Miami vs. #12 Eastern Michigan
#6 Kent State vs. #11 Toledo
#7 Ohio vs. #10 Northern Illinois
#8 Western Michigan vs. #9 Central Michigan
Thursday, March 12
#1 Akron vs. Western Michigan/Central Michigan
#2 Ball State vs. Ohio/Northern Illinois
#3 Bowling Green vs. Kent State/Toledo
#4 Buffalo vs. Miami/Eastern Michigan
RISING STOCK
Bowling Green's returners worked hard in the offseason to develop their games. That work has paid off in three visible areas -- scoring, rebounding, and free-throw percentage. The Falcons are averaging 1.5 points per game more than a year ago and are shooting .692 from the free-throw line, as opposed to .633 in 2007-08. Finally, BG was outrebounded by 2.6 boards per game last year, but has flipped that stat and is now outrebounding opponents by 1.9 in 2008-09.
MILLER HITS 1,000
Senior Nate Miller got to 1,000 career points in style. Needing 11 against Canisius to get to the milestone, he scored a career-high 22, added 13 rebounds, and connected on a key three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game to overtime. Despite the Falcons' loss, he scored all four of the team's points in the extra session. He has scored seven or more points in 16 straight games and has scored 15 or more in seven of the past 11 contests.
DEFENSE WINS
• Bowling Green has buckled down defensively in 2008-09, holding 21-of-27 opponents to less than 45 percent shooting, allowing less than 70 points 21 times. It is a critical stat because the Falcons are just 3-11 under head coach Louis Orr when an opponent shoots 45 percent or better. BG leads the MAC in blocked shots and ranks second in field goal percentage defense.
• Bowling Green is on pace to post a historically significant season defensively. The Falcons' .399 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 62.4 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).
PLAYING FROM BEHIND
Prior to conference play, BG had lost 32 consecutive games when it trailed with 10 minutes to play dating back to a win over Buffalo Jan. 7, 2007 when it was able to overcome a deficit. But three times in the past 10 games, the Falcons have made up a deficit with 10 minutes left. Against Ohio, the Falcons won 52-51 despite trailing by one with 10 minutes left. As well, BGSU came back from a 46-41 deficit against Central Michigan with 10 minutes to play to pick up a 67-61 win. In the team's most recent win over Kent State, the Falcons were behind 53-51 with 10 minutes left.
MAKING THINGS INTERESTING
Bowling Green is 9-6 in games decided by seven points or less this year with numerous games coming down to the final few possessions. Three of the most exciting of those were a 77-76 overtime win over Georgia State, a 52-51 win on road in front of 10,988 fans over Ohio, and a 62-58 home win over Ball State. 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. Knight came up with a critical block for the second game in a row against Ball State, swatting away a fastbreak lay-up late in a 62-58 win.
BLOCKING OUT
The Falcons lead the MAC in blocked shots this year, averaging 4.0 per game. BGSU's 3.5 blocks per game in conference competition ranks as the second-best in the league. The team had a season-high 11 blocks at Illinois State and the team has recorded six blocks or more four times.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 9-4 at home in 2008-09, beating teams by an average of 6.2 points per game. The Falcons are 446-180 (.712) all-time in Anderson Arena and 160-54 (.748) in the past 16 years.
THE TOP OF THE MAC
• A Bowling Green player has been named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week three times this year. Sophomore Chris Knight won the award twice in a three-week stretch earlier this year and senior Nate Miller most recently won the award Feb. 9.
• Knight won the award after averaging 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in leading the Falcons to a pair of wins over Towson and Eastern Illinois.
• Knight was awarded again two weeks later after scoring 22 points, including 17 in the first half, in BGSU's 86-82 win over Buffalo in the team's MAC opener.
• Miller won the award after posting a pair of double-doubles in wins over Western Michigan and Central Michigan. He had 21 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in the win over WMU and the added 10 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks against CMU.
JAKUBOWSKI AND LARSON HONORED FOR ACADEMICS
Junior center Marc Larson and sophomore point guard Joe Jakubowski were both named to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Among the eight University (NCAA Division I) all-district teams around the country, Bowling Green was one of only four schools to have more than one player listed. To be eligible for the award, athletes must have at least a 3.3 grade point average, be at least a sophomore and have been at their current school for at least a year. Both players will now be placed on the ballot for Academic All-American.
MILLER TABBED TO SOAR
Bowling Green senior Nate Miller was selected to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team, by vote of the MAC News Media Association, as well as the league's 12 head men's basketball coaches. Miller was joined on the East preseason team by Akron's Nate Linhart, Kent State's Al Fisher, Miami's Michael Bramos, and Ohio's Jerome Tillman. A transfer from UNC Wilmington, Miller has 1,027 points in his BG career.
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.
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.
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. Games can be heard in Bowling Green on WFRO 99.1 FM. 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). The final broadcast of the Coaches Show for the 2008-09 year will take place Monday, March 2.
• 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.
