Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Play For MAC East Title Sunday On Senior Day
March 07, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2009
Game #30
Bowling Green (17-12, 10-5 MAC East) vs. Ohio (14-15, 7-8 MAC East)
Sunday, March 8, 2009 • Bowling Green, Ohio (Anderson Arena) • 2:00 p.m.
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker/Kirk Cowan
Television: BCSN • Greg Franke/Kevin Brechmacher
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
SETTING THE STAGE
• Bowling Green celebrates Senior Day today for the Falcons final game of the regular season with a conference title on the line against Ohio. The team has three seniors in Darryl Clements, Nate Miller and Brian Moten. They are the team's top three scorers and have been instrumental to the program's rise from 9-21 three years ago.
• Bowling Green is locked in a four-way tie atop the Mid-American Conference East Division standings. With a victory today, Bowling Green will share the division championship for the first time since 2000. With a win today and a Buffalo home win over Miami, the Falcons would clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and garner an NIT bid if they do not make the NCAA Tournament. Depending on today's result and other results around the conference, Bowling Green could still end as high as the No. 1 seed or as low as the No. 5 seed.
• Bowling Green is 9-4 at home this year, including 4-3 in conference play. Ohio is just 2-12 on the road this year and only 1-6 in MAC play. The Falcons hold a 67-57 lead in the all-time series including a 52-51 win over Ohio on its home floor earlier this year, one of only two Bobcats losses in the Convocation Center. However, Ohio has won each of the past two meetings in Anderson Arena.
THE OPENING TIP (STORYLINES)
• Bowling Green is currently tied with Buffalo, Miami and Akron at the top of the conference standings with Kent State sitting one game behind. With a victory and a Buffalo win over Miami, the Falcons would carry the No. 1 seed into the MAC Tournament. With a Miami win over Buffalo, Bowling Green would clinch a bye through Tuesday's first round regardless of how the Falcons do against Ohio.
• With Chris Knight injured, senior Brian Moten has stepped into the starting lineup and played well. Moten is averaging 14.0 points in the five games since Knight went down and has made 16-of-38 (42 percent) three-pointers. In fact, he is 24-of-54 (44 percent) from long range over the past eight contests.
• Nate Miller's play over the past month has put him solidly in competition for first team all-conference and has even made him a darkhorse for conference Player of the Year. Since Jan. 31, he is almost averaging a double-double with 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 10 games. Miller has shot 49 percent during that stretch, picked up 25 steals (including a pair of five-steal contests), and is second on the team with 26 assists.
SCOUTING OHIO
• Ohio has locked up last place in the MAC East Division but the Bobcats are no pushover. The team is still 7-8 in conference play and is locked in a battle for seeding of its own, holding the same MAC record as Ball State and Western Michigan. Ohio has lost four of its last five games, scoring just 51 points three times. The Bobcats have lost seven consecutive road games since defeating Miami in the second conference game of the year.
• Ohio runs its offense as well as any team in the Mid-American Conference, leading the MAC in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and assists, while ranking second in free-throw percentage and three-pointers made per game. But the Bobcats struggle, in particular, on the boards and have been outrebounded by 1.8 per game this year. The team is last in the MAC in offensive rebounding as well and have blocked only 1.9 shots per game this year, 11th of 12 conference teams.
• Jerome Tillman is a legitimate conference Player of the Year candidate despite the fact that Ohio is last in the East Division. He leads the conference in scoring (18.5 points per game) and rebounding (8.2 per game), ranks fourth in field goal percentage (51.6 percent) and minutes played (33.03 per game), and is sixth in free-throw percentage (74.2 percent). He is helped by a strong combination of guards that keeps opponents from sagging down on him. Tommy Freeman is second in the MAC in three-point percentage and Justin Orr, Bowling Green head coach Louis Orr's nephew, is sixth. Michael Allen makes the offense run and he leads the MAC in both assists and assist/turnover ratio.
BLOCK PARTY, HOSTED BY OTIS
Junior Otis Polk broke the school record for career blocked shots with the first of his two blocks against Akron. He now has 120, surpassing the mark set by Tom Hall, with 117 from 1989-92. This year alone, Polk has 39 blocks, ranking as the sixth-best 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.
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 won six of their last seven road games, winning six in a row during one stretch for the first time ever since joining the MAC for the 1953-54 season. Overall, the six straight road wins were the most since the 1948-49 team won the same in a row. That six game conference road winning streak was the longest in the MAC since the 2001-02 Kent State team won seven in a row on the road.
MILLER NAMED NABC ALL-DISTRICT
Bowling Green senior forward Nate Miller was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District team, recognizing the nation's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes.
Miller has had a fantastic season, leading the team in scoring, rebounding and steals. He leads the MAC in steals and ranks in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.
By scoring a career-high 22 points against Canisius, Miller became the 37th player in program history to reach 1,000 for his career. He is one of only four players in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 125 steals, doing all of that in just three seasons after transferring from UNC-Wilmington after his freshman campaign. Most recently, he scored 12 points, grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and added five steals in the team's overtime loss to Miami.
Miller is the first Falcon to be selected to the NABC Division I All-District team since Josh Almanson was a second-team selection in 2005. The last first-team selection was Keith McLeod in 2002.
BASKETBALL U.
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 42-15, including a 24-6 mark in conference play. The overall record is eight games better than Ball State and Kent State, the second-best teams combined, and the MAC record is four games better than Ball State, the team with the second best conference marks.
TOURNEY TALK
With just one Mid-American Conference game 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 Miami, Akron and Buffalo for the conference lead and would receive the No. 4 seed if the tournament were to start today based on tiebreak procedures, earning a bye through the opening round. As the No. 4 seed, Bowling Green would face the winner of No. 5 seed Buffalo and No. 12 seed Toledo in the quarterfinals.
MAC TOURNAMENT MATCH-UPS (AS OF 3/6)
Tuesday, March 10
#5 Buffalo vs. #12 Toledo
#6 Kent State vs. #11 Northern Illinois
#7 Western Michigan vs. #10 Eastern Michigan
#8 Ohio vs. #9 Central Michigan
Thursday, March 12
#1 Miami vs. Ohio/Central Michigan
#2 Ball State vs. Western Michigan/Eastern Michigan
#3 Akron vs. Kent State/Northern Illinois
#4 Bowling Green vs. Buffalo/Toledo
BOWLING GREEN MAC TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
With a BGSU win over Ohio Sunday and:
a win by Buffalo -- BGSU regular season co-champions and No. 1 seed
wins by Miami and Kent State -- BGSU regular season co-champions and No. 3 seed
wins by Miami and Akron - BGSU regular season co-champions and No. 4 seed
With a BGSU loss to Ohio Sunday and:
a win by Buffalo -- BGSU is No. 5 seed
wins by Miami and Kent State -- BGSU is No. 3 seed
wins by Miami and Akron -- BGSU is No. 4 seed
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' scoring is up from a year ago and the team is shooting .678 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 1.8 in 2008-09.
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 needs 15 rebounds to reach 300 for his career.
• Joe Jakubowski started a game for the 50th time in his two-year career against Akron. He needs nine assists for 200 in his career and 34 points for 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. Miller ranks ninth in program history with 142 career steals and he needs two more to move up another spot. He is just one assist 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. He needs six more to move into sixth place. 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 went over 800 career points against Miami and now has 802.
• Otis Polk had two blocked shots against Akron to become the all-time blocked shot leader at Bowling Green. With 120, he has surpassed Tom Hall, who had 117.
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 21.6 points per game from their bench this year, compared to just 16.0 points per game for opponents. The Bowling Green bench outscored its opponent in 15 consecutive games at one point this year and 20-of-29 contests overall.
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.
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 19 straight games and has scored 15 or more in eight of the past 14 contests.
DEFENSE WINS
• Bowling Green has buckled down defensively in 2008-09, holding 23-of-29 opponents to less than 45 percent shooting, allowing less than 70 points 23 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 field goal percentage defense.
• Bowling Green is on pace to post a historically significant season defensively. The Falcons' .394 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 61.4 points per game allowed is the best average since the 1961-62 team also allowed 61.4 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 12 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 10-7 in games decided by seven points or less this year (and are winners of seven of the past nine such games) 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 3.4 blocks per game in conference competition is 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. Otis Polk is the school's all-time record holder with 120 career blocked shots, including 39 this year.
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 1,048 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.
• All game broadcasts and the Falcons Nest Coaches Show can 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.
