Falcons Host Miami On Throwback Day

Bowling Green Falcons (6-10, 1-1 MAC) vs. Miami RedHawks (7-9, 2-0 MAC)
Jan. 16, 2011 • 2:00 p.m. • Bowling Green, Ohio • Anderson Arena (3,500)

Radio: Falcon Radio Network (99.1 FM) • Todd Walker (Play-by-Play) and Kirk Cowan (Color)
Television: BCSN (Greg Franke)

Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bgsu/mbball/index.htm
Online: Stretch Internet (audio)/American One (video)
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

Bowling Green, Ohio - In honor of the final year in Anderson Arena, Bowling Green is holding a throwback game Sunday, hosting MAC East rival Miami (Ohio) at 2 p.m. The Falcons will look to bounce back from their first loss in almost a month with a share of the division lead on the line. The throwback game will feature retro uniforms for Bowling Green, $1 general admission tickets, and special concession pricing.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Before losing to Kent State Tuesday, Bowling Green had won 5-of-6 games by pounding the ball inside and shooting better than 50 percent from the field. In the loss to Kent State, though, the Falcons were outscored 40-18 in the paint and shot just 41 percent from the floor.
• Since starting the year by losing 2-of-3 games at home, Bowling Green has won three in a row in The House That Roars, winning by an average of 11.0 points per game, holding opponents to just 61.0 points per game, and forcing 20.3 turnovers per contest.
• Bowling Green attempted just nine three-pointers total in wins over Saint Louis and Buffalo but attempted 20 (making eight) in the loss to Kent State. When the Falcons have been successful lately, the three-point shot has not been part of the arsenal.
• A'uston Calhoun has begun showing his potential on a consistent basis lately, averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game in league play, along with 8.0 rebounds per contest. He had a team-high 20 in the double overtime win at Buffalo and then posted a team-high 17 at Kent State.

THE SERIES
Bowling Green is 48-75 all-time against Miami (Ohio) in a series dating back to the 1943-44 season. Harold Anderson's crew won that game 59-49. In more recent times, the teams split the 2009-10 season series with each team winning on its home floor. Miami did pick up a win in Anderson Arena during the 2008-09 season but the Falcons have won three of the last four meetings between the programs in The House That Roars.

SCOUTING THE MIAMI REDHAWKS
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, Miami is 7-9 overall and 2-0 in MAC play, the only unbeaten team remaining in the East Division. Offensively, Miami will look to score by being efficient. The RedHawks do not get a lot of possessions as they rank 11th in the MAC in turnover margin and last in offensive rebounding but is in the top half in shooting percentage and three-point percentage while leading the conference in free-throw percentage. Three Miami players average at least 12.0 points per game, led by Julian Mavunga at 13.4. Antonio Ballard averages 12.3 points and Nick Winbush is at 12.1 points. Those three players all rank among the top 10 players in the league in minutes played, and Mavunga has logged the most playing time in the conference at 36.69 minutes per contest.

FALCONS' FOUR GAME WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT KENT STATE
Bowling Green whittled a 25-point second half deficit to 10 points but midway through the final frame but Kent State pulled away late for an 80-63 win over the Falcons Tuesday evening. BGSU had 11 turnovers in the first 12 minutes of action and fell behind early. The Falcons made 6-of-7 three-pointers to open the second half to cut into the deficit but it was too much to overcome. A'uston Calhoun led the way with 17 points and added seven rebounds, while Scott Thomas had 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Dee Brown added 14 points and Jordon Crawford had 10 points and four assists.

LEADING MAN
Last year, Scott Thomas led the Falcons in scoring and steals, ranking second in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots. This year, he's taking it a step further by leading the Falcons in rebounding, assists, steals, three-pointers made, and free-throws made, while ranking second in scoring. He ranks in the top five in the MAC in rebounds, steals, and defensive rebounds, while ranking in the top 10 in assists, assist/turnover ratio, offensive rebounds, and minutes.

WHO NEEDS THREE?
Despite making eight three-pointers in 20 attempts at Kent State, few teams rely on the three-pointer less than Bowling Green. The Falcons had a string of 356 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer snapped when they went 0-for-4 in a road win over Saint Louis. The team followed that up by going just 1-for-5 in a double overtime road victory at Buffalo. The Falcons rank 11th in the MAC with just 4.31 three-pointers made per game.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 4-2 so far in 2010-11. The Falcons are 460-187 (.711) all-time in Anderson Arena and 174-61 (.740) in the past 18 years.

THIEVERY
Bowling Green leads the MAC and ranks eighth nationally in steals, averaging 9.9 per game. The Falcons have had seven games with at least 10 steals and three with at least 15 this year, including a 19-steal performance against Western Kentucky, the most in a game for a MAC school this year. The 19 steals were just one shy of the program record (the team had 20 steals against Heidelberg in 1990) and Scott Thomas had six steals individually in that game. Thomas ranks third in the MAC and 15th nationally with 2.40 steals per game and Jordon Crawford is fifth in the league at 1.81 steals per game. The Falcons rank fifth in the country in steals per possession, picking up a theft on 14.0 percent of their opponents' possessions (only Oregon State, Morehead State, Louisville, and Alabama are better).

POINTING THE WAY
Point guard play has been critical for the Falcons this year and when BGSU has played well, Joe Jakubowski and Jordon Crawford have played well. Jakubowski and Crawford have combined for 40 assists and just 14 turnovers in the team's six victories (a 2.86 assist/turnover ratio). In 10 losses, the duo has 45 assists and 36 turnovers (a 1.25 assist/turnover ratio).

SHOOTING THE ROCK
A year ago, Bowling Green led the Mid-American Conference with a 44.4 field goal percentage. After struggling to shoot through the first nine games, the Falcons have again found their rhythm. Bowling Green has shot 49.4 percent over the course of the past seven games, including identical 27-of-53 shooting nights in three victories. The team is 6-1 when shooting at least 44 percent from the field this year but has been below 35 percent five times (all in the first nine games). The Falcons are 5-2 in the past seven games and have shot better than 50 percent in each of those wins.

LARGER ROLES
Four players on this year's team are averaging at least eight minutes per game more than they did a year ago. Jordon Crawford, A'uston Calhoun, Luke Kraus, and Danny McElroy combined to play 666 minutes a year ago but have already played 1,302 this season.

DOWN LOW
Head coach Louis Orr's philosophy is always to play inside-out and the Falcons have continued to do that well in 2010-11. The Falcons have scored at least 20 points in the paint in 13 of the first 16 games after reaching that total in 27-of-30 games a year ago. Bowling Green has outscored its opponents in the paint 10 times (and tied both Florida International and Manhattan) after doing it in 23-of-30 games a year ago. The Falcons scored at least 28 points in the paint in six consecutive games before being held to 18 against Kent State. The team had a season-high 50 in the win at Buffalo, as well as 44 at Milwaukee and 42 at Saint Louis.

STARTING A CAREER
Freshman Cameron Black has started the first 16 games of the 2010-11 season. He is the first BGSU freshman to start that many games to begin his collegiate career since Anthony Stacey started all 27 games during the 1995-96 season. Stacey went on to have one of the best careers in program history, setting the school record with 1,938 career points.

DEFENSE WINS
With the improved offense over the past six games, the work the team has done defensively has been overlooked. But the Falcons have held their last four opponents to 42.2 percent shooting and three of the past four below 41 percent. A year ago, Bowling Green held opponents below 45 percent shooting in 13 of its 14 victories and have done the same in 5-of-6 wins this year. In fact, the Falcons are just 5-29 in Head Coach Louis Orr's first four years when an opponent shoots better than 45 percent, including 1-7 this year. The lone victory in that situation this year came against Manhattan as the Jaspers shot 48.9 percent.

SETTLING ON A ROTATION
Head Coach Louis Orr used six different starting lineups in the first seven games of the season and he searched for combinations that would be effective on the floor. But he has now used the same starting lineup for five consecutive games and eight of the last 10 games total. Only freshman Cameron Black has started every game so far for the Falcons.

ORR SIGNS TEAMMATES IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Head coach Louis Orr announced that Canton Timken High School teammates Jehvon Clarke and Desmond Rorie signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period to attend Bowling Green for the 2011-12 season. Clarke is a highly-touted 6-foot-1 point guard who averaged 15.5 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.0 steals per game as a junior. Rorie is a 6-9 post player whose best days are ahead of him. He averaged 3.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 blocked shots per game as a junior.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Junior guard Dee Brown was named MAC Player of the Week Jan. 3 for the second time in his career after averaging 14.5 points in leading the Falcons to wins over UTSA and Saint Louis in a three-day span. Brown scored a team-high 21 in the win at Saint Louis and had eight points, six rebounds, and three steals in the victory over UTSA.

THOMAS NAMED LEGENDS CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT
Scott Thomas was named to the Legends Classic Subregional Round All-Tournament team for his performances against Niagara, Detroit, and Albany. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, while picking up eight steals in the three games.

JAKUBOWSKI NAMED COUSY AWARD CANDIDATE
Bowling Green senior Joe Jakubowski was named as one of 66 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in the country. Jakubowski was BGSU's starting point guard during the last half of his freshman campaign and then started every game at the position as both a sophomore and junior. He entered the 2010-11 season with 85 career starts and is one of the most experienced point guards in the country entering the year.

EXPERIENCE AT THE POINT
Most experts agree that an experienced point guard can play a huge role in a team's success in college basketball. If that's the case, then Bowling Green could be primed for a big season. Point guard Joe Jakubowski enters the 2010-11 season with 85 games started, 10th most in the country.

MAKING AN IMPACT EARLY
Against Howard, Cameron Black became the first true freshman to start the first game of his collegiate career at BGSU since Ryan Sims started the first game of the 2006-07 season. Here are the stat lines of the most recent players to start their first collegiate game as a true freshman:

THE PRIDE OF FINDLAY, OHIO
Sophomore guard Luke Kraus had a highly decorated prep career at Findlay High School, where he passed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to become the school's all-time leading scorer. Since Roethlisberger officially changed his hometown to the fictional Corey Rawson, Ohio during the offseason, Kraus is now likely the most famous athlete from Findlay, Ohio.

FALCONS PICKED FIFTH
Bowling Green was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference East Division in the preseason media poll. The Falcons had 42 points to edge Buffalo (32 points) in the division. Defending MAC Tournament champion Ohio was selected first, followed by Kent State, Akron, and Miami.

MAC Preseason Media Poll
East Division - 1. Ohio (128 points/12 first-place votes), 2. Kent State (114 points/8 first-place votes), 3. Akron (104 points/4 first-place votes), 4. Miami (84 points), 5. Bowling Green (42 points), 6. Buffalo (32 points)
West Division - 1. Ball State (124 points/12 first-place votes), 2. Central Michigan (122 points/8 first-place votes), 3. Eastern Michigan (88 points/2 first-place votes), 4. Western Michigan (68 points), 5. Northern Illinois (64 points/2 first-place votes), 6. Toledo (38 points)
Tournament Champion - Ohio (10), Kent State (6), Central Michigan (4), Ball State (2), Akron (2)

THOMAS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAC
Scott Thomas was selected as one of five Preseason All-MAC East Division players by vote of the media. Thomas led BGSU in scoring and steals a year ago, ranking second in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots. He averaged 13.2 points per game on the season but improved that average to 15.4 points in conference games and 16.9 points over the final eight contests.

Preseason All-MAC Teams
East Division - Brett McKnight (Akron), Scott Thomas (Bowling Green), Justin Greene (Kent State), Julian Mavunga (Miami), D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
West Division - Jarrod Jones (Ball State), Trey Zeigler (Central Michigan), Brandon Bowdry (Eastern Michigan), Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois), Flenard Whitfield (Western Michigan)

THE WALK-ONS
Head Coach Louis Orr accepted two walk-ons to his program this year and both are seniors in eligibility. Wiley Roberts is a feel-good story who served as a team manager for the past two years at Bowling Green. Mike Dabney spent the 2006-07 season at NAIA Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he posted the third-highest single-season blocked shot total in program history with 56 rejections. Roberts saw his first collegiate action by playing one minute in the team's victory over Ohio Dominican and Dabney got his first BGSU action with one minute against Michigan. Dabney played a large role in the team's game against Detroit, picking up five points, four rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal in 13 minutes of action.

NAME DROPPING
BGSU freshman Craig Sealey was a part of two AAU National Championship teams with the All-Ohio Red Team in 2006 and 2007. Sealey's teams included Ohio State freshmen Jared Sullinger, J.D. Weatherspoon, and Aaron Craft, along with Michigan State freshman Adreian Payne.

IT WILL STILL ROAR
Known as "The House That Roars", Anderson Arena will play host to the Bowling Green men's basketball team for the final time in 2010-11. The team will move into the brand new Stroh Center next year and will open the building by hosting Howard on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. In honor of the final season in Anderson Arena, the Athletics Department is holding a year-long celebration titled "Closing The Doors Of The House That Roars". Here are the key events of the final year in Anderson Arena and the first year in the Stroh Center:

Jan. 16, 2011 - Men's basketball throwback game vs. Miami (Ohio)
March 4/5, 2011 - All-Anderson Team recognized vs. Buffalo
March 5, 2011 - The B!G Event; One final celebration of Anderson Arena
Sept. 9, 2011 - Volleyball vs. Michigan State; Stroh Center ribbon-cutting
Nov. 12, 2011 - Men's basketball vs. Howard; First game in Stroh Center
Nov. 17, 2011 - Women's basketball vs. Purdue; First game in Stroh Center
March 17-20, 2012 - NCAA Women's Basketball Tourney in Stroh Center

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