Falcons Head To Cleveland With Momentum

#7 Bowling Green Falcons (14-18) vs. #2 Western Michigan Broncos (19-11)
March 10, 2011 • 12:00 p.m. • Cleveland, Ohio • Quicken Loans Arena
MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
Radio: Falcon Radio Network • Todd Walker (Play-by-Play)/Kirk Cowan (Color)
Television: SportsTime Ohio • Michael Reghi (Play-by-Play)/Steve Mix (Color)
Live Stats: http://www.bgsufalcons.com
Online: Stretch Internet (audio)
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

BGSU HEADS TO CLEVELAND FOR MAC QUARTERFINALS
With a win over Northern Illinois Tuesday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Bowling Green clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Falcons, seeded No. 7, will face No. 2 seed Western Michigan Thursday at noon. Western Michigan defeated Bowling Green 75-61 earlier this year.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• Bowling Green's perimeter defense has continued to be a strength over the past three games, holding opponents to 12-of-45 (26.7 percent) from long range. Prior to those contests, five straight opponents shot at least 40 percent from three-point range against the Falcons, making a combined 47-of-104 (45.2 percent) three-pointers.
• A'uston Calhoun has scored in double-figures in 10 of the past 11 games and is averaging 19.3 points in the last four contests, while shooting 51 percent from the floor. He is also grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game in the last four.
• During the month of February, Bowling Green was outrebounded by at least five rebounds in 7-of-8 games. However, since the calendar turned to March, the Falcons are +5 on the boards.
• With five steals against Northern Illinois, Scott Thomas now has 65 steals on the season, tied for the fifth highest total in school history, equaling Keith McLeod's 2001-02 season. He has also moved into the top 10 in career steals at Bowling Green in 10th place with 126.

THE SERIES
Bowling Green holds a 66-44 advantage in the all-time series against Western Michigan but has lost the last three meetings. Earlier this year, the Broncos picked up a 75-61 win in Bowling Green and Western Michigan won a pair of games by a total of three points a year ago. This will be the second consecutive season that these two programs have met in the MAC Tournament as the Broncos won 75-73 last year. The two programs have only met one other time in the postseason, a 74-68 Bowling Green victory in the MAC Tournament First Round in 2001.

MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Bowling Green is 18-28 all-time in the MAC Tournament and has lost six of its last eight games in the postseason event. The Falcons beat Northern Illinois 74-54 in the first round this year and beat Ohio 74-61 in the 2009 quarterfinals but those are the team's only wins since 2005. Bowling Green is just 3-9 all-time in games played in Quicken Loans Arena and is 10-13 in MAC Tournament Quarterfinal games.

SCOUTING THE WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Western Michigan ended the regular season with a record of 19-11 overall and won the Mid-American Conference West Division with a mark of 11-5, earning the No. 2 seed for the league tournament. One of the best rebounding teams in the country, the Broncos are +3.8 on the boards. Mike Douglas has guided the offense well, averaging 5.0 assists per game this year. Demetrius Ward leads the team at 13.9 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Flenard Whitfield is at 13.3 points and is shooting 51 percent from the field. Juwan Howard Jr. did damage against Bowling Green in the first meeting with 20 points and 10 rebounds and he averages 9.6 points on the year.

FALCONS PUNCH TICKET TO CLEVELAND WITH WIN OVER NIU
Bowling Green outscored Northern Illinois 40-22 in the second half and routed the Huskies 74-54 Tuesday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Falcons led 34-32 at the half but shot 56 percent in the second half and held a 19-0 lead in points off turnovers in the final 20 minutes. A'uston Calhoun had a game-high 25 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Scott Thomas came just as close to a double-double, finishing with 12 points, nine assists and five steals. Dee Brown scored 10 points, making a pair of three-pointers. Bowling Green made 7-of-15 from long range and had just two second-half turnovers.

TRANSFORMING BGSU BASKETBALL
Bill Frack has watched Bowling Green basketball since 1948 and on Jan. 19, 2011, he showed his appreciation to the program by announcing the formation of an endowment that will exceed $10 million to the program. The gift is the largest in University history and the largest to a men's basketball program in MAC history. When realized, the endowment will be used to build the program to an elite non-BCS level through additional funding for buying home games against quality opponents, competitive coaching salaries, recruiting, strength and conditioning, academic support, and marketing, among other things.

PROGRESSION OF A PROGRAM
In the course of the past four years, the Bowling Green men's basketball program has had its share of headline news. Consider:

• On April 4, 2007, Louis Orr, a former Big East Coach of the Year, was named the new head coach of the men's basketball program.
• On March 1, 2008, Kermit and Mary Lu Stroh announced an $8 million donation as a lead gift for a new basketball arena, named the Stroh Center. The $8 million donation was, at that time, the largest gift in University history. The Stroh Center will open for the 2011-12 season.
• On March 9, 2009, Bowling Green beat Ohio 75-41 to win the MAC regular season championship. Orr was later named MAC Coach of the Year.
• On Sept. 30, 2009, Orr announced the hiring of Dennis Hopson as an assistant coach. Along with Orr, BGSU is one of the few programs in the country to have two college first-team All-Americans and NBA players on staff.
• On Jan. 19, 2011, longtime fan Bill Frack annnounced the formation of a $10 million endowment for the men's basketball program. The $10 million gift is the largest in University history and the largest for a men's basketball program in MAC history.

VERSATILITY
Junior forward Scott Thomas really knows how to fill up a stat sheet. He is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to rank in the top 10 in the league in both rebounding and assists, ranking seventh on the boards and 10th in passing. He is also among the top 10 in the conference in steals, assist/turnover ratio, defensive rebounds, and minutes played.

SAY WHAT?
Bowling Green shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half against Central Michigan but still lost the game. In fact, the Falcons have lost the last five games when they have shot at least 61.5 percent from the floor in a half.

Date Opponent Shooting (Half) Final Score
2/12/11 at Central Michigan 66.7% (First) L, 69-64
3/7/10 at Western Michigan 68.0% (First) L, 75-73
2/24/10 vs. Kent State 64.0% (First) L, 75-69
2/6/10 at Western Michigan 61.9% (Second) L, 65-64
11/28/09 vs. Milwaukee 61.5% (Second) L, 90-83 (OT)

THE BIG APOSTROPHE
A'uston Calhoun has turned up his game since early-season struggles, scoring 20 or more points seven times and posting his first three career double-doubles. In the first 10 games of the year, he averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 31 percent from the field, but as he's become more comfortable in his role, his numbers have gone up dramatically. In the last 22 games, Calhoun is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds, while shooting 47 percent from the floor. He also has a team-high 17 blocked shots during that stretch and is third on the team with 20 steals. In 16 conference games, Calhoun scored in double-figures 13 times and ranks in the top 10 in the league in scoring and rebounding. In the first round of the MAC Tournament, he had 25 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 67 percent (12-of-18) from the floor.

THIEVERY
Bowling Green leads the MAC and ranks 14th nationally in steals, averaging 8.8 per game. The Falcons have had 10 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 36th nationally with 2.1 steals per game and Jordon Crawford is fourth in the league at 1.8 steals per game. The Falcons also rank 13th in the country in steals per possession, picking up a theft on 12.8 percent of their opponents' possessions.

BLOCK PARTY
Through the first 21 games of the season, sophomore forward Danny McElroy had just one blocked shot. However, he picked up at least one blocked shot in each game of a five-game stretch and swatted away three shots against both Northern Illinois and Western Michigan for a team-best 10 blocks in the last 11 contests.

WHO NEEDS THREE?
Some teams rely on the three-pointer to win games but Bowling Green is not one of those teams. The team snapped a string of 356 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made by going 0-for-4 in a road win at St. Louis and followed that up by going 1-for-5 in a double overtime road victory at Buffalo. The Falcons went without making a three-pointer for a second time this year in a recent loss to Akron. Bowling Green is attempting just 15.0 three-pointers per game, while opponents are shooting 19.8 per contest.

WHAT A STEAL
With five steals against Northern Illinois, Scott Thomas tied Keith McLeod's 2001-02 season for the fifth-highest single-season total in program history. Jordon Crawford is not very far from becoming just the 10th player in school history to have 60 steals in a year with 57 this year. Thomas ranks 36th nationally in steals and Crawford is 54th as those two have been instrumental in the Falcons ranking 14th in the country in steals as a team.

DISHING OUT THE ASSISTS
Sophomore point guard Jordon Crawford has begun to come into his own as a point guard. In a three-game stretch in late February, he set a career-high with nine assists against Youngstown State and then followed it up with 10 at Ohio for his first career double-double. In the next game, he was inserted into the starting lineup and had nine more assists at Miami. Crawford ranked second in the league with 5.0 assists per game in conference action only.

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 46.4 percent over the course of the past 23 games, including identical 27-of-53 shooting nights in four victories. The Falcons have shot better than 50 percent from the field nine times this year, going 8-1 in those contests.

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 29 of the first 32 games after reaching that total in 27-of-30 games a year ago. Bowling Green has outscored its opponents in the paint 21 times (and tied Florida International, Manhattan, and Ball State) after doing it in 23-of-30 games a year ago. The team had a season-high 50 in the win at Buffalo, as well as 44 at Milwaukee, 42 at Saint Louis, and 40 at Central Michigan.

A RARE DEFEAT
Bowling Green shot 50.8 percent from the floor in the BracketBusters loss to Youngstown State. It is the only time this year the Falcons have lost when shooting at least 50 percent, posting a win in each of the other eight occurences.

WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (THAT ROARS)
Anderson Arena has always been a difficult place for opponents and the Falcons are 10-5 in 2010-11, winning six straight at one point. The Falcons are 466-190 (.710) all-time in Anderson Arena and 180-64 (.738) in the past 18 years.

DEFENSE WINS
A year ago, Bowling Green held opponents below 45 percent shooting in 13 of its 14 victories and have done the same in 12-of-14 wins this year. In fact, the Falcons are just 6-32 in Head Coach Louis Orr's first four years when an opponent shoots better than 45 percent, including 2-12 this year. The two victories came against Manhattan (48.9 percent shooting) and Ohio (45.8 percent).

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.

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.

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. One other Findlay resident is a large contributor to the Bowling Green program as Bill Frack, who just announced a $10 million donation to the program, is a lifelong Findlay resident.

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)

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:

March 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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