BGSU at WKU in the Battle of the Bowling Greens on Wednesday Night

Wednesday, December 3

Bowling Green, Ky.

8:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Western Kentucky

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Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

BGSU at WKU in the Battle of the Bowling Greens on Wednesday Night

December 02, 2014 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Bowling Green (4-0, 0-0 MAC) vs. Western Kentucky (2-3, 0-0 C-USA)
Wednesday, December 3, 2014; 8:00 p.m. ET
E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326) / Bowling Green, Ky.
LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO
LIVE VIDEO
Television: American Sports Network (Click Here for Listings)
Radio: WFRO-FM 99.1
Twitter: @BGSUMHOOPS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

2014-15 MAC STANDINGS
EAST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Bowling Green	0-0	4-0
Buffalo	0-0	4-1
Kent State	0-0	4-2
Akron	0-0	4-2
Ohio	0-0	2-2
Miami	0-0	2-4
WEST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Eastern Michigan	0-0	7-0
Central Michigan	0-0	5-0
Northern Illinois	0-0	3-1
Western Michigan	0-0	5-2
Ball State	0-0	2-2
Toledo	0-0	2-4

LAY-UPS
* The Falcons are off to a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 1999-2000.
* BGSU is 2-0 on the road thus far this season with wins at Drake and Detroit.
* BGSU has had at least 8 different players score in each game this season.
* The Falcons have outscored their opponents by 59 points (128-69) in bench points this year.
* BGSU has not won at Western Kentucky since Dec. 15, 1962 (0-3 since).
* The Falcons are ranked 23rd in the nation with 6.0 blocked shots per game.
* Richaun Holmes posted his first double-double (26 points/18 rebs) on the year last time out at Detroit.
* Bowling Green is in its 100th season of basketball this year.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
You can follow the Falcons in many different ways this 2014-15 season. You can follow BGSU via twitter by following @BGSUMHoops and at @BGAthletics. You can also follow BGSU on instagram @bgfalcons and on facebook at BGSU Athletics. As always you can get all your BGSU Athletics information at www.BGSUFalcons.com.

SCOUTING THE WKU HILLTOPPERS
Western Kentucky enters the contest at 2-3 overall and is coming off a 62-59 win over Saint Joseph's at the 2014 NIT Season Tip-Off in New York, N.Y. The Hilltoppers, who are 1-1 at home this season at E.A. Diddle Arena, are led by T.J. Price and Chris Harrison-Docks who are averaging 13.0 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. WKU has allowed 70 points or more three times this season and have been hampered by the turnover bug this season, averaging 16.8 miscues per game. However, led by big man George Fant's 7.4 rebounds per game, the Hilltoppers are outrebounding their opponents by a 3.4 margin per contest.

THE SERIES WITH THE HILLTOPPERS: WKU LEADS 22-10
Since the first meeting back in 1944, the Falcons are only 10-22 versus the Hilltoppers on the hardwood. Despite winning last year's match up at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, Bowling Green has won only four out of the last 10 meetings. The Falcons are only 2-11 all-time versus the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

CURRENT FALCONS VERSUS WKU
A total of seven current Falcons suited up last year versus the Hilltoppers. In their lone meeting versus WKU, Spencer Parker had 20 points, on 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds and three assists, while Richaun Holmes posted 18 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Anthony Henderson added 12 points and two rebounds, while Jehvon Clarke poured in nine points and dished out six assists in the win a year ago. Damarkeo Lyshe, J.D. Tisdale and Josh Gomez all saw time in the home contest versus WKU last season. Chauncey Orr, who missed last year's meeting, logged two minutes of action against the Hilltoppers in the meeting in 2011-12 and is the only current Falcon to have played in E.A. Diddle Arena.

COACH'S COMMENTS
"Western Kentucky is a group that had high expectations placed upon them. I think they were picked by most people to finish third in Conference USA. It is a transition year for them in that they are moving from the Sun Belt to Conference USA, so I am sure there is a ton of excitement in and around their program."

"They've got a lot of players back from last year. Coach Harper and his staff have dug their heels in there and they've got an established culture. We've got a lot of respect for their staff, their program and their history. I've never been to Western Kentucky. I've never played a game there, but I'm looking forward to it because of the tradition and the atmosphere. I think it will be a great learning experience for our team."

"Western Kentucky has a lot of weapons. They have great guards out front that are all capable of striking you in different ways. They've got good size around the basket with experienced players that can score. None of those guys are new to the program so the experience factor will be huge for them. I think we are going to play a team that is going to be excited to play at home. It has been a while since they have played at home. They are going to be a very motivated bunch and we are going to take their best shot."

A WIN WOULD ...
* Make BGSU 5-0 to start the season for the first time since opening up the 1999-2000 season with five straight wins. That year the Falcons won the MAC Championship.
* Make first year head coach Chris Jans the first BGSU men's basketball coach since Harold Anderson to win his first five games as the head coach of the Falcons. In his first year as head coach in 1942-43, Anderson won his first 14 games with the Falcons.
* Give BGSU its second straight win over the Hilltoppers and their first road win at WKU in Bowling Green, Kentucky since 1962.
* Make the Falcons 3-0 in true road games on the season.

BOWLING GREEN RECEIVES VOTES IN MID-MAJOR TOP-25 POLL - DEC. 1
Bowling Green received 36 votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, which was released on Monday, Dec. 1. The Falcons moved up from 17 votes one week ago and currently are only two spots out of the top-25.

ROAD SUCCESS IN 2014-15
After posting only four total wins (4-11) last season on the road, the Falcons are 2-0 on the road thus far in 2014-15. In fact, BGSU only tallied one non-conference road win last year and already has two non-conference road victories this season.

IT'S A BLOCK PARTY
In just four games thus far this season, BGSU is averaging 6.0 blocks per game as a team. BGSU posted 11 blocks in the season opener at Drake, registered seven blocks in the home opener versus Wright State and tallied five blocks in the road win at Detroit. Eight different Falcons have recorded at least one block on the year, while Richaun Holmes has already totaled 16 swats for the season.

SUB!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach Jans has proven early that he is not afraid to go to his bench, as 15 different players have already seen time on the floor for the Falcons this season. In fact, the Falcons have outscored their opponents by 59 points (128-69) in bench points this year.

HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 32-17 at the venue. The Falcons have won seven or more games at home every season since the Stroh's opening for the 2011-12 season and are 2-0 at home thus far this year.

THAT 70'S STROH
BGSU is a perfect 17-0 at the Stroh when scoring 70 points or more in a contest. That means the Falcons have scored 70 or more points at home in over half of their wins at home in front of the home crowd in the Stroh Center.

HOLMES TABBED MAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON DEC. 1
Holmes led the Falcons to two wins last week over Southeast Missouri State and Detroit, and pushed BGSU to 4-0 to start the 2014-15 season. The 6-8 forward led the Falcons in scoring, rebounding and in blocked shots in both contests for the Falcons on the week. For the week, Holmes averaged 20 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per contest on 61.5 percent shooting from the field overall.

HOLMES HOUSE - POSTS CAREER DAY ON DICK VITALE COURT IN DETROIT
Holmes posted a career day on Nov. 30 at Detroit, in which he matched his career-high in points with 26 and hauled in a new career-high 18 rebounds in the win. On top of his five blocks in the contest, Holmes also hit the game-winning layup as time expired to give the Falcons the 64-63 road win over the Titans. His 26 point/18 rebound performance was his first double-double of the season and the ninth for his career.

HOLMES' HEROICS LIFT FALCONS OVER DETROIT
With 2.2 seconds left on the game clock, Richaun Holmes cut an inbounds pass at the free throw line, turned and took one dribble down the right side of the lane before flipping up a right handed layup that hit off the backboard and fell through the net as time expired to give the Falcons the 64-63 buzzer beating win. In the victory, Holmes matched his career-high of 26 points, on 10-of-12 shooting, and hauled down a new career-high 18 rebounds. He also added five blocks on the defensive end for BGSU.

CONTROLLING THE PAINT AND GLASS
In BGSU's 62-54 win against Southeast Missouri on Nov. 25, the Falcons controlled the paint and dominated the glass on both ends of the floor. BGSU outscored SEMO 36-20 in points in the paint in the win. The Falcons also outrebounded the Redhawks 38-30 for the game and hauled down a total of 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 17 second chance points.

BEWARE: NO FIELD GOALS ALLOWED
In the Falcons' 70-55 win over Wright State on Nov. 19, the BGSU defense held the Raiders without a made field goal for the final 10:10 of the second half of the game. Wright State scored just nine points during that span, all of which came from the free throw line.

HISTORY MADE IN DISMANTLING OF DRAKE
Head Coach Chris Jans recorded his first career win at BGSU in the 77-58 win at Drake on Nov. 15. The win was also Jans' first NCAA Division I career win as a head coach. The season opening road win was also the first season opening true road win for the Falcons since beating James Madison on the road in 1996-97.

FALCONS STELLAR IN HOME OPENERS
BGSU has been almost unbeatable in their home openers over the program's now 100th season of play. The Falcons have posted an overall record of 87-13 in home openers since tipping-off the inaugural season in 1915-16. The home opening win versus Wright State on Nov. 19, was the 23rd straight home opening win for the Falcons. The last BGSU loss in a home opener was to Findlay back in 1991-92.

FALCONS IN SEASON OPENERS
With the Falcons 77-58 road win over Drake in the 2014-15 season opener, BGSU has an record of 73-27 in their 100 season openers. BGSU has won each of its last four season openers and six of their last seven opening contests.

PRESEASON LOVE FOR MR. HOLMES
Senior Richaun Holmes received a lot of preseason attention this fall, as the forward was named to a number of preseason teams.
   * 2014-15 MAC East Division All-MAC Preseason Team selection
   * Named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-MAC Team by Athlon Sports
   * Named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-MAC Team by Sporting News
   * Named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-MAC Second-Team by Lindy's Sports
   * Named to the 2014-15 Preseason Mid-American All-Conference
       Second-Team by College Sports Madness (www.collegesportsmadness.com)

RETURN TO SENDER
Falcon senior Richaun Holmes has posted a block in every game thus far this season and has totaled a season-high five blocks in three different games this year on his way to a team leading 16 blocks on the season. Holmes totaled a new BGSU school record for the most blocks in a single season last year with 88. In only two-plus seasons at BGSU, Holmes has already become the Falcons' all-time career blocks leader and now has 177 career swats.

EXPERIENCED GROUP
The 2014-15 Falcons' roster is an experienced group, as the roster has 10 upperclassmen, including seven players that have played at least two years of NCAA Division I basketball. BGSU returned one redshirt senior in Anthony Henderson, three seniors in Richaun Holmes, Jehvon Clarke and Damarkeo Lyshe, as well as redshirt-juniors Chauncey Orr and Josh Gomez. On top of that, junior forward Spencer Parker returns along with three junior college transfers in Delvin Dickerson (Paris JC), Jovan Austin (Paris JC) and David Joseph (Howard College), who all were key parts in winning programs at the JUCO level prior to coming to BGSU.

A HANDFUL OF NEWCOMERS
Coach Chris Jans and his staff brought in a handful of newcomers in 2014-15 - five to be exact. Junior college transfers Delvin Dickerson (Houston, Texas/Paris JC), Jovan Austin (Grand Prairie, Texas/Paris JC) and David Joseph (Queens, N.Y./Howard College (Texas)) all joined the BGSU program over the summer and will have two years of eligibility for the Falcons. Freshmen Rasheed Worrell (Coker, Ala./Sipsey Valley H.S.) and Matt Fox (Maumee, Ohio/Anthony Wayne H.S.) will both have four years of eligibility at BGSU heading into the 2014-15 season.

FAMILIAR FACES FOR THE FALCONS
This season, BGSU returns 11 players from last year's roster including four starters in Richaun Holmes, Jehvon Clarke, Spencer Parker and Anthony Henderson. In fact, those four players all averaged over 32.0 minutes per game last season for the Falcons.

FALCONS ON ESPN NETWORKS
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team is slated to play five games on ESPN3 – Nov. 30 at Detroit at 3 p.m., Dec. 28 at South Florida at 3 p.m., Feb. 4 at Central Michigan at 7 p.m., Feb. 7 at Northern Illinois at 8 p.m., and March 6 at Buffalo at 7 p.m. In addition to the five aforementioned contests, three more games could be televised as part of 21-day Wildcard contests that will air on ESPNU. Those possible games are slated for Friday, Jan. 30 (vs. Akron); Friday, Feb. 13 (at Ball State); and on Friday, Feb. 27 (at Miami).

FALCONS SIGN THREE EARLY
On Nov. 12, BGSU head men's basketball coach Chris Jans announced the signing of Jalone Friday (Oklahoma City Storm HomeSchool/Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), Jamir Andrews (Sheridan College/Dublin H.S./Dublin, California) and Malik Hluchoweckyj (Bellevue West H.S./Bellevue, Nebraska) to National Letters of Intent to continue both their athletic and academic careers at Bowling Green beginning in the Fall of 2015.

ON TAP FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will return home to host Alabama A&M on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. BGSU is 2-0 at home this season in the Stroh Center.

EXTRA HITS
* Get your season tickets now - Click Here!
* Want to win a $1,000 Gift Card? Find out how by clicking here!
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* BGSU Men's Basketball Commercial - Click Here!
* 2014-15 BGSU Men's Basketball Digital Media Guide - Click Here!

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