Falcons to Welcome Ball State to the Stroh on Saturday, Jan. 17

Saturday, January 17

Bowling Green, Ohio

4:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ball State

Tickets

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

January 16, 2015 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Ball State(7-7, 2-1 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (10-4, 2-1 MAC)
Saturday, January 17, 2015; 4:00 p.m. ET
Stroh Center (4,347) / Bowling Green, Ohio
LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO
ESPN3
TV: BCSN
Radio: WFRO-FM 99.1
Twitter: @BGSUMHOOPS
TICKETS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

2014-15 MAC STANDINGS
EAST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Bowling Green	2-1	10-4
Buffalo	2-1	11-4
Akron	2-1	11-5
Kent State	2-1	11-5
Miami	1-2	6-10
Ohio	0-3	5-9
WEST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Ball State	2-1	7-7
Central Michigan	2-1	12-2
Western Michigan	2-1	11-5
Toledo	2-1	10-6
Northern Illinois	1-2	7-7
Eastern Michigan	0-3	11-5

LAY UPS
* Both teams are 2-1 in MAC play thus far this season.
* Both BGSU and Ball State are coming off MAC road losses last time out on Wednesday.
* The Falcons are 6-1 at home in the Stroh Center this season.
* BGSU has won each of the last four games over Ball State.
* BGSU has won the last six games at home over Ball State and have not lost to the Cardinals at home since the 2003-04 season.
* BGSU is 9-0 when making the same number or more free throws than their opponents.
* BGSU is 9-1 on the year when scoring 60 points or more in the contest.
* The Falcons lead the MAC in scoring defense at 58.9 points per game allowed this year.
* BGSU is 3-0 in games following a loss so far this season.
* 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 CARDINALS OF BALL STATE
Ball State enters the Stroh Center on Saturday afternoon with a 7-7 overall record and a 2-1 record in MAC play. The Cardinals are coming off a last second double-overtime 95-93 loss at Western Michigan on Wed., Jan. 14, after posting four straight wins. Ball State, who is third in the MAC in assists with an average of 14.0 per game, has a duo of players averaging double digit points led by 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year Zavier Turner and his 13.0 points per game. Sean Sellers is averaging 12.6 points per game, while Franko House is posting numbers of 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest this season. Matt Kamieniecki leads the team in rebounds at 8.1 per game, blocks at 0.9 per contest and steals at 1.2 per contest. The Cardinals are averaging just over 70 points per game this season and are shooting 43 percent from the field on the year.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH BALL STATE
The Falcons are 43-34 all-time versus the Cardinals of Ball State heading into the 78th meeting on Saturday afternoon. Over the last 10 games, the Falcons lead the series 8-2 and have won each of the last four meetings with the last loss to the Cardinals coming back on Feb. 4, 2010 at Ball State 64-59. In fact, BGSU has won the last six games at home over Ball State and have not lost to the Cardinals at home since the 2003-04 season.

COACH'S COMMENTS
   "This will be a huge test for us. We're coming off a rough loss at Akron and sometimes in the course of the season from top to bottom in your program you have to have some amnesia. We certainly have to learn from our mistakes that we made, but at the same time we have to move on from it, try to erase some of the bad plays from our memory and try to replicate the good plays we made. We need to understand we're a good basketball team and we need to perform better on game night."
   "Coach Whitford has done a good job of rebuilding that program. He is in his second year and they've got a bunch of good young players. They are beginning to see some of the fruits of their labor so to speak. They've gotten off to a good start in the MAC, their 2-1 with their lone loss coming on the road in double overtime, so they're playing with a lot of confidence right now. But they are coming off a loss as well. So I think you'll see two teams really getting after one another with one getting to 3-1 and one going back to .500 in league play, so it is a critical game for both of us."
   "The one thing that sticks out the most to me is just how well they run their system. They're very solid on both ends of the floor. They primarily play eight guys so everybody knows their role. They share the basketball. On the defensive end, they are very fundamentally sound. They try to force you to shoot jump shots, try to protect the paint as much as possible, and just try to play mistake free defensive basketball and try to put the pressure on the offense to make plays."

A WIN WOULD ...
* Give the Falcons an 11-4 record overall on the season.
* Put BGSU at 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
* Keep the Falcons atop of the MAC East regular season standings at 3-1.
* Push BGSU to 7-1 at home overall, making it the fourth straight season that the Falcons have posted at least seven home wins at the Stroh Center since it opened in 2011-12.
* Hand the Falcons their fifth straight win over Ball State.

HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 36-18 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 6-1 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 in half of their wins in front of the home fans in the Stroh.

BGSU UNDEFEATED FOLLOWING A LOSS THIS SEASON
With the Falcons 79-70 win over South Florida on Dec. 28, head coach Chris Jans' squad improved to 3-0 in games following a loss in their previous contest. After a loss at Western Kentucky (52-62), the Falcons beat up on Alabama A&M (64-47). Following the tough loss at Dayton (52-56), BGSU bounced back to defeat Cleveland State by double digits (67-57). Most recently, BGSU upended USF (79-70) after suffering a loss to Ferris State (68-82) at home on Dec. 21.

BOWLING GREEN RECEIVES VOTES IN MID-MAJOR TOP-25 POLL - JAN. 12
BGSU received 50 votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top-25 Poll, which was released on Monday, Jan. 12. The 50 votes is a season-high for Bowling Green, which is up from 11 votes last week and surpasses their previous high of 36 votes in the poll back on Dec. 1.

NEW YEAR, NEW MONTH, NEW NAME OF JANSUARY
BGSU tipped off the new 2015 calendar year and the month of JANSuary with a 58-35 blowout win over Chicago State on Jan. 3. BGSU then went on to pick up at 66-64 come from behind win at Kent State on Jan. 7., before leading from start to finish in a 69-54 home win over Ohio on Jan. 10. However, BGSU suffered a 67-50 loss at Akron on Jan. 14. Under head coach Chris Jans, the Falcons are 3-1 for the month of JANSuary.

STROLL DOWN THE MAC MEMORY LANE
Last season in 2013-14, the Falcons posted a 6-12 record in the MAC and finished sixth in the East Division. Since winning the MAC East in 2008-09 with an 11-5 conference record, the Falcons have been over .500 in MAC play just once, going 9-7 overall in league play in 2011-12, coming into this season. Over the last five seasons, since 2009-10, Bowling Green went just 36-46 in MAC play. This year the Falcons are 2-1 in MAC play.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Falcons have been solid on the defensive end this season, as BGSU is ranked in 26th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 58.9 points per game thus far this season. The Falcons also rank in the top-five in the MAC in scoring defense (1st/58.9 ppg), three-point field goal defense (3rd/30.7%)and field goal percentage defense (3rd/40.2%). In fact, Bowling Green's Richaun Holmes leads the league in blocked shots with 37, an average of 2.6 per game, while Zack Denny is second in the MAC in steals with an average of 1.9 swipes per contest and 26 on 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, while eight different players are averaging 16 minutes or more of playing time per game this season. In fact, the Falcons have outscored their opponents by 125 points (328-203) in bench points this year, an average of 23.4 points per game off the bench compared to their opponents 14.5 bench points per outing.

RETURN TO SENDER
Falcon senior Richaun Holmes has posted a block in all but three games thus far this season and has totaled a season-high five blocks in four different games this year on his way to a team leading 37 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 his first two seasons at BGSU, Holmes became the Falcons' all-time career blocks leader and now has 198 career swats. He currently leads the MAC with 2.6 blocks per game this season.

QUARTET OF 500 POINT CAREER SCORERS
The Falcons currently have a quartet of 500 point career scorers on its roster in Richaun Holmes (834), Jehvon Clarke (670), Anthony Henderson (544) and Spencer Parker (533).

MAKE IT THREE FOR HOLMES
Senior Richaun Holmes was tabbed the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Jan. 12, his third MAC weekly award this season. The 6-8 forward also earned the award on Dec. 1 and then again on Dec. 29. Holmes, who led BGSU to a 2-0 record last week with wins at Kent State and over Ohio, averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 4.0 blocks per game on the week while shooting 60 percent from the field, 75 percent from the three-point line and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.

COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS RECOGNIZES RICHAUN HOLMES
On Jan. 12, senior Richaun Holmes was named the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by College Sports Madness (www.collegesportsmadness.com) for the second time this season. He also received the weekly honor on Dec. 29.

FALCONS ICE COLD FROM THE FLOOR IN LOSS AT AKRON
In the Falcons first MAC loss of the season at Akron on Wed., Jan. 14, BGSU was ice cold from the floor as a team offensively. BGSU shot a season-low 32.8 percent (20-of-61) from the field overall and scored a season-low 50 points in the 67-50 road loss. BGSU was also just 4-of-20 (20 percent) from three-point land and only 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from the free throw line for the game.

FROM WIRE TO WIRE, FALCONS TAME BOBCATS
The BGSU Falcons led from start to finish in a 69-54 home MAC win over the Ohio Bobcats on Jan. 10. In the win, BGSU led by as much as 21 points late in the second half and outscored Ohio 35-25 over the final 20 minutes of play to secure the double digit win. BGSU controlled the paint for most of the contest, out-rebounding Ohio 41-34 and outscoring the Bobcats 30-14 in points in the paint. The BGSU defense held Ohio to just eight made baskets in the second half (8-of-27), four of which were from behind the three-point line.

BGSU RECENTLY IN MAC OPENERS
With their 66-64 MAC opening win this year at Kent State on Jan. 7, BGSU has gone 8-3 overall in its last 11 Mid-American Conference openers and snapped a two-year losing streak in MAC openers this year. Prior to this season, the Falcons last opened up the MAC slate at 1-0 back in 2011-12 with a 67-57 win at home versus Ohio. Bowling Green last opened up the conference slate with a road win at Buffalo, 74-71, in 2010-11.

NON-CONFERENCE SEASON IS OVER
BGSU went 8-3 over its 11 non-conference games this season. The eight non-conference victories is the most by a Falcons' team since both the 2009-10 and 2008-09 teams each posted eight non-conference wins on the year.

HOLMES HAULS IN 500TH REBOUND
In the Falcons' 58-35 home win over Chicago State on Saturday night, Jan. 3, senior Richaun Holmes pulled down five rebounds for the game. While that is not a game-high in rebounds for the 6-8 forward, it was enough to give him his 500th career rebound during his time at BGSU.

NEW STROH CENTER RECORDS SET TO START 2015
With BGSU's 32 three-point field goal attempts at home versus Chicago State on Jan. 3, the Falcons set a new Stroh Center record for the most three-point attempts by a BGSU team in a single game in the Stroh Center. The previous record was 26 three-point field goal attempts versus Morehead State on Feb. 18, 2012. The Falcons also set a new record in the fewest points allowed in the Stroh Center by holding Chicago State to just 35 points for the game. The new record of 35 points eclipses the old mark of 36 points set by Northern Illinois on Jan. 12, 2014.

RECORD SETTING DEFENSIVE EFFORT FOR BGSU
In the Falcons' 58-35 home win over Chicago State, the 35 points allowed by BGSU was the lowest points total allowed by a Falcons' team in a single game since BGSU held Denison to only 34 points in 1981-82. The 35 points scored by Chicago State is also the fewest points scored by a BGSU opponent in the Stroh Center, five points less than the previous low of 40 points by Northern Illinois back on Feb. 4, 2012.

MAGIC NUMBER FOR HOLMES IS 26
The magic number for forward Richaun Holmes has proven to be 26 - in that he has posted a career-high 26 points twice this season. Holmes had 26 points versus Ferris State on Dec. 21, but not before he matched his career-high of 26 points on Nov. 30 in a last second win at Detroit. The 6-8 forward first scored his career-high 26 points last season at Xavier.

STRONG SECOND HALF PROPELS BGSU TO WIN AT KENT STATE
The Falcons outscored Kent State 40-29 over the final 20 minutes of play to erase a 15-point first half deficit in the 66-64 MAC road win on Wed., Jan. 7. BGSU shot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half, including going 6-of-8 (75 percent) from behind the three-point line in the come from behind win. The Falcons also shot a season-high 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line in the win, it's largest come from behind win on the season.

SPENCER SHINES IN FINAL MINUTES OF KENT STATE WIN
After not scoring at all in the first half of play, junior Spencer Parker scored 16 points in the second half to lead the Falcons to the 66-64 road win at Kent State on Jan. 7. The forward scored a total of 12 points over the final 5:33 to play, including knocking down a three-pointer from the left wing to put BGSU in front at 58-56 and then hit another trey with 46 seconds left to push BGSU's lead to four at 64-60.

FALCONS FLY PAST CHICAGO STATE WITH THE THREE-BALL
BGSU matched its season-high with 11 made three-pointers in a 58-35 rout of the Cougars of Cleveland State on Jan. 3. The Falcons, who also made 11 three-pointers in the season opening win at Drake on Nov. 15, had five different players hit at least one three-pointer in the win.

FALCONS LIGHT UP THE SUN DOME IN 79-70 ROAD WIN OVER USF
The Falcons had four players score in double figures and shot 50 percent overall (26-of-52) from the field for the game as a team on its way to a 79-70 non-conference road win over the University of South Florida on Dec. 28. BGSU shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half alone, including knocking down 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) three-point attempts over the final 20 minutes of play. With the Falcons' hot shooting, BGSU improved to 3-0 on the year when shooting over 50 percent as a team for the game.

FALCONS FALL TO FERRIS STATE FOR ITS FIRST HOME LOSS OF 2014-15
Despite outscoring Ferris State 42-24 in points in the paint and 21-10 in bench points, the Falcons could not slow down the hot shooting Bulldogs who shot 58.3 percent in the second half, including going 6-of-9 from behind the three-point line and 11-of-13 from the free throw line to hand BGSU its first home loss of the year.

SECOND HALF COMEBACK VERSUS CSU
The Falcons used a 14-0 run and held the Vikings without a made field goal for nearly 10 minutes to erase a 12-point first half deficit and defeat Cleveland State 67-57 on Dec. 13 in the inaugural Bill Frack Challenge. BGSU shot 52 percent (11-of-21) in the second half and held CSU to 7-of-32 shooting (22 percent) en route to the come from behind win. The Orange and Brown outscored the Vikings by 17 points, 43-26, over the final 20 minutes of play.

CHARITY AT DAYTON
The Falcons aided the Flyers on Dec. 9, particularly in the second half, by sending Dayton to the free throw line a total of 29 times for the game. Dayton, who went 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the charity stripe in the contest, got to the foul line a total of 19 times in the second half. UD connected on 15 of those 19 free throw attempts in the second half, which was nine more makes than free throw attempts for BGSU who only shot six free throws for the game. Dayton held a 19-point advantage (21-2) over BGSU at the charity stripe in the four point win at 56-52.

FALCONS SHARE THE ROCK IN WIN OVER AAMU
In the Falcons' 64-47 home win over Alabama A&M on Dec. 6, BGSU dished out a season-high 19 assists. BGSU posted 19 assists on 25 made field goals for the game, as the Falcons shot 50 percent from the field overall in the win. Eight different Falcons registered an assist, while guard David Joseph passed out a team-high eight dimes, a career-high, for the game.

PARKER FINDS RANGE IN WIN AT WKU
Heading into the game at Western Kentucky on Dec. 3, forward Spencer Parker had not made good on a three-pointer all season long and was 0-for-3 on the season from downtown on the season. Against the WKU, Parker found his stroke, as he hit a career-high four 3-balls from long range in the game.

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.

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)

EXPERIENCED GROUP
The 2014-15 Falcons' roster is an experienced group, as the roster has nine upperclassmen, including six 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-junior 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.

FALCONS ON ESPN NETWORKS
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team is slated to play 11 regular season games on ESPN3 with the following games still left to play - Jan. 17 vs. Ball State at 4 p.m., Jan. 21 vs. Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m., Feb. 4 at Central Michigan at 7 p.m., Feb. 7 at Northern Illinois at 8 p.m., Feb. 10 vs. Western Michigan at 7 p.m., Feb. 18 vs. Miami at 7 p.m., Feb. 21 vs. Buffalo at 2 p.m., and March 6 at Buffalo at 7 p.m. In addition to the 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 PICKED FIFTH IN MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference East Division in 2014-15, according to the MAC's annual Preseason Media Poll. The Falcons, who will be led by first year head coach Chris Jans in 2014-15, received 52 total points in the preseason poll, which included one first-place vote.

FALCONS SIGN THREE EARLY
On Nov. 12, BGSU head men's basketball coach Chris Jans announced the signings 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 State University beginning in the Fall of 2015.

ON TAP FOR THE FALCONS
The Orange and Brown will remain at home to welcome Eastern Michigan to the Stroh Center on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m., before hitting the road for the Battle of I-75 on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in Toledo, Ohio.

EXTRA HITS
* Purchase the MAC PAC today - You can save $20 when you purchase tickets to five home MAC games for only $55!
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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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