Falcons Trek to NIU for a Saturday Night MAC Contest at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3

Saturday, February 7

DeKalb, Ill.

8:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Buy tickets

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Falcons Trek to NIU for a Saturday Night MAC Contest at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3

February 06, 2015 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Bowling Green (14-6, 6-3 MAC) vs. Northern Illinois (9-11, 3-6 MAC)
Saturday, February 7, 2015; 8:00 p.m. ET
NIU Convocation Center (9,100) / DeKalb, Illinois
LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO
ESPN3
Radio: WFRO-FM 99.1
Twitter: @BGSUMHOOPS
COMPLETE GAME NOTES (PDF)

2014-15 MAC STANDINGS
EAST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Buffalo	6-3	15-6
Bowling Green	6-3	14-6
Akron	6-3	15-7
Kent State	6-3	15-7
Ohio	3-6	8-12
Miami	3-6	8-14
WEST TEAMS	MAC	OVERALL
Toledo	6-3	14-8
Central Michigan	5-4	15-5
Western Michigan	5-4	14-8
Eastern Michigan	3-6	14-8
Northern Illinois	3-6	9-11
Ball State	2-7	7-13

LAY UPS
* Both BGSU and NIU are coming off road wins on Wednesday night.
* BGSU defeated NIU 56-46 earlier this season at the Stroh Center on Jan. 27.
* Bowling Green is 5-4 on the road overall and only 2-2 in MAC road games.
* The Huskies of NIU are 7-3 overall at home this season.
* BGSU leads the MAC in scoring defense at 59.4 points per game allowed.
* BGSU ranks 27th in the nation in points allowed per game at 59.4 per contest.
* NIU leads the MAC in defensive rebounding with 31.4 boards per contest.
* Richaun Holmes has scored in double figures in each of BGSU's last nine games.
* BGSU has an RPI ranking of 76, which is second in the MAC (Buffalo, 38).
* 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 HUSKIES OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 69-67 road win at Miami. The Huskies, who are 9-11 overall and 3-6 in the MAC entering Saturday's contest, have won two of their last six games after posting a three-game winning streak in late Dec. and early Jan. NIU, who leads the MAC in rebounding this season, is led by a trio of players in Darrell Bowie (11.6 ppg), Aaric Armstead (11.4 ppg) and Anthony Johnson (10.0 ppg). In the two teams' first meeting this season, less than two weeks ago, the Huskies outscored the Falcons 30-26 in points in the paint and 26-12 in bench points. The Huskies are 7-3 at home overall on the season.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS NIU
The Falcons own a 31-27 overall record versus the Huskies of NIU in men's basketball action including a 56-46 home win over the Huskies earlier this season on Jan. 27. The Falcons have won eight out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams, including seven straight wins over the Huskies from 2007-08 to 20012-13. NIU defeated BGSU 54-51 in overtime last season in the first round of the 2014 MAC Championship Tournament, ending the Falcons season.

FALCONS VERSUS THE MAC WEST IN 2015
BGSU has fared well versus the MAC West Division so far this season in cross-divisional match ups. The Falcons, who have played a team from the MAC West in five of their last six contests, are 4-1 versus the West Division thus far this season with wins over Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Central Michigan. However, the Falcons' lone lost to a MAC West team was on the road at Toledo on Jan. 24.

#AUTISMHOOPS - COACHES POWERING FORWARD FOR AUTISM
Coaches Powering Forward for Autism is a unique opportunity for the NCAA basketball community and fans to rally around their favorite team while fundraising for a good cause. Bowling Green will be joined by over 200 other schools across the country for this great awareness and fundraising event taking place during the Second Annual Autism Speaks Awareness Weekend in college basketball, Feb. 6 to 8. Throughout the weekend, coaches, officials and broadcasters will raise autism awareness by donning the blue Autism Speaks puzzle piece pin during college basketball games.

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COACH'S COMMENTS
"It's a big week for us. We knew it was when the league schedule came out. We knew this was going to be a big week because of all the travel and two road games in a row. We've already played Northern Illinois so the prep won't be as arduous as maybe the first time we played them. NIU is the best rebounding team in the league. They're relentless on both ends of the floor on the backboards. That's probably the most important thing we're going to talk about with our team and contend with, just how ferocious they rebound the basketball."

A WIN WOULD ...
* Give the Falcons a 15-6 record overall on the season.
* Put BGSU at 7-3 in Mid-American Conference play, one more MAC win then all of last season.
* Make the Falcons 6-4 in road games on the season.
* Put the Falcons at 3-2 in road games in MAC play for the year.
* Hand BGSU back-to-back road game wins on the year for the first time since November.
* Place BGSU at 2-0 to start the month of February.
* Give the Falcons a two-game winning streak over Northern Illinois and a season sweep this season.
* Put BGSU at 5-1 on the year against the MAC West Division.

LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AGO: BGSU TAMES HUSKIES IN HOME WIN ON JAN. 27
BGSU held Northern Illinois to only 17 made field goals on 36.2 percent shooting for the contest in a 56-46 home win on Jan. 27. The Falcons held Northern Illinois to just 2-of-12, 16.7 percent, shooting from long range over the 40 minutes of play. The BGSU defense held NIU to only 46 points, matching the Huskies lowest scoring output of the season.

FIRST OT WIN IN OVER TWO YEARS
BGSU's 76-74 overtime win on Feb. 4 at Central Michigan not only handed the Chips their first home loss of the season (12-1), but it was also the first overtime win for a Falcons' team since Feb. 2, 2011. The Falcons last overtime win was a 73-70 OT win at NIU during that 2010-11 season.

A SEASON FIRST - FIVE FALCONS IN DOUBLE DIGITS
The Falcons posted a season first on Feb. 4 in the overtime win at Central Michigan, as five different players scored in double digit points for the game. Anthony Henderson (20), Jehvon Clarke (18), Zack Denny (12), Richaun Holmes (10) and Delvin Dickerson (10) all notched 10 points or more in the 76-74 win. The last time BGSU had five players score in double figures in the same game was in a 67-61 road win at Morehead State on Feb. 15, 2013.

50 PERCENT SHOOTING = WIN
BGSU has shot 50 percent or better from the floor as a team this season in four different games. The Falcons shot 51.8 percent at Drake on Nov. 15, 50.0 percent vs. Alabama A&M on Dec. 6, 50.0 percent on the road at USF on Dec. 28, and 52.8 percent at Central Michigan on Feb. 4. The Falcons are 4-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field for the game.

HOLMES ZONING IN ON 1,000
Senior Richaun Holmes is zoning in on the 1,000 career points plateau, as the 6-8 forward currently has totaled 909 points over his three years at BGSU. Holmes is only 91 points shy of the career milestone with nine games to play in the regular season. He would become just the 42nd player in BGSU's 100 year history to reach the 1,000 career point mark.

WE WILL TAKE THE STAIRS
Bowling Green is 3-0 this season in road games in which the route from the locker room to the court required going either up or down stairs. This includes wins at Detroit, at Kent State and at Central Michigan.

BGSU UNDEFEATED FOLLOWING A LOSS THIS SEASON
With the Falcons' 76-74 overtime road win over Central Michigan on Feb. 4, head coach Chris Jans' squad improved to 6-0 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). BGSU would then go and upend USF (79-70) after suffering a loss to Ferris State (68-82) at home on Dec. 21, prior to stifling Ball State (58-46) at home on Jan. 17 following a loss at Akron (50-67) just three days before on Jan. 14. A home win over NIU on Jan. 27 came directly after a loss on the road at Toledo (71-67) on Jan. 24, while the CMU (76-74) road win on Feb. 4 followed a home loss to Akron (68-69) on Jan. 31.

AN ANOMALY FOR COACH JANS ON JAN. 31
The MAC loss to Akron on Saturday night, Jan. 31, was the first home conference loss for Coach Chris Jans in nearly two years (23 months). He last experienced a home conference loss on the sidelines as part of the staff at Wichita State back on Feb. 27, 2013 when the Shockers loss at home to Evansville in Missouri Valley Conference play.

14 AND COUNTING
BGSU's 14 wins this season is already more wins than the Falcons had all of last year (12-20) and is the most wins for the Falcons in a single season since posting 16 victories in 2011-12. In fact, the Falcons have posted more than 14 wins on the season only three times over the last 10 years (2004-05: (18-11); 2008-09: (19-14); 2011-12: (16-16)).

STRONG MONTH OF JANSUARY
The Falcons had a strong month of JANSuary, as BGSU went 6-3 overall for the first month of the year. Coach Jans' squad posted wins over Chicago State, Kent State, Ohio, Ball State, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois for the month. Bowling Green is 1-0 to start the month of February with a overtime road win at Central Michigan on Feb. 4.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
BGSU has posted an overall record of 9-2 at home in the Stroh Center this season. However, the Falcons have not fared as well on the road this year, posting an overall road record of 5-4 on the year. In fact, the Falcons are just 2-2 on the road in MAC play with wins at Kent State (66-64) on Jan. 7 and at Central Michigan (76-74 OT) on Feb. 4.

TOP-FIVE CROWD AT THE STROH ON SATURDAY NIGHT, JAN. 31
In the Falcons last home contest, a 69-68 loss to Akron, BGSU and the Zips played in front of a crowd of 3,859 fans. The huge crowd is the third largest crowd to watch a BGSU men's basketball game in the Stroh Center's four year history.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Falcons have been solid on the defensive end this season, as BGSU ranks 27th in the nation overall in scoring defense at 59.4 points per game allowed. BGSU is also ranked in the top-five in the MAC in scoring defense (1st/59.4 ppg), three-point field goal defense (1st, 28.9%) and field goal percentage defense (2nd/39.8%). In fact, Bowling Green's Richaun Holmes leads the league in blocked shots with 50, an average of 2.5 per game, while Zack Denny leads the MAC in steals with an average of 2.0 swipes per contest and 40 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 159 points (461-302) in bench points this year, an average of 23.1 points per game off the bench compared to their opponents 15.1 bench points per outing.

QUARTET OF 500 POINT CAREER SCORERS
The Falcons currently have a quartet of 500 point career scorers on its roster in Richaun Holmes (909), Jehvon Clarke (718), Anthony Henderson (613) and Spencer Parker (565).

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 48 blocks on the year. Holmes totaled a new BGSU school record for the most blocks in a single season last year with 88. In just his first two seasons at BGSU, Holmes became the Falcons' all-time career blocks leader and now has 211 career swats. He currently leads the MAC with 2.5 blocks per game this season.

CHARGE!
BGSU junior Delvin Dickerson seemed to be all over the place in the Falcons' 56-46 home win over NIU on Jan. 27. The forward took not one, not two, not three, but four charges on the NIU offense in the game, which is presumed to be a BGSU record (charges are not an official statistic).

BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR DENNY
After posting his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 58-46 win over Ball State on Jan. 17, sophomore guard Zack Denny followed with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in the home rout of Eastern Michigan, 74-58, on Jan. 21. Denny is the first Falcon to post a double-double in two consecutive games since Cameron Black did it on Nov. 26 & 27 of 2013-14 at the Cancun Challenge.

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.

BLOCK NUMBER 200 FOR HOLMES
Senior forward Richaun Holmes tallied his 200th career block in the second half of the Falcons 58-46 win over Ball State on Jan. 17. Holmes, who currently has 211 career swats, is the all-time career blocks leader in BGSU history.

DENNY'S FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Sophomore guard Zack Denny posted his first career double-double in the Falcons 58-46 home win over Ball State on Jan. 17. Denny posted 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the win.

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 and prior to this season, Bowling Green went just 36-46 in MAC play. This year the Falcons are 6-3 in MAC play.

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, 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.

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.

HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 39-19 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 9-2 at home thus far this year.

THAT 70'S STROH
BGSU is a perfect 18-0 at the Stroh when scoring 70 points or more in a contest. That means the Falcons have scored 70 or more points in nearly half of their wins in front of the home fans in the Stroh. This season the Falcons have scored 70 or more points at home twice - in a 70-55 win versus Wright State on Nov. 19 and in a 74-58 win over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 21.

FALCONS SHOOT DOWN THE CHIPS OF CMU
Bowling Green shot a season-high 52.8 percent from the field overall to shoot down the MAC's leading offensive team in the CMU Chippewas in a 76-74 overtime win on Feb. 4. The Falcons, who also shot 42.1 percent from behind the three-point line and 75 percent from the charity stripe for the game, had a season-high five different players score in double figures in the win. The 76 points are the third most points scored by the Falcons in a single game this season - 79 at USF on Dec. 28 and 77 at Drake on Nov. 15 - all of which were road wins for Coach Jans' squad.

LAST SECOND SHOT FALLS SHORT IN ONE-POINT HOME LOSS TO AKRON
The Falcons saw the Zips get an offensive rebound and put back basket with 3.7 seconds left to put the visitors up one. BGSU's last second three-point attempt fell short of the rim, as Akron escaped with a 69-68 win over the Falcons at the Stroh Center. The Falcons led by as much as 14 points, yet struggled to put the game away late as Akron outscored BGSU 16-9 over the final five minutes of the contest.

FALCONS FALL IN THE BATTLE OF I-75 IN FRONT OF 7,392 FANS
The Battle of I-75 rivalry was all it was supposed to be and more on Jan. 24, as the Falcons and Rockets went back-and-forth in a game that saw 17 lead changes, six ties and the contest go down to the final minutes of play. However, the Rockets were able to use late free throws to hold off the Falcons, 71-67. The difference in the contest was at the free throw line, where the Rockets were 17-of-25 (68 percent) compared to the Falcons 8-of-16 (50 percent), a point differential of nine points for the game.

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 - 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.

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
BGSU will next be in action at home to host the 2014 MAC Defending Champions Western Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Stroh Center. The game is slated to be broadcast live by BCSN (TV) and streamed lived by both ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App (Internet).

EXTRA HITS
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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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