Falcons to Face Off with the Eagles on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Saturday, January 16

Ypsilanti, Mich.

2:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Eastern Michigan

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

January 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

STARTING FIVE
(1) DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS: The Falcons (45 percent) and the Eagles (44.9 percent) are ranked fifth and sixth in the MAC in field goal percentage, respectively. However, they are doing it two different ways, as BGSU is tops in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage at 38.1 percent, while EMU is shooting 52.3 percent from inside the three-point line on the year.

(2) PRECIOUS ROCK: BGSU, who is averaging 12.6 turnovers per game, will have to take care of the rock on Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles not only lead the MAC in steals per game at 10.7, but they are also second in the nation. EMU is forcing the opposition into 17.5 turnovers per contest which ranks as the seventh-most of any defense in the country.

(3) PREPARING FOR PAYBACK: The Falcons will look to avenge their last loss to Eastern Michigan, as the Eagles defeated BGSU 73-67 in the two teams' last meeting back on March 11, 2015. It was the second round of the 2015 MAC Championship Tournament in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio

(4) WAIT, ANOTHER CONVOCATION CENTER: BGSU will be playing its second straight game in a Convocation Center, as the Falcons defeated Ohio 91-75 at the OU Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio last time out on Jan. 12.

(5) CENTENNIAL GAME SET FOR JAN. 23: As part of the Centennial Season, the Bowling Green State University men's basketball program will host the "Centennial Game" on Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. versus Kent State.

(6th man) CENTENNIAL SEASON: The 2015-16 is the Centennial Season for the BGSU men's basketball program, which began playing basketball in 1915-16.

SCOUTING THE EASTERN MICHIGAN EAGLES
The Eastern Michigan Eagles enter Saturday's contest at 10-6 overall, 2-1 in MAC play and 7-1 this season at home in the Convocation Center. The Eagles use their defense to fuel their offense, as the 2-3 zone has allowed EMU to record 171 steals on the season, which is fourth in the nation, and average 10.7 steals per game which is first in the MAC and second nationally. The Eagles are also first in the MAC and ranked in the top-10 in turnovers forced, having made their opponents turn over the ball on average 17.5 times per game. EMU ranks in the top-five in the MAC in blocks per game (3.9), field goal percentage defense (39.7 percent), three-point field goal defense (32.4 percent) and turnover margin (+4.5). The Eagles also are first in the MAC in free throw attempts (423) and second in free throws made (292). Freshman James Thompson IV is seventh in the MAC in scoring at 15.2 points per game and leads the MAC in rebounding with an average of 11.0 rebounds per contest. He is also shooting 71.6 percent from the field overall on the year. Raven Lee is averaging 15.0 points per game, while Willie Mangum IV is tallying 13.9 points per game thus far this year.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND EMU
BGSU leads the EMU Eagles 47-42 overall in the all-time series which dates back to 1915-16. The Falcons are only 17-22 all-time in Ypsilanti, Mich. and have dropped each of their last two road games at the Convocation Center. Eastern Michigan has won three out of the last four meetings between the two teams, which includes a 73-67 second round win in the 2015 MAC Championship Tournament at the Q in Cleveland, Ohio. The two teams split their two meetings last year with BGSU defeating EMU 74-58 at the Stroh Center on Jan. 21, 2015.

FAMILIAR NAME IN LAMONTA STONE II
BGSU fans will recognize the name LaMonta Stone II, as he is the son of former Falcon assistant coach LaMonta Stone. The elder Stone coached on the sidelines for the Falcons for 10 years under head coaches Dan Dakich and Louis Orr. The younger Stone was a standout player at Bowling Green H.S. before moving to Detroit, Mich. to play for his father at River Rouge H.S. his senior year.

COACH'S CORNER
"After picking up a gritty win at Ohio, we will head to Eastern Michigan for another tough MAC road game. EMU is very solid on the offensive and defensive end. They will play a tough zone that requires a lot of discipline and patience in order to score against it. This will be the first time we faced a zone defense in MAC play, so we will need to adjust our approach on the offensive end. Our guys have done a terrific job of embracing challenges throughout the season, and we expect them to do the same this weekend in Ypsilanti."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will return home for a historical week of play beginning with the Battle of I-75 versus Toledo on Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. BGSU will then host its "Centennial Game" versus Kent State on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 4 p.m.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 12-5 overall on the season for the second straight year.
* Mean that BGSU started the MAC season off at 3-1 for the second straight year.
* Place Bowling Green at 5-2 overall in true road contests this season.
* Give the Falcons a 2-0 MAC road record to start the conference season.
* Hand the Falcons a 4-1 record for the month of January.
* Snap a two-game road losing streak versus Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center.

LAST TIME OUT - BGSU 91, OHIO 75 (JAN. 12)
In their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) road game of the season, the Bowling Green State University Falcons had five players score in double figures in what was a crazy 91-75 come from behind win over the Ohio Bobcats at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The Falcons trailed by as much as 14 points on multiple occasions in the first half on Tuesday night, but fought back to erase the deficit and pull out to a lead as high as 20 points in the second half on their way to the 91-75 MAC East win. BGSU outscored Ohio 58-37 in the second half of play, as the Falcons shot 55.6 percent (20-of-36) from the field overall over the final 20 minutes of play, including going a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the three-point line, and knocked down 13-of-17 (76.5 percent) attempts from the free throw line in the second half. Ohio shot 50 percent (15-of-30) in the second half, however, BGSU took six more shot attempts and got to the free throw line 17 times over the final period compared to the Bobcats' six times. BGSU shot 47 percent (31-of-66) as a team overall for the game, but shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the three-point line and 73.3 percent (22-of-30) from the charity stripe. The Falcons outscored Ohio 40-24 in points in the paint, 18-8 in points off turnovers and 18-12 in second change points for the 40 minute contest. BGSU also had eight fast break points compared to Ohio's two and doubled up the Bobcats in bench points at 36-18.

10 POINT POSSESSION
BGSU recorded a 10-point possession in only 37 seconds late in the second half in the win over Ohio on Jan. 12. The Falcons got a three-pointer from Ismail Ali (3), who was also fouled on the play. After the foul, a scuffle ensued with both teams which drew four technical fouls, three to Ohio and one to BGSU. With the technical fouls, BGSU got four free throws on top of Ali's foul shot from being fouled on the play. Ali hit his free throw from the foul (4) and then calmly knocked down 3-of-4 attempts for the Ohio technical fouls (7). BGSU then got the ball out of bounds, where Zack Denny abruptly drove down the lane, hit the layup (9) and was fouled on the play. He then drained the free throw (10) to cap of the possession.

CRAZY CONVOCATION CENTER CHAOS
The crazy contest saw the Falcons go almost 10 minutes without a field goal in the first half and then record a 10-point possession in only 37 seconds of game time late in the second half, in which BGSU had a four-point play, hit three out of four free throws on two technical fouls, and got an old-fashion three-point play after taking the ball out of bounds off the technical fouls. A total of five technical fouls were handed out on the night, four to Ohio and one to BGSU, while three Bobcats fouled out of the contest late in the game. Four of the technical fouls, three to Ohio and one to BGSU, came on a scrum with 3:54 left to go in the game which proved to take close to 15 minutes for the officials to review on the replay monitor.

STROLL DOWN THE MAC MEMORY LANE
Last season in 2014-15, BGSU went 11-7 in MAC play and finished in third-place overall 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 twice, going 11-7 last season and then posting an 9-7 overall record in league play in 2011-12. Since 2009-10, including this year, Bowling Green has gone 49-54 in MAC play overall.

CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE STARTING FIVE
BGSU head coach Michael Huger has sent out the lineup of David "Pep" Joseph, Zack Denny, Wes Alcegaire, Spencer Parker and Rasheed Worrell to start all 16 games thus far this season for the Falcons.

SOLID START A NECESSITY
BGSU has relied on solid starts this season, as the Falcons are 9-0 on the season when leading at the halftime break. Bowling Green is just 2-5 on the season when going into the locker room trailing at the halftime intermission.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 44 percent from the floor as a team in each of their 11 wins thus far this season, including shooting a season-high 55.7 percent overall from the field in the blowout win over Urbana on Nov. 29. The Falcons are also a perfect 10-0 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall.

KEY IS CLEANING THE GLASS
BGSU has done well this season when out-rebounding its opponents for the game. In fact, the Falcons are a perfect 10-0 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are just 1-5 on the year when losing the battle of the boards with the lone win coming versus Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 6, 2016.

GETTING TO THE CHARITY STRIPE
Bowling Green has made it a habit to get to the free throw line this year, as the Falcons have shot more foul shots than their opponent in 12 of their 16 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 11 games on the year, including a season-high 35 attempts at Detroit on Dec. 12. The Falcons have made more free throws than their opponents have even attempted in six different contests this season.

MINUTES, MINUTES, EVERYONE GETS MINUTES!
A total of nine players are averaging double digit minutes of playing time on the court thus far this season for the Falcons. In fact, at least nine different players have notched 10 minutes or more of playing time in 10 different games for the Falcons this season. Seven different Falcons are averaging 20 minutes or more of playing time on the year.

HUGER FIRSTS ON THE SIDELINES IN MAC PLAY
BGSU first-year head coach Michael Huger picked up his first MAC win as a coach with the Falcons' 73-62 home win over Miami (Ohio) in the two teams' conference opener on Jan. 6, at the Stroh Center. He recorded his first MAC road win at Ohio, 91-75, on Jan. 12.

I GOT 10 NEXT
The Falcons have had four different players grab 10 rebounds or more this season. Zack Denny has pulled down 10 rebounds or more six times this season, while Spencer Parker has hauled in 10 rebounds or more three times. Newcomers Ismail Ali tallied 10 rebounds versus Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 8, while Demajeo Wiggins snatched 11 rebounds in the Falcons' home game against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6. In fact, BGSU has had a player tally double digit rebounds in each four of their last five games.

BENCH HELP
The BGSU bench has been big for the Falcons in 2016, as the Falcons reserves have totaled 145 points over the last four games, an average of 36.25 points per game. BGSU's bench scored 51 points in the 87-56 win over Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 2, which is a season-high. The Falcon subs then poured in 33 points in the 73-62 MAC win over Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6 and followed that game up with 21 points in the home loss to Central Michigan on Jan. 9. Most recently, BGSU recorded 40 points in the road win at Ohio on Jan. 12.

PARKER APPROACHING 1,000
Senior Spencer Parker is quietly approaching the 1,000 career points mark in his final year at BGSU. He enters Saturday's contest with 902 career points, 98 points away from the career milestone. Parker, who is averaging 13.7 points per game this season, would need to average 6.53 points per game over the reaming 15 regular season games for the Falcons to reach the mark and become just the 43rd player in BGSU history to score over 1,000 career points.

MR. ENERGY
Freshman Antwon Lillard is off to a strong start in the New Year, as he tipped off the year with career high point totals with 14 versus Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 2 and then 16 points versus Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6. He also tallied nine points versus Central Michigan on Jan. 9 and 12 points at Ohio on Jan. 12. In 2016, Lillard had totaled 51 points in four games off the bench for the Falcons, an average of 12.8 points per contest. In the three MAC games thus far in 2016, the Cleveland, Ohio native is averaging 12.3 points per game.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
The duo of Zack Denny and Spencer Parker have each tallied multiple double-doubles this season and have combined for eight double-doubles on the year overall. Denny recorded his five double-doubles with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over YSU, followed by 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the FGCU Eagles. He then tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds in the road win at Cleveland State to close out the month of December and then totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds in the very next game versus Oakland City (Ind.). He recently picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds in the road win at Ohio on Jan. 12. Parker has registered three double-doubles this season with 16 points and 12 rebounds versus North Dakota, 22 points and 10 boards in the win at FGCU and a career-high 33 points and 11 rebounds at Detroit.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS
The Falcons finished their non-conference regular season slate with a 9-4 record this season. The nine non-conference wins, not including postseason play, are the most by a Falcons' team in a single season since posting 10 non-conference wins in 2006-07.

GRABBING 50
For the first time in eight years, the Falcons as a team reached the 50 mark in rebounds in a single game. BGSU pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds in the win over Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 2, 2016. The last time a Falcons' squad totaled 50 rebounds or more was back in the 2008-09 season, when BGSU hauled in 50 boards versus Detroit on Dec. 14, 2008.

#MAKEHISTORYNOW
Falcons' head coach Michael Huger recorded his first career win as a head coach in the 79-61 win over New Orleans in the season opener.

A FALCON NOW LEADING THE FALCONS
It seems fitting that a former Falcon would lead the program during its Centennial Season, as former BGSU standout and 1994 graduate Michael Huger returns to his alma-mater as the head coach in 2015-16. Huger, who returns to where he was a standout player for the Falcons from 1989-93. While a player at BGSU, Huger helped the Falcons to a pair of NIT appearances. Tabbed the BGSU Team MVP in 1992-93, he earned all-conference honors in his final two seasons, and was a Naismith Award nominee and the runner-up for MAC Player of the Year his senior year.

WATCH ME: BGSU ON ESPN3, BCSN AND THE TWC SPORTS CHANNEL
Every Falcons' home game over the 2015-16 season will broadcast live on ESPN3. A number of road contests will also be video steamed live over the ESPN3 network, while the Falcons will also still appear locally on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) as well as the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel on Jan. 16 at EMU, Jan. 19 vs. Toledo and Mar. 1 at Kent State. A number of other BGSU games could be chosen for TV by either ESPN or the CBS Sports Network throughout the season as wildcard selections.

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2015-16
The Falcons have three team captains for the 2015-16 season in junior JD Tisdale, junior Wes Alcegaire and redshirt-sophomore Garrett Mayleben.

PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE MAC EAST IN PRESEASON POLL
With the loss of its top three scorers from last season in Richaun Holmes to the NBA, and both Jehvon Clarke and Anthony Henderson due to graduation, the Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the MAC East Division in the 2015-16 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which was determined by a 23-member MAC News Media Panel. The Falcons garnered 42 points overall.