BGSU to Host Central Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Stroh

Saturday, January 9

Bowling Green, Ohio

2:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Central Michigan

Tickets

Photo by: Larry Clapper

January 08, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Central Michigan (7-7, 0-1 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (10-4, 1-0 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 * 2:00 p.m.
Stroh Center * Bowling Green, Ohio
Game 1 of a Doubleheader with the BGSU Women's Basketball Team

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STARTING FIVE
(1) EAST VERSUS WEST: Saturday afternoon's MAC contest will be the first cross-divisional match up for the Falcons this season. Last year the Falcons went 8-2 versus the teams in the MAC West, including going 1-1 in the MAC Championship Tournament versus Ball State and Eastern Michigan. BGSU defeated Central Michigan 76-74 in overtime last year in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Feb. 4, 2015.

(2) SERIES OF STREAKS ON THE LINE FOR THE FALCONS: BGSU enters play on Saturday at the Stroh Center with a number of streaks on the line. The Falcons are on a three-game winning streak with wins over Cleveland State (Dec. 23), Oakland City (Ind.) (Jan. 2) and Miami (Ohio) (Jan. 6) and have won five straight games at home with wins over Urbana (Nov. 29), UMBC (Dec. 2), Drake (Dec. 5), Oakland City (Ind.) (Jan. 2) and Miami (Ohio) (Jan. 6). BGSU also enters the game on Saturday with a two-game winning streak versus Central Michigan with wins over the Chippewas in each of the last two years.

(3) 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 1-4 on the season when going into the locker room trailing at the halftime intermission.

(4) FIRST AND WORST: The CMU Chippewas, who are the defending regular season MAC Champions, were picked to finish first in the MAC West Division in the 2015-16 MAC Preseason Poll, while the Falcons of BGSU were selected to finish sixth overall in the MAC East.

(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 CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS
Picked to win the MAC West Division this season in the preseason poll, the 2015 defending MAC Regular Season Champions are 7-7 overall this season and 0-1 in MAC play having suffered a 99-80 home loss to Eastern Michigan on Jan. 2 in their MAC opener. Led by their two MAC West preseason all-conference selections in Chris Fowler, who missed the first seven games of the year, and John Simons, the Chips have four players averaging double digit points in Braylon Rayson (16.2 ppg), Fowler (15.0 ppg), Rayshawn Simmons (13.7 ppg) and Simons (10.5 ppg). Central Michigan ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring with an average of 77.8 points per game and are second in the league with an average of 10.7 made three-point field goals per game. The Chippewas are shooting 44.6 percent from the field overall, 36.4 percent from the three-point line and 67.7 percent from the charity stripe on the season. CMU, who has scored 72 points or more in 12 of their 14 games this season, are allowing 75.4 points per game and have given up 70 points or more to its opponent nine times this season. The Chips have also struggled on the road away from Mount Pleasant, Mich. and McGuirk Arena, as they are 0-3 in true road games and 0-3 in neutral site contests on the year.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND CMU
Bowling Green holds a slight 39-33 overall record all-time versus Central Michigan on the hardwood. BGSU is 23-13 all-time at home in Bowling Green, Ohio versus the Chippewas, including going 2-1 against CMU in the Stroh Center. The Falcons have won two straight over the Chippewas with a 67-57 home win in 2014 and a 76-74 overtime win at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich. last season.

COACH'S CORNER
"Our guys learned last game that the MAC is a dog fight every single night, and Saturday will be no different against Central Michigan. CMU is one of the best offensive teams in the country. They can shoot, drive and score in a variety of ways. There is no set way to guard their offense, so we have to be prepared for everything they may throw at us. Just like our first 14 games, defense will be our ticket to victory. We will need a complete defensive effort for 40 minutes. Our fans were terrific Wednesday night and it should be an electric atmosphere again Saturday."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
BGSU will hit the road for the first time in conference play next week, as the Falcons will travel to Athens, Ohio to face off with the Bobcats of Ohio University on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast by Time Warner Cable Sports, BCSN and ESPN3.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 11-4 overall on the season for the second straight year.
* Mean that BGSU started the MAC season off at 2-0 for the second straight year.
* Place the Falcons at 7-1 overall on the year at home in the Stroh Center.
* Hand the Falcons a 3-0 record for the month of January.
* Give BGSU a three-game winning streak over Central Michigan.
* Extend BGSU's current winning streak to four straight games.
* Increase the Falcons' home game winning streak to six straight games.

LAST TIME OUT - BGSU 73, MIAMI (OHIO) 62 (JAN. 6)
Bowling Green State University head coach Michael Huger and the Falcons picked up their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) win of the season with a 73-62 win over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday night in the two teams' MAC opener at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons used stingy defense, which recorded nine steals and eight blocks, and an 11-1 run in the second half to pull away from the RedHawks for the double digit win. BGSU held Miami to just 34.3 percent shooting (23-of-67) overall, including forcing the visitors in red to go just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from behind the three-point line, while the Falcons shot 44 percent (23-of-67) for the game. While Miami made more field goals (23) than the Falcons (22), BGSU drained three more three-pointers than the RedHawks for the game and took advantage of the free throw line where the home team was 24-of-30 (80 percent) on the night. In fact, BGSU made more free throws (24) than the RedHawks shot (22) for the contest.

FALCONS PICKED AS A WILDCARD SELECTION VERSUS EMU ON JAN. 16
The Mid-American Conference office has announced that Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) has selected the cross-divisional contest between Bowling Green State University and Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 16, as its MAC Wildcard selection. The game time will now be 2 p.m. ET at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The MAC clash on Jan. 16 will be broadcast live by BCSN, Time Warner Cable Sports and ESPN3.

HUGER FIRST
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 Wednesday, Jan. 6, at the Stroh Center.

FALCONS' SUCCESS IN RECENT MAC OPENERS
The Falcons have gone 9-3 overall in their last 12 Mid-American Conference openers, including snapping a two-year losing skid last year with a 66-64 win at Kent State in the conference opener. With their home win in the MAC opener over Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 6, 2016, the Falcons have won back-to-back conference opening contests over the last two years.

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 48-53 in MAC play overall.

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. BGSU won eight non-conference games, not counting postseason wins in the MAC Tournament or the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), last year.

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 14 games thus far this season for the Falcons.

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 five times this season, while Spencer Parker has hauled in 10 rebounds or more three times. Over the last two games, 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 of the last three games.

BENCH HELP
The BGSU bench has been big for the Falcons in 2016, as the Falcons reserves have totaled 84 points over the last two games. BGSU 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.

MR. ENERGY
Freshman Antwon Lillard is off to a strong start in the New Year, as he has posted back-to-back games with career high points. In BGSU's first game of 2016, Lillard totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win over Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 2. He followed that up with 16 points off the bench for the Falcons in BGSU's 73-62 home win over Miami (Ohio) in the MAC opener on Jan. 6.

PARKER APPROACHING 1,000
Senior Spencer Parker is quietly approaching the 1,000 career points mark in his final year at BGSU. Parker enters Saturday's contest with 865 career points, 135 points away from the career milestone. Parker, who is averaging 13.0 points per game this season, would need to average 7.9 points per game over the rest of the regular season to reach the mark and become the 43rd player in BGSU history to score over 1,000 career points.

#DENNYMCBUCKETS
Junior guard Zack Denny has made at least one three-point field goal in 18 straight games dating back to last season. He has knocked down at least one three-ball in all 14 games thus far this season. The last game that Denny did not make at least one three-point basket was last season in the regular season finale at Buffalo on Mar. 6, 2015.

CLEAR LINE BETWEEN WINS AND LOSSES
This season, the stats show a clear line between wins and losses for the Falcons. In their 10 wins, BGSU is averaging 78.4 points per game and have scored 72 points or more in nine of those 10 victories. The Falcons have shot on average 48.8 percent from the field as a team in their 10 wins and have shot over 44.0 percent in every win this season. BGSU is also averaging 41.1 rebounds per game and 14.7 assists per game in their 10 wins. However, in their four losses, the Falcons are averaging just 59.0 points per game, and have scored less than 60 points in three of those four losses. BGSU has also shot just 35.6 percent on average in its four losses and have twice shot less than 30 percent for the contest. The Falcons are also averaging just 34.5 rebounds and only 9.5 assists per game over their four L's on the season.

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 9-0 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are just 1-4 on the year when losing the battle of the boards with the lone win coming versus Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 6, 2016.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 44 percent from the floor as a team in each of their 10 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.

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 11 of their 14 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in nine 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 five 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.

THAT 70'S STROH
BGSU is an impressive 25-1 at the Stroh Center when scoring 70 points or more in a contest. BGSU is 6-0 at the Stroh this season when scoring 70 points or more.

HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 47-24 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 have recorded double digit home wins at the Stroh in three of the last four years. BGSU is 6-1 this season at home in the Stroh with wins over New Orleans, Urbana, UMBC, Drake, Oakland City (Ind.) and Miami.

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 appear locally on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) as well as the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel on Jan. 6 vs. Miami, Jan. 12 at Ohio, 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.