BGSU Welcomes Notre Dame College To Bowling Green Tuesday Night

Tuesday, November 29

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Notre Dame College (Ohio)

November 28, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL (2-4; 0-0)
vs.
Notre Dame College (3-2; 0-0)

Nov. 29 | 7 p.m. | Bowling Green, Ohio | Stroh Center (4,387)
Game Notes: Bowling Green
ESPN3 | Audio (Falcon Radio Network) | Live Stats
**Dollar Day (Tickets $1 Until 5 p.m. | Pop/Soda/Popcorn $1 from 6-8 p.m.)**

OPENING TIP

* Bowling Green enters Tuesday's game on a two-game winning streak. The Falcons earned a 90-58 win over Morgan State on Nov. 26, which was BGSU's 50th win at the Stroh Center.
* Last season, Notre Dame College fought BGSU into overtime, before Bowling Green pulled away with a 74-65 victory.
* Junior Matt Fox and freshman Dylan Frye are coming off career nights, as both established new career bests in the win over Morgan State in points with 18 and 15, respectively.
* The Orange and Brown have had four players score in double digits across the last two games. Against Morgan State, Matt Fox (18), Dylan Frye (15), Demajeo Wiggins (12) and Zack Denny (11) scored more than 10 points.
* The Falcons avoided their first 0-5 start since the 1991-92 season by knocking off Murray State on Nov. 21. Zack Denny hit a game-winning three with 53 seconds left to give BGSU its first win of the 2016-17 season.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON NOTRE DAME COLLEGE
"I'm very pleased with our effort this past weekend against Morgan State. We worked on transition defense leading up to Saturday's contest, and I felt that we played a great defensive game. At one point during the Morgan State game, we got 16 consecutive defensive stops, which ultimately led to a big lead. We will look to build on that momentum and continue improving our transition defense this week against Notre Dame College. They are an extremely fast playing team, and they love to shoot the three-point shot, and score in transition. If you look at the games they've played this season, they had opportunities to beat the No. 1 and No. 7 teams in the nation for DII basketball. Despite not being a DI opponent, this will be one of the bigger defensive challenges we've had. My staff and I have been reminding our guys that this team took us to OT last season, so they will be coming into the Stroh Center extra confident. Now that Thanksgiving break is over, our guys are looking forward to having our students back in the seats to cheer us on Tuesday night!"

SCOUTING THE NOTRE DAME COLLEGE FALCONS
The Falcons of Notre Dame enter Tuesday night's game with a 3-2 record, having lost only to a pair of Top 10 teams in the NCAA DII circuit. NDC lost to No. 1 ranked West Liberty by 22 points on Nov. 15, before falling to No. 7 Wheeling Jesuit, 83-74, on Nov. 21. Prior to those contests, Notre Dame College opened the season with wins over West Chester, Cheyney State and Mercyhurst. The Falcons are a high-scoring and prolific offensive team, and they like to shoot the three ball. NDC is averaging 80.0 points per game, and 11 three-point makes per game. However, there will be opportunities for BGSU to score the basketball, as Notre Dame College has allowed 81.4 points per contest. NDC's five starters are also their top-five leading scorers. Junior forward Will Vorhees is averaging 23.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, while junior guard Kyauta Taylor is averaging 18.8 and 4.2. Sophomore forward Ja'Sean Lewis is averaging a double-double (10.0 points/10.6 rebounds), while freshman guard Kobie Johnson sits third on the team in scoring (11.6 PPG).

A SCARE AT THE STROH
Last season, Notre Dame College fought BGSU into overtime in an exhibition matchup, before Bowling Green pulled away with a 74-65 victory. Ismail Ali had a chance to win the game at the buzzer in regulation, but the ball hit the rim three times before popping out. BGSU outscored NDC, 17-8, in the overtime period. Antwon Lillard scored a team-high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

DRAMATIC TRIPLE AND BIG SECOND HALF HAVE BGSU BACK ON TRACK
After starting the 2016-17 season with four-consecutive losses, Bowling Green has won two-straight ballgames. Senior Zack Denny lifted BGSU to a dramatic 78-77 victory over Murray State (Nov. 21) with a three-pointer with 53 seconds on the clock. Last Saturday (Nov. 26), in a win over Morgan State, the Falcons shot 60.0 percent (18-of-30) from the field in the second half, while scoring 57 points and connecting on 7-of-9 attempts from downtown. Bowling Green's big second half turned a 33-22 lead at the half into a 32-point victory. In both games, the Falcons have had four players score 10-plus points.

FALCONS REGISTER WIN NO. 50 AT THE STROH CENTER
Bowling Green's 90-58 win over Morgan State (Nov. 26) marked the program's 50th victory at the Stroh Center. The Falcons own an overall record of 50-33 at the Stroh Center, which opened for the 2011-12 season. The Orange and Brown have won 11-plus games in three seasons at the Stroh, as BGSU went 12-4 in the facility's inaugural season, prior to finishing 11-5 in 2012-13, and 11-6 in 2014-15.

A 17-0 RUN AND 7:51 DROUGHT
In Bowling Green's 90-58 triumph over Morgan State, the Falcons, after falling behind in the game by a score of 13-6, went on a 17-0 run. Across that run, Bowling Green held Morgan State scoreless across 7:51. Over that 7:51 drought for the Bears, Morgan State was 0-for-9 from the field, and Bowling Green forced seven turnovers. The 17-0 run helped Bowling Green turn a seven-point deficit into an 11-point halftime lead.

FOX EARNS SCHOLARSHIP, COMPLETES BIG WEEK WITH CAREER NIGHT
Last week was a great week for junior Matt Fox. On Monday (Nov. 21), just hours before the start of BGSU's game versus Murray State, the program announced that Fox had earned a scholarship. Fox, who joined the program for the 2014-15 season as a walk-on, then turned in the best game of his career in Bowling Green's next game against Morgan State (Nov. 26). Fox scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also dished out a career-best three assists, tied his career-high in rebounds with five. Fox also hit four triples, which fell just one shy of his career high. In 19.0 minutes per game this year, Fox is averaging 7.0 points and 2.7 rebounds.

DENNY INCHES CLOSER TO CAREER MILESTONES AFTER STRONG WEEK
Senior guard Zack Denny scored a season-high 17 points against Murray State (Nov. 21), and gave BGSU its first win of 2016-17 by hitting a game-winning triple with 53 seconds on the clock. In Bowling Green's next game versus Morgan State (Nov. 26), Denny tied the program record for steals with eight, and nearly recorded a triple-double, as he also had 11 points and seven rebounds. The Germantown, Ohio native is also approaching a few significant career milestones. After hitting a three in each of BGSU's two games last week, Denny is just 10 three-point field goals shy of tying Jordon Crawford (2009-13) for 10th most all-time in program history. Denny is also 250 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

THIS IS A DIFFERENT DEMAJEO
Demajeo Wiggins had a really strong freshman season in 2015-16. He cracked into the starting lineup for BGSU's last seven games, and for the year, averaged 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, in 2016-17, he's taken his game to another level. Through six games, he's up to 8.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. His free throw shooting has improved immensely, as well. In 2015-16, Wiggins shot 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the line across 58 attempts. As a sophomore, Wiggins is shooting at a 77.8 percent (21-of-27) clip. He has made one less free throw than he did all of last season, even though he's attempted 31 less shots.

DEEP FRYE
Over the last two games, freshman Dylan Frye has made 5-of-7 attempts from downtown. He's hit at least two shots from deep in each of those two ballgames. In Bowling Green's 78-77 win over Murray State (Nov. 21), Frye went 2-for-3 from three-point range, which marked the first two three-point field goals of his career. He hit back-to-back threes in the first half, and finished the game with a career-high nine points. In the Falcons' next game against Morgan State (Nov. 26), Frye established new career highs in both points and three-point makes, as he scored 15 points and went 3-for-4 from deep. Frye is shooting 45.5 percent from three-point range. While coming off the Falcon bench, the Pembroke Pines, Florida native is averaging 5.7 points per game, and is shooting 40.7 percent from the field.

TWON HAS BEEN TERRIFIC IN A STARTING ROLE
Sophomore guard Antwon Lillard has made eight career starts. Lillard made three starts last season, all of which came in the MAC Tournament, and has now started five of BGSU's six games this season. The sophomore has scored in double digits in five of those starts. In the Bill Frack Tournament last weekend, Lillard shot 7-of-12 for 19 points against UMKC (Nov. 19), and then connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts for 15 points against Green Bay (Nov. 20). Across his eight starts, Lillard is averaging 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. Last game against Morgan State (Nov. 26), he pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.

BIG SHEED HAS BEEN A BIG SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Redshirt-sophomore Rasheed Worrell started 28 games last year, but at the end of the campaign, was moved to a bench role in favor of Demajeo Wiggins. Since the shift in roles, Worrell has been a spark plug off the bench, and through six games in 2016-17, the Belhaven, N.C. native is leading the Falcon bench in both points (7.2/game) and rebounds (5.8/game). Worrell scored seven points and added nine rebounds in Bowling Green's most recent victory over Morgan State (Nov. 26). He's had at least four points and four rebounds in each game this season. Worrell scored in double figures for the 11th time in his career on Nov. 13, as he posted 14 points in a game at South Dakota.

ALI IS DOING IT ALL
Senior point guard Ismail "Ish" Ali is having a strong season. His scoring, rebounding, free throw shooting and assist averages are all up from his first season as a Falcon in 2015-16. Ali is averaging 8.0 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and the senior is shooting 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the charity stripe. Furthermore, Ali's assist-to-turnover ratio has been solid, as the South Hayward, California native has registered 27 assists compared to 13 turnovers. Ali is coming off a season-high seven assists in the win over Morgan State (Nov. 26).

ALCEGAIRE IS A SELFLESS SENIOR LEADER
Wes Alcegaire, a senior forward, continues add value to this year's team. Alcegaire, a more traditional small forward, has been tasked to start at the four this season for the Falcons, taking over the position that Spencer Parker played last season. Alcegaire is second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game. In the 2016 opener at Oakland (Nov. 11), Alcegaire connected on 4-of-7 attempts from three-point range, and ended up with 19 points. The 19 points were just two off from his career high, which was set last year against Youngstown State, when he played 13 more minutes than he did at Oakland. Alcegaire went 3-for-6 from three-point range in BGSU's first win of the season over Murray State (Nov. 21), and has scored at least nine points in five of the Falcons' six games. A well-rounded player, the senior is also averaging 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

CLEANING UP THE GLASS
Heading into the season, not many individuals thought that the Falcons would be a strong rebounding team. Wes Alcegaire, who played the wing last season, has shifted into more of a post role. The 6-foot-7 Alcegaire is playing the stretch forward position that Spencer Parker played last season. On the wing, Zack Denny and Antwon Lillard are thought of more as guards than forwards. However, with all that being said, the Falcons rank 36th in the country in rebounds per game (41.8). Bowling Green also ranked 49th in the land in defensive rebounds per game (29.0), and 78th in offensive rebounds per game (12.8). The Falcons have a plus-four rebounding margin, and have won the battle on the class in four of the first six games of 2016-17.

GOOD FOR GOOD
Freshman guard Ethan Good played the final three minutes of Bowling Green's win over Morgan State (Nov. 26), marking the first three minutes of his collegiate career. The walk-on from Wapakoneta, Ohio registered his first-career assist, and then converted on 1-of-2 free throw attempts for the first point of his career. Good has also made an appearance in BGSU's exhibition win over Capital University (Nov. 4).

UJU COMES THROUGH IN DIVISION I DEBUT
Junior Jeffrey Uju has never given up, clearly, on his goal to play Division I men's basketball. Uju played his first two seasons of college basketball in the JUCO circuit, and at two different schools, nonetheless. After playing the 2014-15 season at Eastern Wyoming College and the 2015-16 season at Western Texas College, Uju played his first Division I game on Nov. 11 in BGSU's season opener at Oakland. In 17 minutes, the junior hauled in a team-high seven rebounds, and scored five points on a perfect 2-for-2 night from the floor. Uju also connected on his only three-point attempt, which trimmed a 10-point deficit to single digits in the second half. Uju was leading the team in rebounds at 5.0 per game through the first two games of the season, but has been sidelined ever since with a lower-body injury.

YEAR TWO OF THE MICHAEL HUGER ERA
After guiding the Falcons to a 16-18 record last season, head coach Michael Huger has begun his second season at the helm of his alma mater. Huger has brought some needed stability to the program, as the 2016-17 season will mark the first time that the Falcons will have a head coach for back-to-back seasons since 2013-14. The former Falcon guard will look to build off an exciting run at last year's MAC Tournament. The Orange and Brown defeated both Kent State and Central Michigan, two team's that beat BGSU twice during the regular season, to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

FALCONS RETURN YOUNG CORE FOR 2016-17
Bowling Green returns a large portion of last year's team that reached the conference tournament semifinals. Michael Huger has built a strong, and young foundation that will look to continue to improve. Last season, three freshmen – Antwon Lillard, Demajeo Wiggins and Rasheed Worrell – combined to make 38 starts. Additionally, eight of Bowling Green's 13 man roster are underclassmen, and BGSU returns five of last season's top six leading scorers. BGSU returns its top five field goal percentage shooters, as well as its leaders in assists (Ali), blocks (Worrell) and steals (Denny) from a season ago. Furthermore, the Orange and Brown return 74.3 percent of its rebounding and 72.4 percentage of its made three-point field goals from the 2015-16 season.

FALCONS INK FOUR DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
On the eve of the college basketball season (Nov. 10), Bowling Green announced the signing of four future student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Nelly Cummings (Midland, Pa. / Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School), Joniya Gadson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Dillard High School), Derek Koch (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern High School) and Daeqwon Plowden (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastery Charter North School) are set to join the program for the 2017-18 season. More information can be found at BGSUFalcons.com.

RICHAUN HOLMES SCORES SEASON-HIGH 13 POINTS VS. HOMETOWN BULLS
Richaun Holmes, the 2014-15 MAC Defensive Player of the Year and the 37th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, became known at Bowling Green for making an impact in a variety of categories on the final stat sheet. In Philadelphia's most-recent game versus the Chicago Bulls, the Lockport, Illinois native, who grew up as a Chicago fan, went 4-for-8 from the field and scored a season-high 13 points. As of Nov. 28, Holmes has appeared in 65 NBA games. He's made one start apiece in each of his first two years in the association. Holmes and the Knicks' Maurice Ndour (Ohio) are the only active players in the league from the Mid-American Conference.

#BGinItaly
Due largely in part to Bill Frack's extreme generosity, financial commitment and unwavering support towards the men's basketball program, the team went on an 11-day cultural immersion tour in Italy from Aug. 8-18. The program spent days in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Lake Como, and saw some of the most famous landmarks in Italian history. The Falcons traveled to The Vatican, spent time inside the Roman Colosseum, visited the Ferrari Museum and saw the famous gondolas in Venice, among many other stops, which include Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. The Orange and Brown also played four games, and accumulated a 3-1 record while playing professional and national competition.