Falcons Head To Queen City To Take On Cincinnati Sunday Night On ESPNU

Sunday, December 4

Cincinnati OH

8:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

(RV) Cincinnati

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Falcons Head To Queen City To Take On Cincinnati Sunday Night On ESPNU

December 02, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

OPENING TIP
* Bowling Green enters Sunday's game on a three-game winning streak. BGSU has earned wins over Murray State (Nov. 21), Morgan State (Nov. 26) and Notre Dame College (Nov. 29).
* Cincinnati leads the all-time series with BGSU, 8-1. The Falcons' lone win came in 2007.
* Last season, BGSU trailed Cincinnati at halftime by a score of 35-31, prior to UC pulling away with an 83-50 victory. The game was played at the Stroh Center.
* The Falcons have had four players score in double figures in each of the past three games. In BGSU's win over Notre Dame College on Tuesday, Bowling Green had five players score in double figures for the first time since Jan. 12, 2016.
* Bowling Green is still in search of its first road win of the season. The Falcons opened the 2016-17 season with single-digit losses at Oakland (70-78) and at South Dakota (72-78).
* In nine-career starts, Antwon Lillard is averaging 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds. Lillard will enter Sunday's game fresh off the first double-double (13 PTS, 10 REBS) of his career.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON CINCINNATI
"It was great to see our team get its third-consecutive win on Tuesday against Notre Dame College. As we head on the road for a two-game road trip, next up is Cincinnati, one of the best teams in the country. In this game, it will be important for our guys to continue to build on our defensive identity, and take the game one possession at a time. Cincinnati is fantastic defensively and an elite offensive rebounding team. It will be a fantastic test for our squad. This game will ultimately come down to defense."

SCOUTING THE CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Cincinnati is receiving 49 votes in this week's AP Top 25 poll, which is third-most of any school not currently inside of the Top 25. The Bearcats were ranked No. 24 in the country in the second week of the poll, but dropped out of the rankings after a loss to No. 21 Rhode Island. Cincinnati will enter play Sunday with a 6-1 record, having just recorded one of the best wins across all of college basketball this season on Thursday (Dec. 1). Cincinnati went into Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, and defeated No. 19 Iowa State in overtime, 55-54. The win snapped Iowa State's 37-game winning streak at home in non-conference games. UC is built on defense. Along with averaging 7.0 blocked shots per game, which ranks sixth in the nation, UC is holding opponents to 58.4 points per game. The Bearcats own a plus-15.3 scoring margin. Jacob Evans (16.9) and Kyle Washington (16.3) are the only Bearcats averaging in double figures, and have been the catalysts for an offense shooting 46.6 percent from the field.

A SEASON AGO AT THE STROH
Last season, the Falcons hosted Cincinnati at the Stroh Center. The Falcons trailed by just four points, 35-31, at the half after the Bearcats hit a three at the buzzer. However, Cincinnati held BGSU to just six made field goals in the second half, and eventually rolled to an 83-50 victory. Bowling Green's current starters – Ismail Ali (1-for-6), Zack Denny (4-for-14), Antwon Lillard (4-for-11), Wes Alcegaire (0-for-9), and Demajeo Wiggins (2-for-2) – were held to 26.2 percent (11-for-42) shooting in the game.

FALCON BASKETBALL ON NATIONAL TELEVISION
Bowling Green men's basketball is set to appear on national television on Sunday night (Dec. 4), as BGSU's game at Cincinnati will air on ESPNU. The Falcons have not appeared on national television across ESPN's family of networks since Feb. 20, 2014, when Bowling Green hosted Toledo in the Battle of I-75. The Falcons lost that game by a score of 60-58 on a Rian Pearson jumper with four seconds left in regulation.

A TOP-25 REBOUNDING TEAM
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. Nonetheless, the Falcons rank 23rd in the country in rebounds per game (42.4). Additionally Bowling Green aranks 17th in the land in defensive rebounds per game (30.3). The Falcons have a plus-four rebounding margin, and have won the battle on the glass in five of the first seven games of 2016-17.

DRAMATIC TRIPLE AND BIG SECOND HALF PUT BGSU BACK ON TRACK
At the start of last week, the Falcons owned a 0-4 record. However, a late three-ball and a blowout victory sealed a 2-0 week for the Falcons. 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. The win was Bowling Green's first of the 2016-17 season. Five days later, in a win over Morgan State (Nov. 26), 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 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 now own an overall record of 51-33 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 (Nov. 26), 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.

A DEEP TEAM IS A FRESH TEAM
At Thursday's (Dec. 1) Falcons Nest Coaches Show, head coach Michael Huger commented on his rotation, and specifically the number of players that were receiving minutes. Huger noted that since his team has been deeper this year, players aren't being asked to log heavy minutes. The result of that has been that players have been fresher late in games. Bowling Green has 10 players averaging at least 14.0 minutes per game. BGSU's starting five – Zack Denny (29.3), Antwon Lillard (27.3), Wes Alcegaire (26.3), Ismail Ali (25.5) and Demajeo Wiggins (22.1) – are all playing at least 22.0 minutes per game, while everyone that has seen significant minutes off the bench – Matt Fox (18.4), Rasheed Worrell (18.0), Rodrick Caldwell (17.9), Dylan Frye (16.9) and Jeffrey Uju (14.0) – are playing at least 14.0 minutes.

DENNY KEEPS SCORING ON JOURNEY INTO BGSU RECORD BOOKS
Senior guard Zack Denny has scored in double figures in each of BGSU's last five games, while also hitting at least one triple over the past four games. Denny is 239 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. He's also just nine three-point field goals shy of tying Jordon Crawford (2009-13) for 10th most all-time in program history. Along with hitting the game-winning three with 53 seconds left to lift BGSU to its first win of the season on Nov. 21 against Murray State, Denny ranks second on the team in scoring (12.1 PPG). Prior to scoring 11 points in a win over Notre Dame College (Nov. 29), Denny nearly recorded a triple-double against Morgan State (Nov. 26). The Germantown, Ohio native tied the program record for steals with eight, while also adding 11 points and seven rebounds.

FOX EARNS SCHOLARSHIP, COMPLETES BIG WEEK WITH CAREER NIGHT
Last week was a great week for junior Matt Fox. On 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, and tied his career-high in rebounds with five. Fox also hit four triples, which fell just one shy of his career high. In 18.4 minutes per game this year, Fox is averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds.

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 seven games, he's up to 9.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He's had 10-plus points, or 10-plus rebounds, in four-consecutive games. 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 an 81.3 percent (26-of-32) clip. He has made four more free throws than he did all of last season, even though he's attempted 26 less shots.

DEEP FRYE
Over BGSU's last three games, freshman Dylan Frye has made 7-of-12 attempts from downtown. He's hit at least two shots from deep in each of those three 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. In Bowling Green's most recent game against Notre Dame College (Nov. 29), he scored 10 points and went 2-for-5 from deep (4-for-7 from the field). The Pembroke Pines, Florida native is shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range, 44.1 percent from the floor, and is averaging 6.3 points per game.

TWON HAS BEEN TERRIFIC IN A STARTING ROLE
Sophomore guard Antwon Lillard has made nine career starts. Lillard made three starts last season, all of which came in the MAC Tournament, and has now started six of BGSU's seven games this season. The sophomore has scored in double digits in six of those starts. Lillard will enter Sunday night's game fresh off the first double-double of his career, as he scored 13 points and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in a win over Notre Dame College (Nov. 29). Aside from scoring the basketball at a high clip, Lillard has been rebounding extremely well in 2016-17. He's established a new career best for rebounds in each of the past two games.

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 seven games in 2016-17, the Belhaven, N.C. native is averaging 6.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. His 5.3 rebounds is tops on the BGSU bench unit. Through the first six games of the season, Worrell had registered at least four points and four rebounds in each game. He has sprinkled in big games along the way, as well. He 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. Worrell had eight points and six rebounds in the season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11). He also recorded a season-high nine rebounds, and added seven points in a win over Morgan State (Nov. 26).

ISMAIL "ASSIST" ALI
Ismail "Ish" Ali is the type of floor general that scorers enjoy playing with. His scoring, rebounding, free throw shooting and assist averages are all up from his first season as a Falcon in 2015-16. Ali has been doing it all, and he's averaging 7.5 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. He is also shooting 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the charity stripe. However, although Ali has clearly become more of a complete player this season, his best characteristic, which is his playmaking ability, has reached new heights in 2016-17. The South Hayward, California native, who averaged 3.8 assists per game last year, dished out a season-high nine assists in BGSU's most-recent win over Notre Dame College (Nov. 29). Ali had seven assists the game prior versus Morgan State (Nov. 26), which was his season high at the time. Furthermore, the senior has had a pair of games in which he's scored 11-plus points with five-plus assists. Ali had an 11 and six night at South Dakota, and in BGSU's first win of the season against Murray State (Nov. 21), he scored a season-high 12 points, while adding five assists.

LEADING-SCORER WES ALCEGAIRE DROPS 20 ON NOTRE DAME COLLEGE
After finishing the 2015-16 season as the Falcons' third-most prolific scorer at 10.2 points per game, senior forward Wes Alcegaire sits atop the team's scoring charts through Bowling Green's first seven games of the 2016-17 season. Alcegaire, who is averaging 12.6 points per game, poured in a season-high 20 points on Tuesday (Nov. 29) against Notre Dame College. The senior went 7-for-13 from the field, and 3-for-7 from three-point range. Alcegaire has now made a team-high 13 three-point field goals. He's scored in double figures in four games this season, while scoring at least nine points in six of the Falcons' seven games. What makes Alcegaire's improved scoring even more impressive is the fact that he's playing a completely different position. After playing on the wing in 2015-16, he's been asked to play at the four this season, taking over the position that Spencer Parker played last season. A well-rounded player, the senior is also averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

MALIK MAKES THE MOST OF PLAYING TIME
Malik Hluchoweckyj, a sophomore guard from Omaha, Nebraska, has appeared in Bowling Green's last two contests. After playing three minutes against Morgan State (Nov. 26), Hluchoweckyj scored his first three points of the season against Notre Dame College on Nov. 29. He converted on 1-of-2 free throws, and then scored a layup on a fast break off a nice dish from Rodrick Caldwell. After playing in eight games last season, the sophomore has already made three appearances, as he also got a run in BGSU's season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11).

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 scored his first-career point by converting on 1-of-2 free throw attempts. Good, who also played two minutes and launched a pair of three-point bombs in BG's most-recent game versus Notre Dame College (Nov. 29), 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 MAKES 65TH NBA APPEARANCE
Richaun Holmes, the 2014-15 MAC Defensive Player of the Year and the 37th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, played his 65th game in the league on Nov. 28 in Toronto. Holmes finished the game one rebound shy of a double-double, as he scored 11 points and had nine rebounds. The game prior, Holmes scored a season-high 13 points versus the Chicago Bulls. The Lockport, Illinois native, who grew up as a Bulls fan, went 4-for-8 from the field and 1-for-2 from downtown in the contest. 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.