BGSU Concludes Non-Conference Schedule Friday Against Norfolk State

Friday, December 30

Bowling Green, OH

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Norfolk State

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

BGSU Concludes Non-Conference Schedule Friday Against Norfolk State

December 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

OPENING TIP
* Bowling Green and Norfolk State will meet for the first time ever on Friday afternoon.
* The Falcons will be in search of their sixth-consecutive win at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green is 5-2 in 2016-17 on its home court. BGSU last lost at the Stroh Center on Nov. 20.
* Bowling Green is coming off a 74-61 win over Alabama A&M on Dec. 22. The Falcons shot 43.5 percent from the field, and led the game for over 30 minutes of play.
* With a victory, Bowling Green would finish the non-conference schedule with a 6-7 record. BGSU is 16-12 in non-conference play under head coach Michael Huger.
* Freshman Dylan Frye scored 16 points and tied his career high for three-point field goals (4) last time out against Alabama A&M.
* Senior Zack Danny has scored in double figures in each of Bowling Green's last 10 games. He needs three more triples to move into a tie for 10th most all-time in program history.
* Since Nov. 29, senior Wes Alcegaire is averaging 14.8 PPG and shooting 52.3 percent.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON NORFOLK STATE
"Our guys had a few days at home for the holidays, which is always a nice mental break before conference play begins. Norfolk State will be our final tune-up game before MAC play. They are a team that is tough to guard because of the number of plays they run. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out against us and had a whole new set of plays. They have two guards who are terrific players, so our individual and team defense will be key factors. As always, we are going to need to control the glass in order to come out victorious."

SCOUTING THE NORFOLK STATE SPARTANS
After a tough trip to Mackey Arena to face the Purdue Boilermakers before the holiday break, Norfolk State will head to the Stroh Center on Friday (Dec. 28) with an overall record of 3-10. Just like BGSU, this will be the last game for the Spartans before conference play begins. After starting the 2016-17 season with a 2-1 record, Norfolk State has lost nine of its last 10 contests. Defensively is where the Spartans have struggled, as Norfolk State is allowing 74.6 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot 44.9 percent from the floor and 38.0 percent from three-point range. The Spartans are scoring over 16.0 points per game from the charity stripe, and are averaging a very solid 5.0 blocks per ballgame. Jonathan Wade is the lone Spartan averaging double digits, but he's been a force offensively. The senior guard averaging 19.5 points, and 5.8 rebounds, which is tied for the team lead with sophomore forward Alex Long. Junior guard Zaynah Robinson is second on the team in scoring averaging 9.9 points, and leads the team averaging 2.9 assists. Junior forward Jordan Butler is averaging a productive 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Fourth-year head coach Robert Jones owns a 59-56 record at Norfolk State.

WRAPPING UP THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Bowling Green is 16-12 in non-conference games under second-year head coach Michael Huger. With a win over Norfolk State, the Falcons would enter conference play in 2016-17 with a 6-7 record. The Falcons out-of-conference slate has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride this season. After getting off to a 0-4 start, the Falcons won three-consecutive games. BGSU then lost two in a row, and have since won two of three. The Orange and Brown have played four one-possession games, six single-digit games, and lost two games on a shot with less than three seconds left, while also winning a game with a triple with 53 seconds left. The Falcons have also become accustomed to the blowout, as BGSU has won four of its five games by at least 13 points.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE AT THE STROH CENTER
The Falcons will enter Friday's game having won five-consecutive games at the Stroh Center. BGSU defeated Alabama A&M by a score of 74-61 on Dec. 22 to move to 5-2 at the facility this season. Along with the Alabama A&M win, Bowling Green has knocked off Murray State (Nov. 21), Morgan State (Nov. 26), Notre Dame College (Nov. 29) and Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). Over the five-game winning streak, the Orange and Brown have been winning games by an average of 17 points. The Falcons have scored an average points 80.4 points, while holding opponents to an average of 63.4 points. Opponents are shooting a combined 37.7 percent from the field in Bowling Green's last five games played at the Stroh Center.

LAST TIME AT STROH: BGSU LEADS FOR 30 MINUTES IN ALABAMA A&M WIN
Bowling Green led for a total of 30:05 en route to a 74-61 victory over winless Alabama A&M (0-10) on Dec. 22. The Falcons held the Bulldogs to 36.8 percent shooting for the game, which marked the third time in 2016-17 that BGSU held its opponent to under 40.0 percent shooting. Sophomore Demajeo Wiggins recorded the second double-double of his career by recording 10 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman Dylan Frye, who scored in double figures for the third-straight game, led the Orange and Brown with 16 points. Senior Wes Alcegaire scored 15 points, while fellow senior Zack Denny scored in double figures for the 10th-consecutive contest.

ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR DEMAJEO
For the second time in his career, and for the second time in four games, sophomore Demajeo Wiggins recorded a double-double. In the team's last game against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22), Wiggins scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds. On Dec. 6 at Evansville, the sophomore scored a career-high 18 points and added 12 rebounds. The native of Toledo, Ohio is now averaging 8.9 points and 7.2 rebounds after posting 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2015-16 as a freshman. On top of the increased production, the big man is experiencing one of the bigger turnarounds at the free throw line in college basketball history this year. After shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) at the line in 2015-16, he's up to 71.7 percent (43-of-60) in 2016-17, and has already made 21 more free throws than he did all of last season, despite attempting just two more shots.

ANTWON'S BIG OUTING AGAINST ALABAMA A&M
In arguably his most complete game as a collegiate player, sophomore Antwon Lillard stuffed the stat sheet in BG's win over Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). Lillard's final line read: seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. The five assists were a career high, while the three steals tied a career high. Lillard went 3-for-6 from the field, and hit 1-of-2 attempts from three-point range. In 14 career starts dating back to the 2015-16 season, Lillard is averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

JUSTIN TURNER MAKES COLLEGIATE DEBUT
Freshman guard Justin Turner, a native of Detroit, Michigan, made his collegiate debut on Dec. 22 in BGSU's 74-61 win over Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). Turner, who suffered a lower body injury during the Falcons' exhibition game versus Capital University on Nov. 4, missed the program's first 11 games of the season. In 12 minutes of play against the Bulldogs, Turner scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting, while also pulling down two rebounds. Turner nailed his first-career shot, which was a wing three-pointer in front of the Alabama A&M bench.

WINNING TEAMS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO BOWLING GREEN'S ROAD WOES
The Falcons are 0-5 on the road in 2016-17. Although four of those losses have been by single digits, and the last two defeats have been by a combined four points, the Falcons' opponents deserve a large amount of credit for BGSU's struggles away from home. Bowling Green has played five really difficult road games. In fact, all five of BGSU's opponents on the road – Oakland (10-3), South Dakota (9-6), Cincinnati (11-2), Evansville (9-4) and San Jose State (7-5) – own winning records. The five opponents have a combined record of 46-20. Furthermore, none of BGSU's next five road opponents – Akron (10-3), Ball State (8-4), Toledo (6-6), Central Michigan (9-3) and Kent State (8-5) – have records below .500.

CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS NEXT WEEK
A handful of conferences have already begun playing league games. The Falcons have one more non-conference game to go, but the first week of the MAC schedule appears to be extremely difficult. BGSU opens at Akron (10-3) on Jan. 3. Akron, along with being the predicted MAC Tournament champion, has beaten the Falcons 16-straight times. Ball State is off to an 8-4 start and was picked to finish second in the MAC West. When looking at the combined records of first-week opponents across the league, no team will pay two opponents that have more combined wins than Akron and Ball State. The Zips and Cardinals currently have a combined record of 18-7. Western Michigan plays at Ohio (7-3) and at Akron, while Kent State also has a tough draw having to face Ball State at home and Ohio on the road.

DENNY CLOSE TO EARNING MEMBERSHIP INTO THREE-POINT FRATERNITY
Bowling Green's three-point fraternity will have a new member soon. Senior guard Zack Denny has made 120 three-point field goals in his career, and is just two triples shy of moving into a tie with Jordon Crawford (2009-13) for 10th most all-time. Denny, who has made at least one three-pointer in each of the last nine games, made 50 triples in 2014-15 and 52 bombs in 2015-16. If he were to make 50 more three-pointers this season, Denny would finish his career ranked sixth all-time in made three-point field goals. For his career, Denny is shooting 37.2 percent from downtown.

10-STRAIGHT DOUBLE-FIGURE GAMES FOR DENNY
Germantown, Ohio native Zack Denny has scored in double figures in each of Bowling Green's last 10 games. For his career, the senior has had 43 double-digit nights, and he's now 175 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Denny, who is averaging a career-best 12.4 points per game, which ranks second on the team, had seven points, seven rebounds and two assists at South Dakota (Nov. 13) in the one game this season that he didn't reach double figures. After scoring just four points in the first half of the team's most-recent game against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22), the senior's streak was in jeopardy, but he quickly scored seven points in the second half to finish with 11 points. Denny, who is widely thought of as BGSU's top perimeter defender, is averaging 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game in 2016-17.

#DeepFrye
To put things mildly, freshman Dylan Frye is shooting the three-ball at a downright silly clip, especially over Bowling Green's last eight games. Over the current eight-game stretch, Frye is 17-for-32 (53.1 percent) from deep. He has made at least one triple in seven of those eight games, and is shooting 47.2 percent (17-for-36) from downtown for the season. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native hit four triples against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) most recently, which marked the second time in three games that he made four three-pointers. Frye connected on 3-of-4 triples in the Falcons' victory over Morgan State (Nov. 26) earlier in the season. The freshman has hit multiple three-balls in five games this season, and has shot at least 50.0 percent from three-point land in a total of six contests.

ALCEGAIRE'S LAST SIX BALLGAMES
Senior forward Wes Alcegaire is scoring a team-high 13.1 points per game, and he's been remarkably efficient scoring the basketball over the last six games. Alcegaire, who is averaging 14.8 points over Bowling Green's last six games, has scored 15-plus points in five of those contests. He is also shooting 52.3 percent over the last six games. Alcegaire scored 15 points last time out against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22), and prior to that, he scored 16 points in consecutive games at San Jose State (Dec. 18) and Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). The Miami, Florida native also scored 16 points at Cincinnati (Dec. 4), while dropping a season-high 20 points on Notre Dame College (Nov. 29). Alcegaire, who has had eight games of double-digit scoring, leads Bowling Green in three-point field goals with 20.

BOWLING GREEN'S DIAPER DANDY'S
Famous college basketball announcer Dick Vitale often talks about "Diaper Dandy's," which refer to college basketball's most elite freshmen. At Bowling Green, guards Dylan Frye and Rodrick Caldwell seem to be settling in and finding their grove. Frye leads the Falcon bench in minutes (19.1) and points (7.8). He's scored in double figures in each of the last three games, as he scored 16 points against Alabama A&M prior to scoring 10 points at San Jose State (Dec. 18) and a career-high 18 points versus Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). Frye is shooting 48.6 percent from the field, and 47.2 percent from downtown. Caldwell, on the other hand, has posted new career highs in points in two of BGSU's last four games. He scored an efficient 10 points on four shots at Evansville (Dec. 6), and four days later, scored 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting against Detroit Mercy. Caldwell has shot the ball from three-point land effectively all season, as he's shooting at a 35.5 percent clip for the year. Freshman Justin Turner is also a part of the mix now, as he returned from injury last game to score five points on 2-of-3 shooting in the win over Alabama A&M.

THE BGSU SPLASH BROTHERS
Bowling Green has five players on the 2016-17 roster that have made 11-plus attempts from three-point range. As a team, BGSU is shooting 36.6 percent from downtown. This high mark is due largely in part to five payers. Bowling Green's Splash Brothers – Wes Alcegaire (20-of-53; 37.7 percent), Dylan Frye (17-of-36; 47.2 percent), Zack Denny (15-of-49; 30.6 percent), Matt Fox (14-of-34; 41.2 percent), and Rodrick Caldwell (11-of-31; 35.5 percent) – have combined to make a total of 77 triples. Collectively, they are shooting 37.9 percent from deep (77-of-203).

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?
Junior Matt Fox, who was put on scholarship just hours before BGSU's win over Murray State (Nov. 21), has adapted well to his increased role this season. The guard, who often times this season has played the power forward position, does more than just shoot threes. However, three-point shooting has been Fox's calling card since arriving on campus, and he's been very effective this season from downtown. Fox has hit a three in six of Bowling Green's last eight games. Over that eight-game stretch, Fox is 10-for-20 (50.0 percent) from downtown. The Maumee, Ohio native has hit at least two triples in four games this season, while also having a 4-for-7 game from three-point land versus Morgan State (Nov. 26).

MALIK MAKES THE MOST OF PLAYING TIME
Malik Hluchoweckyj, a sophomore guard from Omaha, Nebraska, has appeared in three of Bowling Green's last seven 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 four appearances, as he also got a run in BGSU's games at Oakland (Nov. 11) and Cincinnati (Dec. 4).

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 game versus Notre Dame College (Nov. 29), also made an appearance in Bowling Green's game at Cincinnati (Dec. 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.

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 52-33 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.

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.

#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 included 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.