Falcons Wrap Up MAC Cross Divisional Play at NIU on Tuesday Night at 8 p.m. ET

Tuesday, February 16

DeKalb, Ill.

8:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Northern Illinois

Photo by: Larry Clapper

Falcons Wrap Up MAC Cross Divisional Play at NIU on Tuesday Night at 8 p.m. ET

February 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Bowling Green (13-12, 4-8 MAC) vs. Northern Illinois (17-8, 6-6 MAC)
Tuesday, Feb.16, 2016 * 8:00 p.m. ET
DeKalb, Ill. * NIU Convocation Center

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STARTING FIVE
(1) LOOKING TO FOLLOW NIU'S EXAMPLE: BGSU will look to follow NIU's example from last Saturday, Feb. 13, as the Huskies snapped a five-game losing streak with an 80-79 win over Akron. BGSU has dropped each of its last five contests heading into play on Tuesday night.

(2) WINNING OVER NIU: The Falcons have won each of the last two meetings over the NIU Huskies with each the two wins giving BGSU a regular season series sweep last year. BGSU, who won seven straight over NIU from 2007-08 to 2012-13, has won nine out of the last 11 meetings between the two teams and 18 out of the last 24 contests dating back to the 1997-98 season.

(3) LOW SCORING AFFAIRS: As of late, the BGSU and NIU contests have been low scoring affairs. Neither team has scored over 70 points in each of the last six meetings, while four times the winning team has scored 57 point or less in the win.

(4) FALCONS IN CONVOCATION CENTERS: Tuesday night's contest in DeKalb, Ill. will take place inside the NIU Convocation Center. BGSU is a perfect 2-0 this year when playing in arenas tabbed as Convocation Centers with wins on the road at the OU Convocation Center on Jan. 12 and at the EMU Convocation Center on Jan. 16.

(5) BENCH PLAY: The Falcons' bench play has been strong thus far in conference play, as Coach Huger's bench is averaging 24.2 points per game over BGSU's 12 league games. With the 24.2 points per game, the BGSU bench is accounting for almost a third of the Falcons' scoring thus far in conference play.

(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 NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES
In their last contest, the Northern Illinois Huskies defeated the MAC leading Akron Zips 80-79 at home to snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 17-8 overall and 6-6 in MAC play with the win. The Huskies have done it with defense all season long, as they rank second in the MAC in points allowed at just 67.0 per contest and lead the MAC in field goal percentage defense by holding their foes to a league low 39.9 percent shooting on the season. NIU is also first in the MAC in rebounding, as the Huskies haul in 39.9 rebounds per game and are out-rebounding their foes by 6.2 rebounds per contest on the year. The Huskies also rank second in the MAC in steals at 7.4 per contest and third in the MAC in assists with an average of 14.8 dimes per outing as a team on the season. NIU is led offensively by a quartet of players averaging double digit points per game on the year in Marin Maric (12.8), Aaric Armstead (11.5), Marshawn Wilson (11.1) and Travon Baker (11.1). Maric leads the Huskies in rebounding at 8.4 per contests and in blocks with 28 on the season. Baker paces the NIU offense with 100 assists on the year, an average of 4.0 per game, and leads the Huskies in steals with 36 overall on the season.

HUSKIES AT HOME
The Huskies are a stellar 14-1 overall at home in the NIU Convocation Center thus far this season with the lone home loss of the year coming to Buffalo, 90-78, on Feb. 2. Prior to that loss, NIU had won a school-record 15 straight home games prior to the loss with the streak beginning back last season.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Falcons lead the overall series 32-27 over the NIU Huskies. BGSU has won each of the last two meetings, both of which came in regular season play last year, and a total of nine out of the last 11 contests between these two teams. The last time the Falcons lost to the Huskies was in the first round of the 2014 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, when NIU held off BGSU for a 54-51 overtime win in DeKalb, Ill. The Falcons are 10-15 overall on the road versus the Huskies in DeKalb, Ill.

EAST VS. WEST
BGSU, who is in the MAC East Division, is 2-5 versus the MAC West Division this season with road wins at Eastern Michigan (Jan. 16) and at Western Michigan (Jan. 26). NIU, who is in the MAC West Division, is 2-5 versus the MAC East Division with home wins over Ohio (Jan. 6) and Akron (Feb. 13).

COACH'S CORNER
"Foul shooting lost us our last game against Western Michigan. With the MAC being so competitive, we cannot afford to let games slip away. NIU is our next challenge as we wind down MAC play. They have surprised a lot of people this year, and recently picked up a big win over Akron. They're big, strong and very skilled. We finish the season with four of our last six games on the road. We will need improved foul shooting and better starts to the game in order to pull out a few victories. Our team has shown we can compete with everyone in the league. Regardless of our record, we are still very much in the mix to compete for a MAC Tournament Championship."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
BGSU will remain on the road to take on the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 12 p.m. (noon) ET in Buffalo, N.Y. The game is slated to be televised on the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWCS) and the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN).

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 14-12 overall on the season.
* Extend the Falcons winning streak to three straight games over the Huskies.
* Give the Falcons an overall record of 3-5 on the year versus the MAC West Division.
* Hand the Falcons their first win for the month of February.
* Snap a five-game losing streak for BGSU.
* Place BGSU at 7-4 overall on the year in true road contests.

LAST TIME OUT - WMU 74, BGSU 68 (FEB. 13)
The Bowling Green State University Falcons had three players in double figures and shot 46 percent from the field overall for the game, yet couldn't overcome a poor day at the free throw line and a strong offensive shooting performance in the first half from Western Michigan in a 74-68 home loss to the Broncos on Saturday afternoon inside the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. Western Michigan was 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) from the field as a team in the first half, including making all six of its first six shot attempts to take an early lead and not look back on its way to the win. BGSU shot 46 percent (23-of-50) overall for the game, yet struggled from the free throw line where the Falcons were just 15-of-32 (46.9 percent) overall. WMU outscored the Falcons 40-32 in points in the point and 13-9 in points off turnovers, while the Falcons held a 32-17 advantage in bench points, an 8-0 lead in fast break points and a 9-6 edge in second chance points despite being out-rebounded 36-30 for the game. The game saw a total of 42 fouls, two technical fouls and had a total of eight players with three fouls or more for the contest.

MAC WILDCARD SELECTION FOR THE FALCONS
Bowling Green's road contest at Buffalo on Saturday, Feb. 20, was selected as the MAC Wildcard and will be televised by BCSN and Time Warner Cable Sports. ESPN3 will also cover the game. The start time was moved to 12 p.m. (noon) in Buffalo, N.Y.

BGSU & AKRON REMATCH PICKED UP BY THE CBS SPORTS NETWORK
The MAC office announced on Feb. 11 that the CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) has selected the BGSU versus Akron men's basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 27, in Akron, Ohio as its MAC Wildcard selection. With the wildcard selection, the televised contest will move up to Friday night, Feb. 26, and will begin with a 7 p.m. ET tip-off on CBSSN. Fans can watch the game live on the CBS Sports Network, as well as on ESPN3.

NO LOVE FOR THE FALCONS IN FEBRUARY
BGSU has had no love thus far for the month of February, as the Falcons are 0-4 thus far this month. The Falcons are averaging just 62.8 points per game for the month of February and are giving up an average of 71.0 points per contest for the month.

1000 AND COUNTING FOR PARKER
In the Falcons contest on Feb. 9 versus Akron, senior forward Spencer Parker recorded his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer at the 15:56 mark of the first half. He became the 43rd player in BGSU men's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career points mark. Parker finished the game with 23 points and enters Tuesday night's contest with 1,033 points overall, which ranks 42nd overall.

SHOOTING FOR 100
Junior shooting guard Zack Denny is closing in on 100 made three-point field goals for his career, as he has drained a total of 99 career treys over his three years at BGSU. After making just three three-pointers in just three games due to injury as a freshman in 2013-14, Denny knocked down a team-high 50 three-balls last season. He has made a team-high 46 three-pointers for the Falcons thus far this season.

DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 96 assists thus far this season. The first-year Falcon is only four assists shy from the 100 mark on the year. The Falcons have had at least one player record 100 assists or more in each of the last seven seasons, a streak that dates back to the 2008-09 campaign.

GOTTA GET TO 70
The Falcons have got to find a way to get to the magic number of 70 on the scoreboard, as BGSU is 12-2 overall on the season when scoring 70 points or more. The Falcons are just 1-10 on the year when scoring less than 70 points for the contest.

DOUBLE DIGIT SWIPES
The Falcons tied a season-high in steals as a team on Feb. 9 at home versus Akron, as BGSU picked up 10 steals in the contest. The Falcons also recorded 10 steals in the home win over UMBC on Dec. 2, 2015.

LINE OF DEFENSE = UTMOST IMPORTANCE
The defense has been vital to the Falcons success this season, as BGSU is just 1-11 on the season when its opponent records a higher field goal percentage than the Falcons for the game. While on the flip side, BGSU is 12-1 when shooting better from the floor than its foe and is a solid 8-2 overall when holding its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting for the game. The Falcons are 8-2 when limiting their opponents to 69 points or less for the contest, but are 0-5 when allowing their opponents to score 80 points or more for the game.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 44 percent from the floor as a team in each of their 13 wins 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 12-1 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall with the lone loss coming at Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 6.

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 stellar 12-2 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are 1-10 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 opponents in 17 of their 25 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 19 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 seven different contests this season.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
The duo of Zack Denny and Spencer Parker have each tallied multiple double-doubles this season and have combined for nine double-doubles on the year overall. Denny recorded his six 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 picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds in the road win at Ohio on Jan. 12 and then registered 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the home contest versus Ball State on Feb. 2. 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.

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 13 different games for the Falcons this season. Six different Falcons are averaging 20 minutes or more of playing time on the year.

SPENCE LEADING BY EXAMPLE
As the most experienced player on the Falcons' roster, senior forward Spencer Parker has been leading by example with career numbers this season. Parker leads the team in scoring with an average of 14.0 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.5 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He has scored in double figures in 19 games and has already posted six 20-plus point games with 22 points at FGCU, 20 points versus UMBC, a career-high 33 points at Detroit, 22 points at Ohio, 21 points on the road at EMU and most recently 23 points at home against Akron.

TWO GOING FOR 20-PLUS
With Spencer Parker's 21 points and Zack Denny's 20 points in the road win at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 16, the duo became the first pair of Falcons to score 20 points or more in the same game since BGSU's Anthony Henderson and Jehvon Clarke each poured in 23 points at Toledo on Feb. 5, 2014.

HUGER FIRSTS ON THE SIDELINE
BGSU first-year head coach Michael Huger picked up his first career win as a head coach in the 79-61 win over New Orleans in the season opener. 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.

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 from 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. BGSU is 9-2 on the season when making more free throws than its opponent compared to just 3-4 overall when its foe makes more free throws than them for the game..

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.

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.

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 (TWCS). Of the remaining games left this season, BGSU will be on BCSN and TWCS on Feb. 20 at Buffalo and on Mar. 1 at Kent State. The Falcons will also be on the CBS Sports Network on Feb. 26 at Akron. 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.

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.