Falcons Hit the Road to Face Buffalo at High Noon on Saturday, Feb. 20

Saturday, February 20

Buffalo, N.Y.

12:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Buffalo

Photo by: Larry Clapper

Falcons Hit the Road to Face Buffalo at High Noon on Saturday, Feb. 20

February 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

STARTING FIVE
(1) FIRST MEETING OF FIRST YEAR COACHES: Saturday afternoon's contest will feature the first meeting between the two first-year head coaches in BGSU's Michael Huger and UB's Nate Oats. Both Huger and Oats have had solid first seasons at their respective schools, considering both lost over 60 percent of their scoring, as well as the top-three scorers from the previous season.

(2) MAC EAST GAUNTLET: The Falcons have the MAC East Division gauntlet ahead of them for the final two weeks of the season, as BGSU will play at Buffalo (Feb. 20), versus Ohio (Feb. 23), at Akron (Feb. 26), at Kent State (Mar. 1) and at home versus Buffalo (Mar. 4).

(3) AT UB: BGSU has not faired well at UB Alumni Arena over the last few seasons, as the Falcons have dropped each of the last four road contests at Buffalo and five of the last six meetings on the hardwood inside Alumni Arena. BGSU's last road win at UB came in a 74-71 win on Jan. 8, 2011.

(4) SLOW STARTS: The Falcons have struggled off the opening tip over their last six games, as BGSU has trailed at the half in four of its last six losses. BGSU is 3-10 overall on the season when trailing at the halftime break.

(5) PARKING CONTINUING THE CAREER CLIMB: Senior Spencer Parker continues to climb up the BGSU career scoring list as he now ranks 40th overall in BGSU history with 1,047 career points. Bill Faine is next on the list for Parker to catch, as he ranks 39th with 1,055 career points from 1980-84.

(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 UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
The University at Buffalo enters play on Saturday at 14-12 overall and 7-6 in MAC play, just one game out of second place overall in the MAC East Division. The Bulls have dropped three straight games, including home losses to Toledo and Ohio, after posting a season-high four-game winning streak to end January and start the month of February. UB has nine players averaging double digit minutes per game on the season and have four players averaging over 10 points a game in Lamonte Bearden (13.5), Blake Hamilton (11.5), CJ Massinburg (11.2) and Willie Conner (10.8). Buffalo is fifth in the MAC in scoring at 76.2 points per game, but are dead last in the league in scoring defense allowing 74.5 points per outing. On the glass, the Bulls are averaging 38.7 rebounds per contest as a team, which ranks second overall in the MAC only to the Northern Illinois Huskies. Buffalo ranks third in the MAC in steals with an average of 7.2 per outing and is tied for fifth with the Falcons in the MAC in blocks with 3.6 swats per contest on the year. The Bulls are 8-4 overall at home on the year, but have dropped each of their last two home games, both of which came in conference play.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND BUFFALO
BGSU holds a slight 18-13 edge over Buffalo in the all-time series history which began with nine straight wins by the Falcons from 1999-2002. However, Buffalo has won each of the last three meetings between the two teams and six of the last eight contests. The Falcons are just 6-9 overall all time in Buffalo, N.Y. at UB Alumni Arena and are 0-4 at UB since defeating the Bulls 74-71 back on Jan. 8, 2011.

BGSU & UB TIES
The Falcons' Kevin Noon, who is the Director of Basketball Operations, spent last season as the Director of Basketball Operations at Rider where current Buffalo assistant coach Donyell Marshall was an assistant coach. The two were on the staff that helped the Broncs to a 21-12 overall record and a 15-5 mark in conference play, which culminated with an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) postseason tournament.

ONE OF TWO IN JUST TWO WEEKS
BGSU and Buffalo will meet for the first of two meetings over the next two weeks on Saturday afternoon at UB Alumni Arena. The Falcons will host the Bulls for the return game just 13 days later in the two teams' regular season finale on Friday, Mar. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.

COACH'S CORNER
"Buffalo is next up for us as we hit the home stretch of the regular season. They are well coached, athletic and have a variety of different scoring options. With our recent struggles, we changed our approach as a staff and focused more on mentally preparing for our opponents. Our goal is to finish the season strong and position ourselves to improve our MAC Tournament seed. Our guys are excited about getting back on the court this weekend."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will return home to host the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday night, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. inside the Stroh Center.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 14-13 overall on the season.
* End a three-game losing skid to the Buffalo Bulls.
* Give the Falcons an overall record of 3-3 versus the MAC East Division.
* Hand the Falcons their first win for the month of February.
* Snap a six-game losing streak for BGSU.
* Place BGSU at 7-5 overall on the year in true road contests.

LAST TIME OUT - NIU 71, BGSU 60 (FEB. 16)
Bowling Green had three players in double figures, yet struggled to find any offense to start the second half which allowed the home-standing Northern Illinois Huskies to pull away for the 71-60 win over the Falcons in MAC cross-divisional play on Tuesday night at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. BGSU, who trailed by six at 38-32 at the halftime break, stumbled to a slow start in the second half missing its first 10 shot attempts and going the first 8:11 of the second half without a field goal to fall behind by as much as 18 over the final 20 minutes of play in the road loss. The Falcons shot 18-of-55 (32.7 percent) from the floor overall for the game, but were just 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) in the second half. BGSU was also 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from behind the three-point line and 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the free throw line for the 40 minute contest. However, NIU who outscored the Falcons 36-16 in points in the paint, 17-10 in points off turnovers and 14-4 in fast break points on the night, shot 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) as a team and was 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) shooting from long range in the win.

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.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last three games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 45 assists over that span, an average of 15.0 per game. BGSU had 17 assists versus Akron (Feb. 9) and has posted back-to-back games with 14 assists versus Western Michigan (Feb. 13) and at Northern Illinois (Feb. 16).

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 Saturday's contest with 1,047 points overall, which ranks 40th overall.

HITTING 100 FROM LONG RANGE
Junior shooting guard Zack Denny eclipsed the century mark in three-point field goals made for his career with his first trey at NIU on Feb. 16, as he has now drained a total of 101 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 48 three-pointers for the Falcons thus far this season.

DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 102 assists thus far this season. The first-year Falcon made it seven straight seasons that at least one player has record 100 assists or more for BGSU, 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 1-11 on the year when scoring less than 70 points for the contest.

LINE OF DEFENSE = UTMOST IMPORTANCE
The defense has been vital to the Falcons success this season, as BGSU is just 1-12 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 1-11 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 18 of their 26 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 20 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 eight different contests this season.

BENCH HELP
The BGSU bench has been big for the Falcons thus far in MAC play, as Coach Huger's subs have outscored their opponent's bench in nine of the 13 conference contests with the Falcons matching the Eastern Michigan Eagles in one of those other four contests. In league play, BGSU has totaled 307 bench points, an average of 23.6 points per game. Their opponents have combined to score at total of 202 bench points, an average of 15.5 per contest over league play.

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 20 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.

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.