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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Larry Clapper
Falcons & Bobcats to Meet on Tuesday Night at the Stroh Center
February 22, 2016 | Men's Basketball
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
STARTING FIVE
(1) CAN IT GET ANY CRAZY THEN LAST TIME: The last time these two teams met earlier this season back on Jan. 12, it was a crazy contest that had a pushing scrum, a total of five technical fouls, a 10-point possession by the Falcons which took just 37 seconds and saw BGSU erase multiple 14 point deficits to soar out in front by as much as 20 points in the come from behind 91-75 win.
(2) MAC EAST GAUNTLET: The Falcons continue their quest through the MAC East Division gauntlet over the next two weeks of the season, as BGSU will host Ohio (Feb. 23), play on the road at both Akron (Feb. 26) and at Kent State (Mar. 1), before returning home for a rematch versus Buffalo (Mar. 4) on the regular season finale.
(3) SEARCHING FOR SEVEN: On Tuesday night, the Falcons will be searching for their seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last nine seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season and with a win at home on Tuesday night the Falcons will extend that streak to 10 straight years.
(4) SERIES SWEEP: With a Falcons' win over the Bobcats on Tuesday night, Feb. 23, BGSU will post its first regular season series sweep over an opponent this year. The Falcons swept the Bobcats last year with a 69-54 home win (Jan. 10) and a 76-65 road victory (Feb. 24) over OU.
(5) PARKING CONTINUING THE CAREER CLIMB: Senior Spencer Parker continues to climb up the BGSU career scoring list as he now ranks 37th overall in BGSU history with 1,068 career points. Dave Esterkamp is just ahead of Parker at 36th with a total of 1,080 career points.
(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.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
You can follow the Falcons in many different ways this 2015-16 season. You can follow BGSU via twitter by following @BGSUMHoops and at @BGAthletics. You can also follow BGSU on instagram @bgfalcons and on facebook at BGSU Athletics. As always you can get all your BGSU Athletics information at www.BGSUFalcons.com.
FACULTY & STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT
Faculty/Staff tickets will be available for $8 for Tuesday's men's basketball contest versus Ohio. Tickets must be purchased in advance either by stopping by the ticket office in the Stroh Center between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. or by calling the ticket office at 877.BGSU.TICKET. Please provide BGSU ID when purchasing tickets in person at the Stroh Center ticket office. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the BGSU Ticket Office at 877.BGSU.TICKET.
SCOUTING THE OHIO BOBCATS
With five different players averaging double digit points on the season, led by Antonio Campbell's team-high 17.5 points per game, the Ohio Bobcats have climbed into a tie for second-place overall in the MAC East Division standings with Kent State with a 9-5 conference record. The Bobcats, who are 18-8 overall on the season, have won five straight games and seven of their last eight contests heading into play this week versus the Falcons. Ohio has picked up its scoring as of late, as the Bobcats are third in the MAC with an average of 78.0 points per contest and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 5.1 points per game. OU leads the MAC in both free throw percentage (75.3 percent) and field goal percentage (47.4 percent) overall on the season and ranks second in the MAC behind only Akron in three-point field goal percentage (38.7 percent). Campbell, who leads the Bobcats in both scoring and rebounding at 17.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage and second in rebounding. Jaaron Simmons leads the MAC in assists with an average of 7.7 per game and ranks 11th in scoring at 14.0 points per contest, while Kenny Kaminski leads the MAC in free throw percentage at 85.9 percent and sits in fourth with an average of 2.5 three-point field goals made per contest on the season overall.
ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND OHIO
BGSU leads the overall all-time series with the Ohio Bobcats at 76-63 and has won each of the last three meetings. The Falcons, who have won four out of the last five meetings between the two teams on the hardwood, are 43-22 all-time at home versus the Bobcats in Bowling Green, Ohio.
90 SPOT
In the two teams' meeting back on Jan. 12, the Falcons had five players score in double figures and scored a total of 91 points on the Bobcats in the come from behind 91-75 road win at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The 91 total points over the 40 minute contest are the second most points scored by the Falcons in a single game this season, behind only a 96 point outing at home versus Urbana on Nov. 29, 2015.
POLAR OPPOSITES
Since Bowling Green and Ohio met back on Jan. 12, a 91-75 win for the Falcons, the two teams have gone in opposite directions. BGSU has gone just 2-9 since posting a win in Athens, Ohio, and have dropped seven straight games coming into the contest on Tuesday night. The Bobcats have gone 8-3 overall since dropping the home bout to the Falcons and bring a five-game winning streak into the Stroh Center.
COACH'S CORNER
"Ohio is next up on our schedule. They have been playing extremely well lately and currently hold the second seed in the overall MAC East standings. Ohio throws a balanced and potent offensive squad at their opponent for a full 40 minutes. They can shoot the three pointer at all five positions and have one of the best big men in the league in Antonio Campbell. We played an excellent offensive game last time we faced OU and will need the same type of effort and energy in order to pull out a victory Tuesday night. Despite being on a seven game losing streak, our focus is on this year and competing for a MAC Tournament Championship."
UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will hit the road for back-to-back MAC East road contests at Akron on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and at Kent State on Mar. 1 at 7 p.m., before returning home to host Buffalo in the regular season finale on Mar. 4 at 7 p.m.
A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 14-14 overall on the season.
* Give the Falcons an overall record of 3-4 versus the MAC East Division.
* Hand the Falcons their first win for the month of February.
* Snap a season-high seven-game losing streak for BGSU.
* Extend the Falcons streak to 10 straight seasons with seven or more home wins on the year.
* Complete a regular season sweep of the Bobcats for the second straight year.
* Extend the Falcons winning streak to four straight games over Ohio.
LAST TIME OUT - BUFFALO 88, BGSU 74 (FEB. 20)
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team shot 54.4 percent from the field overall and led for over 23 minutes in the contest, yet were outscored 25-8 from the free throw line over the 40 minute contest and 27-7 over the final 8:45 of the game to fall on the road at the University at Buffalo, 88-74, on Saturday afternoon inside UB Alumni Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The Falcons took a 67-61 lead on a jumper from Zack Denny at the 8:45 mark of the second half, yet went ice cold from the floor offensively going the next 5:22 without a point and scoring a total of just seven points for the remainder of the game in the loss. BGSU was 31-of-57 (54.4 percent) shooting overall from the field for the game, but was just 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from behind the three-point line and only 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the foul line. Buffalo was 29-of-59 (49.2 percent) from the field and was 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from behind the three-point line. However, the difference was at the charity stripe where the Bulls were 25-of-33 (75.8 percent) overall, totaling 17 points more from the foul line than the Falcons did in the contest. The Falcons were also haunted by turnovers, as BGSU coughed up the ball a total of 18 times which led to 28 Buffalo points for the game. UB, who out-rebounded BGSU 34-30, also outscored the Falcons 14-9 in second chance points, 48-40 in points in the paint and 27-13 in bench points on the day.
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 in the month of February, as the Falcons are 0-6 thus far this month. The Falcons are averaging just 64.2 points per game for the month of February and are giving up an average of 73.8 points per contest for the month.
SEARCHING FOR WIN NUMBER SEVEN AT HOME
With just two home games left, the Falcons are searching for their seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last nine seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season and with a win at home on Tuesday night over Ohio, the Falcons will extend that streak to 10 straight years.
SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last four games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 57 assists over that span, an average of 14.25 per game. BGSU had 17 assists versus Akron (Feb. 9), posted back-to-back games with 14 assists versus Western Michigan (Feb. 13) and at Northern Illinois (Feb. 16) and then dished out 12 assists at Buffalo (Feb. 20).
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 102 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 49 three-pointers for the Falcons thus far this season.
DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 105 assists thus far this season. The first-year Falcon made it eight straight seasons that at least one player has recorded 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 12-3 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 12-2 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 0-6 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 12-2 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall with losses coming at Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 6 and at Buffalo on Feb. 20.
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 1-12 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 27 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 14 conference contests with the Falcons matching the Eastern Michigan Eagles in one of those other five contests. In league play, BGSU has totaled 320 bench points, an average of 22.9 points per game. Their opponents have combined to score at total of 229 bench points, an average of 16.4 per contest over league play.
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.
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.
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 14.3 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.4 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He has scored in double figures in 21 games and has already posted seven 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, 23 points at home against Akron and 21 points on the road at Buffalo just last Saturday.
HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 47-30 at the venue. The Falcons have won seven or more games at home every season since the Stroh's opening for the 2011-12 season and have recorded double digit home wins at the Stroh in three of the last four years. BGSU is 6-7 this season at home in the Stroh with wins over New Orleans, Urbana, UMBC, Drake, Oakland City (Ind.) and Miami.
THAT 70'S STROH
BGSU is an impressive 25-2 at the Stroh Center when scoring 70 points or more in a contest. BGSU is 6-1 at the Stroh this season when scoring 70 points or more.
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.
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 Mar. 1 at Kent State. The Falcons will also be on the CBS Sports Network on Feb. 26 at Akron.
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.
Ohio (18-8, 9-5 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (13-14, 4-10 MAC) Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 * 7:00 p.m. Stroh Center * Bowling Green, Ohio Ohio Game Notes | BGSU Game Notes ESPN3 | Live Stats | WFRO 99.1 FM | Online Audio | Twitter Get Your Tickets | Visit the Falcon Team Store | Join the Falcon Club The Centennial Season | Falcon Fans Photo Poster |
STARTING FIVE
(1) CAN IT GET ANY CRAZY THEN LAST TIME: The last time these two teams met earlier this season back on Jan. 12, it was a crazy contest that had a pushing scrum, a total of five technical fouls, a 10-point possession by the Falcons which took just 37 seconds and saw BGSU erase multiple 14 point deficits to soar out in front by as much as 20 points in the come from behind 91-75 win.
(2) MAC EAST GAUNTLET: The Falcons continue their quest through the MAC East Division gauntlet over the next two weeks of the season, as BGSU will host Ohio (Feb. 23), play on the road at both Akron (Feb. 26) and at Kent State (Mar. 1), before returning home for a rematch versus Buffalo (Mar. 4) on the regular season finale.
(3) SEARCHING FOR SEVEN: On Tuesday night, the Falcons will be searching for their seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last nine seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season and with a win at home on Tuesday night the Falcons will extend that streak to 10 straight years.
(4) SERIES SWEEP: With a Falcons' win over the Bobcats on Tuesday night, Feb. 23, BGSU will post its first regular season series sweep over an opponent this year. The Falcons swept the Bobcats last year with a 69-54 home win (Jan. 10) and a 76-65 road victory (Feb. 24) over OU.
(5) PARKING CONTINUING THE CAREER CLIMB: Senior Spencer Parker continues to climb up the BGSU career scoring list as he now ranks 37th overall in BGSU history with 1,068 career points. Dave Esterkamp is just ahead of Parker at 36th with a total of 1,080 career points.
(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.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
You can follow the Falcons in many different ways this 2015-16 season. You can follow BGSU via twitter by following @BGSUMHoops and at @BGAthletics. You can also follow BGSU on instagram @bgfalcons and on facebook at BGSU Athletics. As always you can get all your BGSU Athletics information at www.BGSUFalcons.com.
FACULTY & STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT
Faculty/Staff tickets will be available for $8 for Tuesday's men's basketball contest versus Ohio. Tickets must be purchased in advance either by stopping by the ticket office in the Stroh Center between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. or by calling the ticket office at 877.BGSU.TICKET. Please provide BGSU ID when purchasing tickets in person at the Stroh Center ticket office. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the BGSU Ticket Office at 877.BGSU.TICKET.
SCOUTING THE OHIO BOBCATS
With five different players averaging double digit points on the season, led by Antonio Campbell's team-high 17.5 points per game, the Ohio Bobcats have climbed into a tie for second-place overall in the MAC East Division standings with Kent State with a 9-5 conference record. The Bobcats, who are 18-8 overall on the season, have won five straight games and seven of their last eight contests heading into play this week versus the Falcons. Ohio has picked up its scoring as of late, as the Bobcats are third in the MAC with an average of 78.0 points per contest and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 5.1 points per game. OU leads the MAC in both free throw percentage (75.3 percent) and field goal percentage (47.4 percent) overall on the season and ranks second in the MAC behind only Akron in three-point field goal percentage (38.7 percent). Campbell, who leads the Bobcats in both scoring and rebounding at 17.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring, fourth in field goal percentage and second in rebounding. Jaaron Simmons leads the MAC in assists with an average of 7.7 per game and ranks 11th in scoring at 14.0 points per contest, while Kenny Kaminski leads the MAC in free throw percentage at 85.9 percent and sits in fourth with an average of 2.5 three-point field goals made per contest on the season overall.
ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND OHIO
BGSU leads the overall all-time series with the Ohio Bobcats at 76-63 and has won each of the last three meetings. The Falcons, who have won four out of the last five meetings between the two teams on the hardwood, are 43-22 all-time at home versus the Bobcats in Bowling Green, Ohio.
90 SPOT
In the two teams' meeting back on Jan. 12, the Falcons had five players score in double figures and scored a total of 91 points on the Bobcats in the come from behind 91-75 road win at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The 91 total points over the 40 minute contest are the second most points scored by the Falcons in a single game this season, behind only a 96 point outing at home versus Urbana on Nov. 29, 2015.
POLAR OPPOSITES
Since Bowling Green and Ohio met back on Jan. 12, a 91-75 win for the Falcons, the two teams have gone in opposite directions. BGSU has gone just 2-9 since posting a win in Athens, Ohio, and have dropped seven straight games coming into the contest on Tuesday night. The Bobcats have gone 8-3 overall since dropping the home bout to the Falcons and bring a five-game winning streak into the Stroh Center.
COACH'S CORNER
"Ohio is next up on our schedule. They have been playing extremely well lately and currently hold the second seed in the overall MAC East standings. Ohio throws a balanced and potent offensive squad at their opponent for a full 40 minutes. They can shoot the three pointer at all five positions and have one of the best big men in the league in Antonio Campbell. We played an excellent offensive game last time we faced OU and will need the same type of effort and energy in order to pull out a victory Tuesday night. Despite being on a seven game losing streak, our focus is on this year and competing for a MAC Tournament Championship."
UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will hit the road for back-to-back MAC East road contests at Akron on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. and at Kent State on Mar. 1 at 7 p.m., before returning home to host Buffalo in the regular season finale on Mar. 4 at 7 p.m.
A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 14-14 overall on the season.
* Give the Falcons an overall record of 3-4 versus the MAC East Division.
* Hand the Falcons their first win for the month of February.
* Snap a season-high seven-game losing streak for BGSU.
* Extend the Falcons streak to 10 straight seasons with seven or more home wins on the year.
* Complete a regular season sweep of the Bobcats for the second straight year.
* Extend the Falcons winning streak to four straight games over Ohio.
LAST TIME OUT - BUFFALO 88, BGSU 74 (FEB. 20)
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team shot 54.4 percent from the field overall and led for over 23 minutes in the contest, yet were outscored 25-8 from the free throw line over the 40 minute contest and 27-7 over the final 8:45 of the game to fall on the road at the University at Buffalo, 88-74, on Saturday afternoon inside UB Alumni Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The Falcons took a 67-61 lead on a jumper from Zack Denny at the 8:45 mark of the second half, yet went ice cold from the floor offensively going the next 5:22 without a point and scoring a total of just seven points for the remainder of the game in the loss. BGSU was 31-of-57 (54.4 percent) shooting overall from the field for the game, but was just 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from behind the three-point line and only 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from the foul line. Buffalo was 29-of-59 (49.2 percent) from the field and was 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from behind the three-point line. However, the difference was at the charity stripe where the Bulls were 25-of-33 (75.8 percent) overall, totaling 17 points more from the foul line than the Falcons did in the contest. The Falcons were also haunted by turnovers, as BGSU coughed up the ball a total of 18 times which led to 28 Buffalo points for the game. UB, who out-rebounded BGSU 34-30, also outscored the Falcons 14-9 in second chance points, 48-40 in points in the paint and 27-13 in bench points on the day.
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 in the month of February, as the Falcons are 0-6 thus far this month. The Falcons are averaging just 64.2 points per game for the month of February and are giving up an average of 73.8 points per contest for the month.
SEARCHING FOR WIN NUMBER SEVEN AT HOME
With just two home games left, the Falcons are searching for their seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last nine seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season and with a win at home on Tuesday night over Ohio, the Falcons will extend that streak to 10 straight years.
SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last four games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 57 assists over that span, an average of 14.25 per game. BGSU had 17 assists versus Akron (Feb. 9), posted back-to-back games with 14 assists versus Western Michigan (Feb. 13) and at Northern Illinois (Feb. 16) and then dished out 12 assists at Buffalo (Feb. 20).
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 102 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 49 three-pointers for the Falcons thus far this season.
DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 105 assists thus far this season. The first-year Falcon made it eight straight seasons that at least one player has recorded 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 12-3 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 12-2 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 0-6 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 12-2 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall with losses coming at Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 6 and at Buffalo on Feb. 20.
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 1-12 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 27 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 14 conference contests with the Falcons matching the Eastern Michigan Eagles in one of those other five contests. In league play, BGSU has totaled 320 bench points, an average of 22.9 points per game. Their opponents have combined to score at total of 229 bench points, an average of 16.4 per contest over league play.
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.
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.
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 14.3 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.4 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He has scored in double figures in 21 games and has already posted seven 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, 23 points at home against Akron and 21 points on the road at Buffalo just last Saturday.
HOME SWEET STROH
BGSU has called the Stroh Center home since the 2011-12 season and has posted an overall record of 47-30 at the venue. The Falcons have won seven or more games at home every season since the Stroh's opening for the 2011-12 season and have recorded double digit home wins at the Stroh in three of the last four years. BGSU is 6-7 this season at home in the Stroh with wins over New Orleans, Urbana, UMBC, Drake, Oakland City (Ind.) and Miami.
THAT 70'S STROH
BGSU is an impressive 25-2 at the Stroh Center when scoring 70 points or more in a contest. BGSU is 6-1 at the Stroh this season when scoring 70 points or more.
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.
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 Mar. 1 at Kent State. The Falcons will also be on the CBS Sports Network on Feb. 26 at Akron.
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.
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/ Men's BasketballBG MBB : Postgame Interviews 2.28
Saturday, February 28
BG MBB : Postgame Interviews 2.24
Wednesday, February 25
BG MBB : Postgame Interviews 2.17
Wednesday, February 18
BG MBB : Toledo Orange Wave Recap 2.14
Monday, February 16