Falcons to Face the No. 1 Zips in the MAC Semifinals on Friday Night

Friday, March 11

Cleveland, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Akron (Semifinals)

team celebration vs. CMU - MAC Quarterfinals

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Falcons to Face the No. 1 Zips in the MAC Semifinals on Friday Night

March 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, BGSU Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

No. 12 Bowling Green (16-17, 5-13 MAC)
vs.
No. 1 Akron (25-7, 13-5 MAC)

Friday, Mar. 11, 2016 * 6:30 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio * Quicken Loans Arena

Semifinals

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STARTING FIVE
(1) FRESH START TO NEW SEASON: The Falcons got off to a great start to the "New Season" with a 70-69 road win over #5 Kent State in the first round of the 2016 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com on Monday night, Mar. 7. BGSU followed that up with a 62-59 win at "The Q" over #4 Central Michigan in the quarterfinals on Mar. 10.

(2) ONE-GAME SEASON: With the 2016 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament a single elimination postseason event, the Falcons' season will come down to one game. To keep their season alive, the Falcons defeated #5 Kent State 70-69 in the first round and then upended #4 Central Michigan 62-59 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 MAC Tournament. BGSU's one-game season will continue with the semifinals of the MAC Tournament on Friday, Mar. 11, at Quicken Loans Arena.

(3) DARE WE SAY DÉJÀ VU AGAIN: Just like both their first round (Kent State) and quarterfinals round (Central Michigan) opponents, the Falcons will be taking on another team that swept them in the regular season series this year in the Akron Zips. Akron defeated BGSU 83-68 in BG on Feb. 9 and then shot down the Falcons with an 89-54 home win on Feb. 26.

(4) 2009: The Falcons are in their first MAC Championship Tournament semifinal game since 2009. In that 2009 semifinal contest at "The Q", the Falcons fell to Akron 63-55.

(5) ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: BGSU can't ignore the elephant in the room in that the Falcons have dropped 15 straight to the Zips with their last win coming on March 1, 2009, in Akron. The Zips have won 23 of the last 24 meetings between the two teams on the hardwood.

(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 AKRON ZIPS
The top-seeded Akron Zips have won five straight games entering the semifinals contest on Friday night, including a 65-63 win over No. 8 Eastern Michigan on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals. Akron, who is 25-7 overall and went 13-5 in MAC play, live and die by the three-point shot, as the Zips lead the MAC and rank in the top-five nationally in three-point field goals made per game at 11.8 per contest and in three-point field goal percentage at 39.0 percent overall from long distance. Akron is also solid on the defensive end where the Zips are holding their foes to just 68.1 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting overall and just 29.2 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. Akron's Isaiah Johnson, who was an All-MAC First-Team selection and the MAC Sixth Man of the Year, leads the Zips with 13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 57.2 percent from the field overall. Antino Jackson is averaging 11.8 points per game and leads the Zips in both assists with 3.5 helpers per contest and in steals with 1.3 thefts per outing. Reggie McAdams and Noah Robotham are both averaging over double digit points per game at 11.4 and 10.1 points apiece, respectively. The Zips have played the last 10 games with out their big man in the middle in Pat Forsythe, who was averaging 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game before going down with a foot injury.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND AKRON
The Akron Zips lead the all-time series at 34-24 over the Falcons and have controlled the series as of late. The Falcons have dropped 15 straight to the Zips with BGSU's last win coming back on March 1, 2009, a 50-46 win on the road in Akron, Ohio. Akron has won 23 of the last 24 meetings dating back to the 2003-04 season. Prior to the current run, the
Falcons had won 9 of 12 meetings between the two teams from 1998-2003, and won nine straight games over the Zips from 1993-97.

IN 2015-16
This season, Akron swept the regular season series over the Falcons. The Zips defeated BGSU 83-68 in Bowling Green, Ohio on Feb. 9. Just three weeks later, the Falcons fell on the road to Akron 89-54 on Feb. 26 in Akron, Ohio.

AKRON'S HOT SHOOTING
In the two games between the Falcons and the Zips this season, Akron combined to go 35-of-73 (47.9 percent) from behind the three-point line in the two wins over BGSU. While Akron made 35 three-pointers over the two regular season games, the Zips made just 24 two-point field goals overall. However, the Zips have still faired well from inside the three-point arc versus the Falcons, as they went a combined 24-of-49 (49 percent) on two-point field goals in the two regular season match ups.

#MAKEHISTORYNOW
With wins over No. 5 Kent State and No. 4 Central Michigan the Falcons became the lowest seeded team to advance to the semifinals of the MAC Championship Tournament as the No. 12 seed. The lowest seed to reach the semifinals before the No. 12 Falcons this year was No. 11 Ohio back in 2003.

FALCONS AS THE NO. 12 SEED
Since the 1999 MAC Tournament, when every team made the postseason conference championship tournament, the Falcons have been the No. 12 seed just once prior to this year back in 2007. As the No. 12 seed in 2007, the Falcons fell to the No. 5 Ohio Bobcats 69-59 in the first round held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This year as the No. 12 seed, the Falcons have defeated No. 5 Kent State 70-69 in the first round and No. 4 Central Michigan 62-59 in the quarterfinals.

BACK TO THE SEMIS
The Falcons are back in the semifinals of the MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament for the first time since 2009. In 2009, the No. 1 seeded Falcons were upset by the No. 5 Akron Zips 63-55 at "The Q". Friday night's contest will mark the 12th time that the Falcons have made it to the semifinals of the MAC postseason event.

VERSUS THE ZIPS IN MAC TOURNEY PLAY
Bowling Green is 2-1 all-time versus the Zips in MAC Tournament action. BGSU won at Akron in overtime 80-74 in the quarterfinals round in 1999 and defeated the Zips 60-58 in the quarterfinals in 2002 at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2009, Akron upset the Falcons 63-55 in the semifinals at Quicken Loans Arena.

DOUBLE DIGIT SEED IN THE FINALS
With a win, the No. 12 seeded Falcons would become the first double digit seed and the lowest seeded team to ever reach the MAC Championship game. The lowest seed to have reach the championship game is the No. 9 seed - No. 9 Ohio in 2010 and No. 9 Miami in 2000.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Keep the Falcons' season alive and send BGSU to the Championship Game of the MAC Championship Tournament for the first time since 2002.
* Put the Falcons at 17-17 overall on the year.
* Extend BGSU's winning streak to three straight games.
* End a 15-game losing streak to the Akron Zips.
* Place the Falcons at 3-1 all-time versus Akron in MAC Tournament play.
* Make the Falcons the lowest seed to ever reach the MAC Championship Tournament Title game since the #9 seeded Ohio Bobcats in 2010.

LAST TIME OUT - BGSU 62, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 59 (MAR. 10)
BGSU freshman Antwon Lillard capped a career game by hitting a three-pointer with 12.3 seconds left, lifting the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team to a 62-59 win over Central Michigan University Thursday afternoon (March 10). The game, a quarterfinal-round contest in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, was held at Quicken Loans Arena. With the win, the Falcons – the number-12 seed for the 12-team conference tournament – advance to face the top-seeded University of Akron in Friday's (March 11) semifinal round. The BGSU-UA game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Q. Bowling Green is the first-ever number-12 seed ever to advance to the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament. Lillard had a game- and career-high 26 points, going 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Cleveland Central Catholic H.S. product scored 11 points in the first half and 15 in the second. Fellow freshman Demajeo Wiggins added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Falcons (16-17). Chris Fowler led the Chippewas (17-13) with 16 points, while Braylon Rayson added 13. John Simons had eight points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

HOMETOWN HERO
Cleveland native Antwon Lillard poured in a career-high 26 points on a career-high five made three-pointers in his hometown on Thursday afternoon in the 62-59 win over No. 4 Central Michigan in the quarterfinals. Lillard drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with 12.3 seconds to go in the game to put the Falcons on top at 60-59.

PARKER NAMED ALL-MAC HONORABLE MENTION
Senior Spencer Parker was an All-MAC Honorable Mention selection, the league office announced on Monday, Mar. 7. Parker has had his best season statistically as a Falcon in 2015-16, as he leads the team with a career-high 14.1 points and is second on the team with a career-high 5.2 rebounds per game overall. He is shooting 46.4 percent from the field overall, 42.7 percent from behind the three-point line and 71.3 percent from the free throw line over 33 games of play thus far this season. In MAC play this season, Parker led the Falcons with 15.0 points per game and averaged 4.7 rebounds per contest. Over the 18-game conference slate, he shot 44.7 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from behind the three-point line and 75.5 percent from the charity stripe.

OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
The Falcons have been hot as of late on the offensive end, as BGSU has shot 50 percent or better in each of its last three games. BGSU shot 53.3 percent in the loss at home to Buffalo on Mar. 4 in the regular season finale, 54 percent in the first round MAC Championship Tournament game at No. 5 Kent State on Mar. 7 and most recently 50 percent versus No. 4 Central Michigan in the quarterfinals on Mar. 10. In fact, BGSU has shown that it can shoot the ball efficiently over the last three weeks, as the Falcons as a team have shot over 50 percent from the field overall in five of their last seven games.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last 10 games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 125 assists over that span, an average of 12.5 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 dished out 12 assists at Buffalo (Feb. 20). Last week, BGSU tallied 15 assists in the home win over Ohio (Feb. 23) and passed out 10 assists at Akron (Feb. 26.). BGSU totaled 10 more assists at Kent State (Mar. 1) and recorded 11 assists at home versus Buffalo (Mar. 4). In MAC Tournament play, BGSU passed out 12 dimes at Kent State in the first round of the MAC Championship Tournament (Mar. 7) and followed that up with 10 assists in the win over No. 5 CMU in the quarterfinals.

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 currently has totaled 1,149 career points, which ranks 31st overall.

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 14-4 overall on the season when scoring 70 points or more. The Falcons are just 1-13 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 2-14 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 14-3 when shooting better from the floor than its foe and is a solid 9-2 overall when holding its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting for the game. The Falcons are 10-2 when limiting their opponents to 69 points or less for the contest, but are 1-8 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 16 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 14-3 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, at Buffalo on Feb. 20 and versus the UB Bulls again at home on Mar. 4.

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 13-3 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are 3-14 on the year when losing the battle of the boards with the wins coming versus Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 6, in the first round of the MAC Tournament at Kent State on Mar. 7 and in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tourney versus Central Michigan on Mar. 10.

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 21 of their 33 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 22 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 NINE different contests this season.

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

DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 127 assists on the season. The first-year Falcon has 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.

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 14.1 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.2 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He has scored in double figures in 25 games and has already posted nine 20-plus point games, including a career-high 33 points at Detroit on Dec. 12, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan.

BENCH HELP IN MAC PLAY
The BGSU bench was big for the Falcons in MAC play, as Coach Huger's subs outscored their opponent's bench in 11 of the 18 conference contests with the Falcons matching Eastern Michigan in one of those other seven games. In MAC play, BGSU totaled 458 bench points, an average of 25.4 points per game. Their opponents combined to score at total of 322 bench points, an average of 17.9 per MAC contest.

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 104 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 topped that mark this season already with 51 made treys for the Falcons.

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. The Falcons did it again on Feb. 23, as Parker and Wes Alcegaire each poured in 20 points in the 87-82 home win over Ohio.

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.

20/20
In the second half of the Falcons' 87-82 home win over Ohio on Feb. 23, BGSU's Spencer Parker scored all 20 of his points over the final 20 minutes of the contest. He is the first Falcon to score 20 points or more in a half since Jordon Crawford had 20 points in a half versus Buffalo back on Mar. 8, 2013.

1-0 ON THURSDAY
With the Falcons' 62-59 quarterfinals win over No. 4 Central Michigan on Mar. 10, BGSU improved to 1-0 in games played on Thursday on the year.

LET'S PLAY MONDAY
BGSU is a perfect 2-0 on Monday's this season. The Falcons beat Florida Gulf Coast 82-77 on Monday, Nov. 23, in the final game of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic in Florida and just upended No. 5 Kent State 70-69 at the M.A.C. Center this Monday night, Mar. 7, in the first round of the 2016 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.

MAKE IT 10 YEARS IN A ROW
With the Falcons' 87-82 win over Ohio on Feb. 23, BGSU recorded its seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last 10 seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season.

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.