BGSU Takes on No. 4 Central Michigan in Quarterfinals at "The Q" on Thursday

Thursday, March 10

Cleveland, Ohio

2:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Central Michigan (Quarterfinals)

Tickets

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

BGSU Takes on No. 4 Central Michigan in Quarterfinals at "The Q" on Thursday

March 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

No. 12 Bowling Green (15-17, 5-13 MAC)
vs.
No. 4 Central Michigan (17-14, 10-8 MAC)

Thursday, Mar. 10, 2016 * 2:00 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio * Quicken Loans Arena

Quarterfinals

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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.

(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 Kent State 70-69 in the first round of the 2016 MAC Tournament. BGSU's one-game season will continue with the quarterfinals match up versus #4 Central Michigan on Mar. 10 at Quicken Loans Arena.

(3) DÉJÀ VU: Just like their first round opponent in Kent State, the Falcons were swept by Central Michigan in the regular season series. CMU upended BGSU 79-67 in Bowling Green on Jan. 9 and then completed the sweep with a 77-65 win over the Falcons at home in Mount Pleasant, Michigan on Jan. 30.

(4) UNIQUE COMPANY: With its win over Kent State in the first round, BGSU became just the fourth lowest seed to win its first round MAC Tournament game and only the third #12 seed to earn a victory. In 2000, Central Michigan won as a #13 seed over #4 Akron. In 2002, CMU was the #12 seed and defeated #5 Ohio in the first round, while in 2012 #12 Northern Illinois shocked #5 Eastern Michigan in the opening round of the MAC Tournament.

(5) TWO IN A ROW: For the second straight year the Falcons will be tipping off in a quarterfinals game at the "Q". BGSU fell to Eastern Michigan 73-67 in last year's quarterfinals.

(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.

GET ON THE BUS! GET ON THE FALCON FAN BUS!
The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced that it will provide a fan bus to Cleveland, Ohio for the BGSU men's basketball quarterfinals game versus No. 4 Central Michigan on Thursday, Mar. 10, at 2 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena. The cost of riding the bus will be $28. This cost does NOT include the cost of admission to the game at Quicken Loans Arena. Fans can purchase tickets now from the BGSU Ticket Office at 877-BGSU TICKET. For more information, or to reserve your seat on the bus, call 877-BGSU TICKET. The fan bus will leave from the Sebo Center at 11 a.m. on Thursday morning. After the conclusion of the men's basketball contest, the bus will leave Quicken Loans Arena approximately 30 minutes after the end of the game.

SCOUTING THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN CHIPPEWAS
The Chippewas will be playing for the first time since their regular season finale on Mar. 4 on Thursday afternoon, as CMU finished fourth in the league overall to earn a first round bye. However, the Chips will have a chip on their shoulders, as a 91-82 overtime loss to Western Michigan in the regular season finale cost CMU the outright MAC West Division regular season championship. The Chips, who finished the regular season at 17-14 overall and 10-8 in MAC play, are 0-3 on the season in neutral site contests with all three losses coming at a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida. CMU is led by All-MAC First-Team selection Chris Fowler who leads the team with 16.8 points, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game on the season. He is shooting 45.2 percent from the field overall and 80.1 percent from the free throw line. Third-Team All-MAC recipient Braylon Rayson is averaging 16.2 points per game on the season and has poured in a team-high 485 points overall on the year for the Chippewas. The Chips' supporting cast includes Rayshawn Simmons, who is averaging 12.4 points per game and has a team-high 159 assists on the season, John Simons, who leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 boards per contest and is scoring at 9.8 points per game, and Luke Meyer, who is averaging 8.4 points per game and is shooting 57.3 percent from the field overall for the year. CMU ranks second in the MAC on the season with an average of 9.8 made three-pointers per game and is shooting 35.7 percent from long range on the year.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND CMU
Bowling Green holds a slight 39-35 overall record all-time versus Central Michigan on the hardwood. However, Central Michigan has won six of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, including a regular season series sweep at 2-0 over the Falcons this season. The Falcons are 0-1 versus the Chips when playing at a neutral site with that loss coming in a MAC Championship Tournament quarterfinals game back in 2003. BGSU lost 87-70 to the Chips in what was then Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

IN 2015-16
This season, Central Michigan swept the regular season series over the Falcons. The Chippewas defeated BGSU 79-67 in Bowling Green, Ohio on Jan. 9. Just three weeks later, the Falcons fell on the road to the Chips 77-65 on Jan. 30 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

BENCH VS. THE THREE-BALL
Thursday afternoon's quarterfinals contest could come down to BGSU's bench versus the Central Michigan three-point shooting. In their two games this season, the Falcons' bench has outscored the bench of the Chippewas 40-8 overall. In the first game at BGSU, the Falcons outscored CMU 21-3 in bench points. In the second meeting, BGSU held a 19-5 advantage in bench points. However, on the flip side, CMU combined to make 19 three-point field goals in their two games versus the Falcons. The Chips hit 10 three-pointers in their win at BGSU on Jan. 9 and followed that up with nine three-balls at home versus the Falcons on Jan. 30. The Falcons have combined for just seven made three-pointers in their two games versus Central Michigan on the season.

COACH'S CORNER
"Our guys are very excited to be in Cleveland. It has been a roller coaster type season, but March is all about who gets hot at the right time. Our victory over Kent State was a big confidence booster, especially when we played the majority of the game with three freshmen. Antwon has really elevated his level of play recently and is starting to translate his skills to the college game. Demajeo and Rasheed have both improved as rebounders and defenders, which was a big key to our victory over Kent. Our next challenge is Central Michigan. They are much more guard oriented and have a potent offense. If we continue to play with the energy and sense of urgency we had against Kent State, we will be in position to win the game. We knew this season would be a building process, but I am extremely proud of this team for continuing to fight. Our first thought of the day when I arrived at BG was 'Begin with the end in mind.' The end for us was a MAC Championship, we never wanted to lose sight of that goal. Thursday we will look to put ourselves one step closer."

IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE FIRST ROUND WIN
The Falcons improved to 2-5 all-time in MAC Championship Tournament games in true road contests with the win on Monday night, Mar. 7, at Kent State. The Falcons also improved to 7-7 all-time in first round contests with the 70-69 win over the Golden Flashes in this year's tournament.

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.

VERSUS CMU IN TOURNEY PLAY
Bowling Green is 0-2 versus the Central Michigan Chippewas all-time in the MAC Championship Tournament. The Falcons lost a quarterfinals game back in 2003 to the Chippewas 87-70 in what was then Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The two teams also met in Bowling Green, Ohio in the first round of the 2012 MAC Tournament with Central Michigan upsetting BGSU 54-53.

LOOKING TO GET ONE AT "THE Q"
Since "The Q" came about in March 2005, the Falcons have struggled in the downtown Cleveland Arena, going just 1-5 in Quicken Loans Arena. The Falcons have lost each of their last three MAC Tournament contests at "The Q" after posting a quarterfinals win over Ohio, 74-61, back in 2009.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Keep the Falcons' season alive and send BGSU to the semifinals of the MAC Championship Tournament for the first time since 2009.
* Put the Falcons at 16-17 overall on the year.
* Snap a three-game losing streak at Quicken Loans Arena.
* End a two-game losing streak to the Central Michigan Chippewas.
* Hand the Falcons their first MAC Championship Tournament win over CMU.
* Make the Falcons the highest seed to reach the semifinals of the MAC Championship Tournament since the #9 seeded Ohio Bobcats in 2010

LAST TIME OUT - BGSU 70, KENT STATE 69 (MAR. 7)
The BGSU Falcons became just the third No. 12 seed to win its first round Mid-American Men's Basketball Championship Tournament on Monday night, as the visiting Falcons upended the No. 5 seeded Kent State Golden Flashes 70-69 at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. With the win, the Falcons (15-17) survive and advance to Cleveland for the quarterfinals on Thursday, Mar. 10. BGSU will take on No. 4 Central Michigan at 2 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena. The Falcons shot 54 percent (27-of-50) overall for the game, their second straight game shooting over 50 percent from the field as a team, and outscored the Golden Flashes 30-18 in points in the paint and 12-4 in fast break points. The BGSU defense held All-MAC First-Team member Jimmy Hall to just six points and four rebounds, as the Kent State leading scorer was 2-of-10 from the floor overall and coughed up the ball four times. BGSU held Kent State to just 39.3 percent shooting (22-of-56) overall and held the Golden Flashes without a made field goal for the first 6:30 of the second half of play. The Falcons also outscored Kent State 14-8 in points off turnovers, as the Golden Flashes turned the ball over 11 times, while BGSU committed only nine turnovers in the 40 minute contest.

YOU CAN PLAY ON THURSDAY?
BGSU's quarterfinals match up versus No. 4 Central Michigan on Thursday, Mar. 10, will be the first game for the Falcons to be played on a Thursday this season. In fact, BGSU has played multiple games on every other day of the week this season.

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 14.4 points and is second on the team with a career-high 5.3 rebounds per game overall. He is shooting 46.7 percent from the field overall, 42.7 percent from behind the three-point line and 71.3 percent from the free throw line over 32 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
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 four of their last six games. BGSU shot 54.4 percent overall at Buffalo on Feb. 20 and then followed that up by shooting 52.5 percent in a home win over Ohio on Feb. 23. In each of their last two games, the Falcons have shot over 50 percent, shooting 53.3 percent in the loss at home to Buffalo on Mar. 4 and 54 percent in the first round MAC Championship Tournament game at No. 5 Kent State on Mar. 7.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last nine games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 115 assists over that span, an average of 12.8 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), recorded 11 assists at home versus Buffalo (Mar. 4) and passed out 12 dimes at Kent State in the first round of the MAC Championship Tournament (Mar. 7).

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 1,145 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 13-3 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 9-2 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 15 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 13-3 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 2-14 on the year when losing the battle of the boards with the wins coming versus Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 6 and in the first round of the MAC Tournament at Kent State on Mar. 7.

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 32 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 15 different games for the Falcons this season. Seven different Falcons are averaging 20 minutes or more of playing time 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.

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.

DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 122 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 14.4 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.3 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 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, 21 points on the road at Buffalo, 20 points at home versus Ohio and then 20 points in the regular season finale at home against Buffalo.

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.

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.

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 REGULAR SEASON 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.

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.

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.