Falcons And Rockets Meet For 168th Time Tuesday Night In Glass City

OPENING TIP
* Bowling Green and Toledo will meet for the 168th time on Tuesday night. Toledo owns an 88-79 advantage in the Battle of I-75 series.
* The Falcons will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Rockets. BGSU last beat Toledo on Feb. 11, 2012. BG won the game at the Stroh Center, 66-63.
* BGSU has lost three-straight games at Savage Arena, and lost won on Jan. 25, 2011 (70-64).
* The Falcons lost their first six games on the road in 2016-17, but most recently, BGSU defeated Ball State in Muncie on Jan. 7 by a score of 76-71.
* Bowling Green entered last week on a six-game winning streak at the Stroh Center, but lost a pair of home games to Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Falcons are now 6-4 at home this season.
* Through four conference games, Toledo native Demajeo Wiggins leads BGSU in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per contest. He's also averaging 6.5 rebounds in MAC play.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON TOLEDO
"Next up for us is a big rivalry game against Toledo. Toledo is playing extremely well this year and they have a lot of guys who can score the basketball. I'm expecting our guys to come out with a high level of defensive intensity. The past two games we have lacked the necessary energy to compete in the MAC. We need to get back to playing hard and allowing our defense to lead to our offense."

SCOUTING THE TOLEDO ROCKETS
Toledo won its first two conference games of 2016-17 by defeating Buffalo and Miami by double digits at Savage Arena. However, last week, UT lost both of its games on the road to Western Michigan and Central Michigan to fall to 2-2 in MAC play. Toledo's offense starts and ends with senior guard Jonathan Williams. Williams, who has scored 15-plus points in 12-consecutive games and 20-plus points in nine of UT's last 10 games, is averaging 25.0 points in MAC play. He's also scoring a team-high 21.1 points on the season. Steve Taylor Jr., a senior forward who transferred from Marquette, leads the team in rebounds with 11.9 per game, and ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.3 points. Sophomore guard Jaelan Sanford is also averaging in double digits with 13.8 points per ballgame. A high-scoring team, Toledo is averaging 82.6 points on 47.8 percent shooting. The Rockets make 7.6 triples a game, and score 18.1 points per contest from the free throw line. The Rockets are allowing their opponents to shoot 47.2 percent and score 78.9 points per game. Seventh-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk owns a 111-101 record at Toledo.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 8-10
• Move Bowling Green's MAC record to 2-3
• Give BGSU its first win over Toledo since Feb. 11, 2012
• Snap Toledo's five-game winning streak over BG
• Break UT's three-game winning streak over the Falcons at Savage Arena
• Give Michael Huger his first win over Toledo as a head coach
• Move BGSU to 2-1 on the road in conference play
• Give BG its second-consecutive win on the road
• Narrow Toledo's all-time series lead to 89-80

MORE ON THE BATTLE OF I-75
Recently, the Battle of I-75 has been a series of streaks. Toledo is currently on a five-game winning streak, which is its second-longest winning streak in the series. From 1965-68, the Rockets won six-straight games. However, before the Rockets won five-straight, Bowling Green had won five of six games, including a four-game winning streak that lasted from 2009-12, and ended when Toledo recorded a 75-62 win in Savage Arena on Jan. 26, 2013. Historically, the home team has had a significant advantage in the series. The Falcons are 48-27 in games played in Bowling Green, but just 27-55 in games played in Toledo (UT holds a 6-4 advantage in neutral site games). Bowling Green has lost three-straight games played at Savage Arena, and have only won two of the last 10 games played in Toledo. On the flip side, the Falcons have won seven of the last 10 games played in Bowling Green.

THE LAST TIME BOWLING GREEN BEAT TOLEDO
Bowling Green last beat Toledo on Feb. 11, 2012. In the first-ever BG-Toledo game played at the Stroh Center, the Falcons won the game by a score of 66-63. The game was played in front of a Stroh Center-record 4,421 fans. Bowling Green erased a 13-point deficit in the second half, and shot 44.4 percent for the game. Scott Thomas played all 40 minutes, went 9-for-14 from the field, and finished the game with a team-high 21 points. A'uston Calhoun went 10-for-18 from the floor, and recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds. Bowling Green led, 66-60, with 11 seconds left, but Toledo finished the game by having a three-quarters court shot for the tie at the buzzer.

TOUGH TWO-GAME HOME STAND FOR THE FALCONS
After an impressive 76-71 win on the road at Ball State on Jan. 7, the Falcons dropped a pair of home games last week versus Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) and Northern Illinois (Jan. 14). Bowling Green was held to its two lowest point totals on the season, as EMU defeated Bowling Green, 81-53, and NIU picked up a 69-52 victory. In both games, the Orange and Brown shot below 40.0 percent. Across the two games, Bowling Green committed 40 turnovers while racking up 25 assists. Heading into the weekend, the Falcons had won six-consecutive games at the Stroh Center.

WINNING TEAMS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO BOWLING GREEN'S ROAD WOES
The Falcons are 1-6 on the road in 2016-17. Although five of those losses have been by single digits, and four of them have been by two possessions or fewer, the Falcons' opponents deserve a large amount of credit for BGSU's struggles away from home. Bowling Green has played seven really difficult road games. In fact, all seven of BGSU's opponents on the road – Oakland (14-4), South Dakota (13-8), Cincinnati (15-2), Evansville (10-9), San Jose State (9-7) Akron (14-3), and Ball State (11-6) – own winning records. The seven opponents, six of which have won 10-plus games already, have a combined record of 86-39. Furthermore, BGSU's next two road opponents – Toledo (9-8) and Central Michigan (11-6) – have winning records, as well. As of now, the Falcons are on track to play their first team with a losing record on Feb, 14, when the team travels to Kalamazoo to face Western Michigan. If that holds up, it will have been 95 days into the 2016-17 season.

BG'S THREE-POINT DEFENSE RANKED NO. 88 IN THE LAND
Throughout the course of the season, the Falcons have done a great job of defending the three-point line. Opponents are shooting 32.4 percent from three-point land in 2016-17, which ranks 88th in the country. Bowling Green's three-point defense was on full display in its most-recent win at Ball State (Jan. 7). The Falcons forced Ball State to shoot an anemic 16.0 percent from deep, as the Cardinals went 4-for-25. The Orange and Brown have had several other notable games in terms of defending the triple. BGSU held Notre Dame College (Nov. 29) to a 3-for-28 night. Morgan State (Nov. 26) went 4-for-14 from distance against the Falcons, while Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10) went 2-for-15. Last time out, NIU went 4-for-16 from distance against the Falcons. In seven different games, Bowling Green has allowed five or fewer three-point makes.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL AND TAKING THE BALL
When looking at where the Falcons rank nationally, Bowling Green ranks highly in a number of statistics related to taking care of the basketball. BGSU has a plus-1.5 turnover margin, which ranks 100th in the country. On a related note, the Falcons rank 111th in the land in steals per game, as BGSU is averaging 6.9 steals per contest. Zack Denny leads the way in that category, and sits fourth in the MAC, averaging 1.9 steals per ballgame. Assist-to-turnover ratio is another related statistic that stands out, as senior Ismail Ali leads the MAC with a 2.4 ratio.

BGSU EARNS FIRST MAC WIN & FIRST ROAD WIN OF 2016-17 SEASON IN MUNCIE
After starting the 2016-17 season with six-consecutive losses on the road, the Falcons held off Ball State for a 76-71 victory on Jan. 7 in Muncie, Indiana. Bowling Green earned its first road win, and first MAC win of the season in the process. With less than two minutes to go in the game, sophomore Antwon Lillard scored tough baskets inside. In both scenarios, Lillard's basket bumped BGSU's advantage from one point to three points. The Falcons contested a few late threes to perfection, and Ball State's game-tying triple with less than ten seconds left hardly drew iron. Senior Zack Denny hit two clutch free throws to secure the victory for the Orange and Brown.

ALL FIVE FALCON STARTERS SCORE IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN MAC OPENER
Bowling Green played a heck of a road game at Akron on Jan. 3. BGSU shot a season-high 54.1 percent from the field, and twice narrowed double-digit deficits to a single possession. Furthermore, all five of BGSU's starters – Demajeo Wiggins (21), Ismail Ali (16), Zack Denny (16), Antwon Lillard (16) and Wes Alcegaire (10) – scored in double figures, marking the first time that has happened since Dec. 15, 2013. For Wiggins, his point total established a new career high, while Ali's 16 points was a season high. But in the end, Akron, which is now atop the MAC standings with a 4-0 mark, escaped with an 89-84 victory. The Zips shot 56.6 percent from the floor and a ridiculous 45.5 percent from downtown on 22 three-point attempts.

DIAPER DANDIES SHOW UP FOR BGSU IN FIRST TWO MAC HOME GAMES
Bowling Green did not get much production out of its freshmen across the opening week of conference play. However, Rodrick Caldwell and Dylan Frye gave BGSU solid minutes over the most-recent home stand in games against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) and Northern Illinois (Jan 14). In the game against Eastern Michigan, Caldwell set conference career highs with seven points and five assists. He also tied his MAC high with three rebounds. Frye, on the other hand, had his best MAC game to date, as he scored eight points and added three assists. Frye, who has increased his point total in each conference game thus far, then scored 13 points and nailed three triples in the NIU game. Frye went 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from downtown. In the game against EMU, the two teamed up and combined for 11-straight points in an 11-4 run in the second half, which trimmed the Eagles' lead to 12 points.

FALCONS ENDED CONFERENCE PLAY ON SIX-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK
Prior to the Falcons' MAC home opener versus Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10), the team had won six-straight games at the Stroh Center. The six-consecutive home wins to close out the non-conference slate allowed BG to have an overall record of 6-7 heading into conference play. The six wins also moved BGSU's non-conference record under Michael Huger to a solid 17-12. Over the Orange and Brown's six-game winning streak at home, BGSU was winning its games by an average of 15.7 points. The Falcons scored an average of 81.3 points, while holding opponents to an average of 65.6 points. Opponents shot a combined 39.2 percent from the field, and an anemic 29.3 percent from three-point range across Bowling Green's six-game streak.

NATE THURMOND BOBBLEHEAD DAY SET FOR JAN. 28
Bowling Green will honor Falcon legend Nate Thurmond on Jan. 28 by handing out Thurmond bobbleheads to the first 400 fans through the doors for the Falcons' game against MAC-East foe Ohio. Thurmond, who passed away in July, was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985 after an All-American career at BGSU from 1959-63. A seven-time NBA All-Star, Thurmond scored 1,356 points across his career as a Falcon, while leading Bowling Green to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1962 and 1963. Over the weekend, the tip time for the game was moved to 4 p.m., due to the fact that the game was picked up by Spectrum Sports/BCSN television. Originally, the game was set for a noon tip.

ALI'S BEST GAMES HAVE COME INSIDE THE CONFERENCE
Senior guard Ismail Ali is having a strong senior season for the Falcons. After averaging 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds in his first season in BG in 2015-16, Ali is up to 6.4 points, 5.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds. His 5.0 assists rank fifth in the MAC. Ali also ranks first in the conference with 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ali's best two games of the season have come across Bowling Green's first four MAC games. In the conference opener at Akron (Jan. 3), Ali went 6-for-9 from the field, and posted 16 points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds. In the team's most-recent game versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 14), Ali tied his season high with 16 points, while also racking up six assists, two steals and two rebounds. He converted on seven field goals (7-for-11) in the NIU contest, which marked a season high. Ali has scored in double digits five times this season, and in each game, he's also recorded at least five assists.

ALI RANKED FIRST IN THE MAC IN ASSIST-TO-TURNOVER RATIO
Heading into Tuesday nights's game at Toledo (Jan. 17), senior guard Ismail Ali ranks first in the Mid-American Conference with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ali has 80 assists compared to 34 turnovers. Last season, Ali finished with a 1.8 ratio after racking up 130 assists and committing 73 turnovers. Additionally, the senior sits fifth in the MAC in assists per game with 5.0. He's had 11 games with at least five assists, including eight games with at least six assists. Ali has had a pair of seven-assist games at San Jose State (Dec. 18) and versus Morgan State (Nov. 26), and dished out a season-high nine assists on Nov. 29 in a win over Notre Dame College.

DENNY JOINS BGSU'S THREE-POINT FRATERNITY
Senior guard Zack Denny went 2-for-3 from downtown versus Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) to move into 10th place all-time on the program's three-point field goals list. He entered the game tied with Jordon Crawford (2009-13) at 122 career triples, but he hit his first attempt from deep to break the tie and move into 10th place. The three-pointer that pushed Denny over the top gave BGSU a 12-11 lead with 13:18 to go in the first half. Denny now has 125 career three-pointers. The Germantown, Ohio native, who has made at least one three-pointer in 13 of BGSU's last 14 games, is shooting 37.0 percent from downtown for his career.

ZACK "DOUBLE-FIGURE" DENNY
Zack Denny has increased his scoring output in each of his four seasons as a Falcon. He's averaging a team-high 12.2 points in 2016-17 after scoring 10.6 points as a junior. Along with fellow senior Wes Alcegaire and sophomore Demajeo Wiggins, Denny is one of three Falcons averaging double digits this season. The senior is averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds in four MAC games. He posted 7 points and 11 rebounds last game versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 14). Denny, who has scored 10-plus points in 14 games this season, has had 46 double-digit nights across his career, and he's now 116 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

WIGGINS AVERAGING A TEAM-HIGH 13.5 POINTS IN MAC PLAY
Sophomore Demajeo Wiggins was playing at a high level through Bowling Green's 13 non-conference games, but the Toledo native has taken his game to new heights during conference play. Through the first four games of the conference slate, Wiggins is averaging a team-high 13.5 points on 52.3 shooting (22-of-42). He's also averaging 6.5 rebounds, which is second only to Zack Denny's 6.8. In the MAC opener at Akron (Jan. 3), Wiggins went 10-for-17 from the field and scored a career-high 21 points. Wiggins then went 6-for-11 from the floor at Ball State (Jan. 7) to finish with 17 points, and in BGSU's home MAC opener versus Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10), he totaled 11 points and seven rebounds. Wiggins' 10 field goals at Akron was a career high, and at Ball State, he had 15 points and seven rebounds in the second half. He pulled down eight rebounds apiece in the first two conference games of the season. Additionally, the sophomore has scored in double figures in five of the team's last six games. Wiggins is now averaging 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds after averaging 4.6 and 4.4 last season as a freshman.

WIGGINS CONTINUES TO "BEAT THE RIM"
Heading into the offseason, free throw shooting, among other aspects, was a huge focus for sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins. Michael Huger tried to get Wiggins to narrow his focus, and reminded the sophomore that the only obstacle in his way was the rim. Huger constantly told his player to "beat the rim." This season, Wiggins is experiencing one of the biggest turnarounds from the free throw line in college basketball history. After shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) in 2015-16, the Toledo native is, incredibly, up to 70.5 percent (62-of-88) in 2016-17. He's made eight-plus free throws in three games this year, including a pair of 9-for-10 contests. Wiggins, despite having shot just 30 more free throws than he did in 2015-16, has already made 40 more free throws this season. Wiggins has made a team-high 62 free throws, while making a team-high 88 trips to the charity stripe. When counting just players that have taken at least 20 free throws, Wiggins' 70.5 percent ranks second on the squad.

FRYE AVERAGING 10.1 POINTS AND SHOOTING 50.8% OVER LAST EIGHT GAMES
Over the last eight ballgames, freshman guard Dylan Frye is averaging 10.1 points and shooting 50.8 percent (31-of-61) from the field. He's also shooting 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from downtown over that eight-game stretch. Prior to a nine-point night against Norfolk State (Dec. 30), Frye scored 10-plus points in three-consecutive games for the first time in his career. The young sharp shooter dropped a career-high 18 on Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10), and then scored 10 points at San Jose State (Dec. 18) and 16 points versus Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). Frye leads the Falcons with a 47.1 field-goal percentage, and leads the Bowling Green bench in both scoring (7.6) and minutes (20.0).

#DeepFrye
Freshman guard Dylan Frye ranks fourth in the conference with a 44.9 three-point percentage (22-of-49). Across Bowling Green's last 13 games, he's been red hot from deep, as he's shooting 48.8 percent (22-for-45). He has made at least one triple in 10 of those 13 games. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native has made three triples in four games this season. He made four three-pointers against Alabama A&M on Dec. 22, which marked the second time in three games that he made four three-balls, as he went an identical 4-for-7 from deep versus Detroit Mercy on Dec. 10. Last game against Northern Illinois (Jan. 14), he went 3-for-4. He also connected on 3-of-4 triples in the Falcons' victory over Morgan State (Nov. 26). The freshman has hit multiple three-balls in six games this season, and has shot at least 50.0 percent from three-point land in a total of eight contests.

LILLARD LIGHTS IT UP ACROSS OPENING WEEK IN THE MAC
Sophomore guard Antwon Lillard started the MAC schedule with a pair of big games. He shot 5-for-7 from the field and scored 16 points at Akron (Jan. 3). In Bowling Green's most-recent win at Ball State (Jan. 7), Lillard carried the Falcons down the stretch and finished with a game-high 19 points, which tied his season high. He also chipped in with eight rebounds and three assists. Recently, Lillard has found his three-point stroke, as well, as the Cleveland native has made seven of his last 15 attempts from deep to bump his average above 30.0 percent at 30.6. Due largely in part to his recent outburst, Lillard is now averaging 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. For the season, he's shooting 46.2 percent, which ranks second on the team.

ALCEGAIRE IN NEED OF A BREAKOUT GAME
After scoring 10-plus points in seven of eight games, including a stretch in which he scored in double digits in five-consecutive games, senior forward Wes Alcegaire has been held to single digits over BG's last three contests. Last week, Alcegaire scored five points against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10), and then scored two points before fouling out versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 14). The Miami native still ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game. He's also made a team-high 25 three-point field goals, and has scored in double figures 10 times in 2016-17. Alcegaire, who already has three more assists (24) than he did all of last season, has shot at least 50.0 percent in nine games.

FOX IS FILLING IT UP FROM DEEP
Junior guard Matt Fox, who was put on scholarship just hours before BGSU's win over Murray State (Nov. 21), continues to shoot the three-ball at a high clip. Fox has hit a three-ball in 10 of Bowling Green's last 13 games. Over that 13-game stretch, Fox is 15-for-33 (45.4 percent) from downtown. Last week, against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10), the Maumee, Ohio native hit at least two triples for the fifth time this season, as he went 2-for-4 and finished the game with six points. Fox has also had a 4-for-7 game from three-point land versus Morgan State (Nov. 26). Fox ranks 13th in the MAC in three-point percentage at 39.6 percent.

JUSTIN TURNER'S CAREER NIGHT AGAINST NORFOLK STATE
After missing the first 11 games of the season with a lower body injury, freshman guard Justin Turner returned to the floor against Alabama A&M on Dec. 22. He scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting in 12 minutes. In the Falcons' next game, Turner doubled his minutes and doubled his production, as he scored a career-high 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting. He also recorded the first assist and steal of his career. Turner pulled down two rebounds in each of his first two games as a Falcon.

CALDWELL TIES HIS CAREER HIGH WITH 13 POINTS VERSUS NORFOLK STATE
Freshman guard Rodrick Caldwell found his scoring touch at the end of non-conference play. Caldwell has had three double-digit scoring nights, and all three of them came over BGSU's last five games of the non-conference slate. The freshman tied his career high against Norfolk State (Dec. 30) with 13 points. He was 4-for-7 from the field, had four assists, zero turnovers, three rebounds and one steal. Earlier in December, Caldwell had consecutive nights with 10-plus points, as he scored 10 at Evansville (Dec. 6) and 13 versus Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). In 17.5 minutes this season, Caldwell is averaging 5.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds.

THE BGSU SPLASH BROTHERS
Bowling Green has six players on the 2016-17 roster that have made 11-plus attempts from three-point range this season. As a team, BGSU is shooting 36.0 percent from downtown, which ranks fourth in the MAC. This mark is virtually all due to the team's six sharp shooters. Bowling Green's Splash Brothers – Wes Alcegaire (25-of-73; 34.2 percent), Dylan Frye (22-of-49; 44.9 percent), Zack Denny (20-of-64; 31.3 percent), Matt Fox (19-of-48; 39.6 percent), Rodrick Caldwell (14-of-40; 35.0 percent), and Antwon Lillard (11-of-36; 30.6 percent) – have combined to make a total of 111 triples. Collectively, they are shooting 35.8 percent from deep (111-of-310). Frye ranks fourth in the conference in three-point percentage, while Fox sits 13th.

FALCONS REGISTER WIN NO. 50 AT THE STROH CENTER
Bowling Green's 90-58 win over Morgan State (Nov. 26) marked the program's 50th victory at the Stroh Center. The Falcons now own an overall record of 54-35 at the Stroh Center, which opened for the 2011-12 season. The Orange and Brown have won 11-plus games in three seasons at the Stroh, as BGSU went 12-4 in the facility's inaugural season, prior to finishing 11-5 in 2012-13, and 11-6 in 2014-15. BGSU owns a .614 winning percentage at the Stroh Center.

YEAR TWO OF THE MICHAEL HUGER ERA
After guiding the Falcons to a 16-18 record last season, head coach Michael Huger has begun his second season at the helm of his alma mater. Huger has brought some needed stability to the program, as the 2016-17 season will mark the first time that the Falcons will have a head coach for back-to-back seasons since 2013-14. The former Falcon guard will look to build off an exciting run at last year's MAC Tournament. The Orange and Brown defeated both Kent State and Central Michigan, two team's that beat BGSU twice during the regular season, to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

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