Falcons Open MAC Play Tuesday Night At Akron

OPENING TIP
* Tuesday night's game will mark the 60th all-time meeting between Bowling Green and Akron. The Zips lead the series, 35-24.
* Akron has won 16-consecutive games over Bowling Green. The Falcons will be in search of their first win against Akron since March 1, 2009.
* Last season, Akron won all three games against Bowling Green, including an 80-66 victory in the MAC Tournament Semifinals.
* Bowling Green is 7-3 in its last 10 MAC openers. BGSU has won two-straight MAC openers.
* The Falcons ride a two-game winning streak into conference play. BGSU defeated Norfolk State (Dec. 30) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) to finish the out-of-conference slate with a 6-7 record. BGSU is 17-12 under Michael Huger in non-conference games.
* BGSU is still in search of its first road win of the 2016-17 season.
* Over his last seven games, Wes Alcegaire is averaging 15.1 points and shooting 52.7 percent.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON AKRON
"I've told our guys that right now everyone in our league is undefeated, standing at 0-0 in conference play. There is no secret that Akron has been one of, if not the best team in the MAC for a number of years now. We must go into this game with a mentality that if we want to eventually be the best, then we need to beat the best. Akron spreads the floor with extremely talented shooters and plays through their big man Isaiah Johnson in the post. Johnson gave us problems last season, so we need to do a great job on him defensively, which is no easy task. Conference play is the most exciting time of the year, and our guys have not forgotten that Akron was the team that ended our season last year. We owe it to ourselves to come out Tuesday night and perform to the very best of our abilities."

SCOUTING THE AKRON ZIPS
Akron enters Tuesday night's game with a 10-3 record, which is tied for the best mark in the MAC in non-conference play. The Zips have won three-consecutive games, and after losing their season opener at Youngstown State, Akron has only lost to Creighton and Gonzaga – both of which ranked inside of the top 10 in the AP poll. All three of Akron's losses have come on the road, which leaves the Zips with a perfect 6-0 home record. Senior center Isaiah Johnson is possibly the rest player in the MAC, and he leads the Zips in points (14.7), rebounds (6.8) and assists (3.3). Junior guards Antino Jackson and Noah Robatham are also scoring in double figures, as they are averaging 12.0 and 11.2 points, respectively. Akron's offense is predicated around getting the ball inside to Johnson, and also spreading the floor to hit outside shots. The Zips are shooting 39.3 percent from deep, and are making 11.1 triples per contest. Akron has six players shooting at least 40.0 percent from three-point range.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Move the Falcons to .500 on the season at 7-7
• Extend BGSU's winning streak to three games
• Give the Falcons their first road win of the 2016-17 season
• Allow Bowling Green to start the MAC schedule with a 1-0 record for the third-straight season
• Give BGSU its first win over Akron since March 1, 2009
• Snap Akron's 16-game winning streak over Bowling Green
• Narrow Akron's all-time series lead to 10 games at 35-25

THE TOUGHEST WEEK-ONE SCHEDULE IN THE MAC
The Falcons, on paper, have the toughest week-one schedule in the conference. BGSU opens at Akron (10-3) on Jan. 3. Akron, along with being the predicted MAC Tournament champion, has beaten the Falcons 16-straight times. Ball State is off to a 9-4 start and was picked to finish second in the MAC West. When looking at the combined records of first-week opponents across the league, no team will pay two opponents that have more combined wins than Akron and Ball State. The Zips and Cardinals currently have a combined record of 19-7. Western Michigan plays at Ohio (8-3) and at Akron, while Kent State also has a tough draw having to face Ball State at home and Ohio on the road.

FINISHING THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE OUT STRONG
Bowling Green finished its non-conference schedule with a pair of home wins over Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) and Norfolk State (Dec. 30). The two victories allowed the Falcons to finish the out-of-conference slate with a 6-7 record. In the Norfolk State win, the Falcons shot 65.2 percent in the second half, and scored 50 points. In the victory over Alabama A&M, BGSU closed the first half on a 13-2 run to take an eight-point lead into the break, and never looked back. The two victories improved BGSU's non-conference record under second-year head coach Michael Huger to a solid 17-12.

WINNING TEAMS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO BOWLING GREEN'S ROAD WOES
The Falcons are 0-5 on the road in 2016-17. Although four of those losses have been by single digits, and the last two defeats have been by a combined four points, the Falcons' opponents deserve a large amount of credit for BGSU's struggles away from home. Bowling Green has played five really difficult road games. In fact, all five of BGSU's opponents on the road – Oakland (12-3), South Dakota (10-7), Cincinnati (12-2), Evansville (10-5) and San Jose State (7-5) – own winning records. The five opponents have a combined record of 51-22. Furthermore, BGSU's next five road opponents – Akron (10-3), Ball State (9-4), Toledo (7-6), Central Michigan (10-3) and Kent State (8-5) – all have winning records.

LAST TIME ON THE ROAD: BGSU FALLS AT SJSU ON LAYUP WITH 1.2 SECONDS LEFT
Bowling Green fell to 0-5 on the season on the road following a devastating last second loss at San Jose State on Dec. 18. BGSU erased an 18-point second half deficit, regained as much as a three-point lead, before allowing a put-back layup with 1.2 seconds left to lose by a score of 77-76. Zack Denny pulled down an offensive rebound, and converted a layup in traffic to give the Falcons a 76-75 lead with eight seconds left. BGSU then forced a contested layup by San Jose State's Jalen James, but Brandon Clarke, who finished the game with 24 points and 14 rebounds, tipped the ball in to give the Spartans the win. Seniors Denny and Wes Alcegaire led the Orange and Brown with 16 points apiece.

BREAKING DOWN THE FIVE FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
Bowling Green's 6-7 record does not even begin to describe the type of dog fights that the Falcons have taken part in this season. However, BG's most-recent loss at San Jose State (Dec. 18) told a similar story. And for the fifth time this season, Bowling Green came up on the short end of a game that went down to the wire. Below is a breakdown of the Orange and Brown's five devastating losses in 2016-17.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE AT THE STROH CENTER
BGSU earned its sixth-consecutive win at the Stroh Center by defeating Norfolk State by a score of 86-77 on Dec. 30 to move to 6-2 at home this season. Along with the Norfolk State win, Bowling Green has knocked off Murray State (Nov. 21), Morgan State (Nov. 26), Notre Dame College (Nov. 29), Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). Bowling Green last lost a home game on Nov. 20, which is well over a month ago. Over the six-game winning streak, the Orange and Brown have been winning games by an average of 15.7 points. The Falcons have scored an average points 81.3 points, while holding opponents to an average of 65.6 points. Opponents are shooting a combined 39.2 percent from the field, and an anemic 29.3 percent from three-point range in Bowling Green's last six games played at the Stroh Center.

"WOW" IS THE ONLY WORD TO DESCRIBE WES' LAST SEVEN GAMES
Over the last seven games, there have not been many more consistent and impactful players in the conference than senior forward Wes Alcegaire. Alcegaire, who is averaging a team-high and career-high 13.4 points in 2016-17, has scored 15-plus points in six of Bowling Green's last seven games. Over that seven-game stretch, the Miami, Florida native is shooting 52.7 percent from the field and averaging 15.1 points per contest. Alcegaire scored a team-high 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting in Bowling Green's most-recent game against Norfolk State. Prior to that performance, he scored 15 points against Alabama A&M, and 16 points in consecutive games against San Jose State (Dec. 18) and Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). Alcegaire also scored 16 points at Cincinnati (Dec. 4), while dropping a season-high 20 points on Notre Dame College (Nov. 29). The senior, who has had nine games of double-digit scoring, leads Bowling Green in three-point field goals with 22.

A DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR DEMAJEO IN TWO-STRAIGHT GAMES
Sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins is playing the best basketball of his young collegiate career. Wiggins has had a double-double in consecutive games, and has had three double-doubles over BGSU's last five contests. The Toledo native had 15 points and 11 rebounds versus Norfolk State (Dec. 30), and prior to that, had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). Wiggins' other double-double came on Dec. 6 at Evansville, as he scored a career-high 18 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. The sophomore is now averaging 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds after posting 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2015-16 as a freshman. On top of the increased production, the big man is experiencing one of the bigger turnarounds at the free throw line in college basketball history this year. Wiggins went 9-for-10 at the line against Norfolk State, which bumped his average up to 74.3 percent (52-of-70) on the season. After shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) at the line in 2015-16, Wiggins has already made 30 more free throws than he did all last season, even though he's attempted just 12 more shots.

LILLARD CONTINUES TO STUFF THE STAT SHEET
Make no mistake about it, sophomore guard Antwon Lillard has one of the highest ceilings in the MAC. He has the rare ability to make an impact in a number of categories on game day. BGSU's last two games have illustrated this fact quite well. In the Falcons' most recent game against Norfolk State (Dec. 30), Lillard had nine points, four assists and three rebounds – all while shooting 4-for-5 from the floor. Prior to the Norfolk State game, Lillard had a big day against Alabama A&M. The Cleveland native had an absurd line of seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. His five assists established a new career high, while his three steals tied a career high. He's also found his three-point touch as of late. Over the last five games, he's 5-for-8 from downtown, which has increased his percentage to 31.0 percent. In 15 career starts, Lillard is averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds.

DENNY CLOSE TO EARNING MEMBERSHIP INTO THREE-POINT FRATERNITY
Bowling Green's three-point fraternity will have a new member very soon. Senior guard Zack Denny has made 121 three-point field goals in his career, and is just one triple shy of moving into a tie with Jordon Crawford (2009-13) for 10th most all-time. Denny, who has made at least one three-pointer in each of the last 10 games, made 50 triples in 2014-15 and 52 bombs in 2015-16. If he were to make 50 more three-pointers this season, Denny would finish his career ranked sixth all-time in made three-point field goals. For his career, Denny is shooting 37.2 percent from downtown.

ZACK "DOUBLE-FIGURE" DENNY
Although his streak of scoring 10-plus points ended at 10-consecutive games in Bowling Green's 86-77 victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 30, Denny has taken his offensive game up a notch in 2016-17. After averaging 10.6 points as a junior, 9.2 points as a sophomore and 3.3 points as a freshman, Denny currently sits second on the team in scoring, as he's averaging 12.0 points per game. Along with fellow senior Wes Alcegaire, Denny is the only other Falcon averaging double digits this season. For his career, the senior has had 43 double-digit nights, and he's now 168 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. The Germantown, Ohio native has scored at least 10 points in 11 of Bowling Green's 13 contests this season.

FRYE AVERAGING 13.3 POINTS AND SHOOTING 51.3% OVER LAST FOUR GAMES
Over the last four ballgames, freshman guard Dylan Frye is averaging 13.3 points and shooting 51.3 percent (19-of-37) from the field. He's also shooting 55.6 percent (10-of-19) over that four-game stretch. Although he scored nine points in BGSU's most-recent game against Norfolk State (Dec. 30), prior to that, 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 Bowling Green bench in both scoring (7.8) and minutes (19.7). Frye is shooting 46.2 percent from the field, and from downtown, and after going 4-for-4 from the line last game, his free throw percentage is up to 70.6 percent.

#DeepFrye
To put things mildly, freshman guard Dylan Frye is shooting the three-ball at a downright silly clip, especially over Bowling Green's last nine games. Over that current nine-game stretch, Frye is 18-for-35 (51.4 percent) from deep. He has made at least one triple in eight of those nine games, and is shooting 46.2 percent (18-for-39) from downtown for the season. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native hit four triples against Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) on Dec. 22, which marked the second time in three games that he made four three-pointers, as he went an identical 4-for-7 from deep versus Detroit Mercy on Dec. 10. Frye connected on 3-of-4 triples in the Falcons' victory over Morgan State (Nov. 26) earlier in the season. The freshman has hit multiple three-balls in five games this season, and has shot at least 50.0 percent from three-point land in a total of six contests.

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' most recent 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 has 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 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 back-to-night nights with 10-plus points, as he scored 10 at Evansville (Dec. 6) and 13 versus Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10). In 17.8 minutes per game, Caldwell is averaging 6.3 points, 2.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds, while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point land.

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?
Junior guard Matt Fox, who was put on scholarship just hours before BGSU's win over Murray State (Nov. 21), has adapted well to his increased role this season. The guard, who often times this season has played the power forward position, does more than just shoot threes. However, three-point shooting has been Fox's calling card since arriving on campus, and he's been very effective this season from downtown. Fox has hit a three in seven of Bowling Green's last nine games. Over that eight-game stretch, Fox is 11-for-21 (52.3 percent) from downtown. The Maumee, Ohio native has hit at least two triples in four games this season, while also having a 4-for-7 game from three-point land versus Morgan State (Nov. 26).

THE BGSU SPLASH BROTHERS
Bowling Green has five players on the 2016-17 roster that have made 12-plus attempts from three-point range this season. As a team, BGSU is shooting 37.5 percent from downtown. This high mark is due largely in part to five payers. Bowling Green's Splash Brothers – Wes Alcegaire (22-of-57; 38.6 percent), Dylan Frye (18-of-39; 46.2 percent), Zack Denny (16-of-51; 31.4 percent), Matt Fox (15-of-35; 42.9 percent), and Rodrick Caldwell (12-of-34; 35.3 percent) – have combined to make a total of 83 triples. Collectively, they are shooting 38.4 percent from deep (83-of-216).

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 54-33 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.

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.

FALCONS INK FOUR DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
On the eve of the college basketball season (Nov. 10), Bowling Green announced the signing of four future student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Nelly Cummings (Midland, Pa. / Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School), Joniya Gadson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Dillard High School), Derek Koch (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern High School) and Daeqwon Plowden (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastery Charter North School) are set to join the program for the 2017-18 season. More information can be found at BGSUFalcons.com.

#BGinItaly
Due largely in part to Bill Frack's extreme generosity, financial commitment and unwavering support towards the men's basketball program, the team went on an 11-day cultural immersion tour in Italy from Aug. 8-18. The program spent days in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and Lake Como, and saw some of the most famous landmarks in Italian history. The Falcons traveled to The Vatican, spent time inside the Roman Colosseum, visited the Ferrari Museum and saw the famous gondolas in Venice, among many other stops, which included Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. The Orange and Brown also played four games, and accumulated a 3-1 record while playing professional and national competition.

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