Falcons Clash With Cardinals Of Ball State Saturday At Stroh

OPENING TIP

* Bowling Green and Ball State are set to meet for the second time this season on Saturday afternoon. BGSU won the first matchup in Muncie on Jan. 7 by a score of 76-71.
* The win for Bowling Green at Ball State is BGSU's lone MAC win on the season. It's also BGSU's only away win in 2016-17, as the Falcons are 1-7 on the road.
* The Falcons and Cardinals will meet for the 83rd time on the hardwood this weekend. Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 47-35. BG has won eight of the last nine meetings.
* BGSU will play four of its next five games at home, beginning with Saturday's game.
* The Falcons have lost three-straight games after defeating BSU, while the Cardinals have won three-consecutive games. BGSU lost at Toledo on Tuesday, 85-73. Ball State knocked off Central Michigan in Muncie, 98-83.
* Demajeo Wiggins recorded his fourth double-double of the season at Toledo (17 pts, 11 rebs). Through five MAC games, he's averaging a team-high 14.2 points & 7.4 rebounds.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON BALL STATE
"We will play host to Ball State on Saturday. In our first matchup with Ball State, we were able to earn the victory through a great defensive game. We will need to tighten up the offensive glass and take away their three-point shooters if we want to sweep our season series. I'm expecting this game to be physical and hard fought from start to finish."

SCOUTING THE BALL STATE CARDINALS
After losing to Bowling Green on Jan. 7 to fall to 1-2 in the conference, Ball State has won three-straight, earning wins against Miami, Buffalo and Central Michigan. In conference play, starters Tayler Persons (16.8), Franko House (15.4), Ryan Weber (10.8) and Trey Moses (10.0) are all averaging double figures. Persons, a guard who is averaging a team-high 15.4 points on the season, also leads the Cardinals in assists (5.1) and steals (1.8). Moses is having a breakout year in the post. He's averaging 8.8 rebounds on the year, and is shooting a team-best 57.4 percent from the field. Ball State loves the three-ball. The Cardinals are making nine triples a game, and shooting 37.6 percent from downtown. The Cardinals are scoring nearly 80.0 points per contest, but are turnover prone, as they are averaging 15.2 turnovers. An extremely well-balanced team offensively, Ball State has eight players scoring at least 7.5 points, including seven players scoring above 8.4 points. Ball State is allowing 72.5 points per game, which nearly equals BGSU's average on the year. Opponents are shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep against BSU.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 8-11
• Move Bowling Green's MAC record to 2-4
• Secure a regular-season sweep of Ball State
• Give BGSU a 9-1 mark against BSU over the last 10 meetings
• Improve Michael Huger's record against Ball State to 2-1
• Snap BG's three-game losing streak
• End the Cardinals' three-game winning streak
• Give Bowling Green a 7-4 home record
• Improve BGSU's advantage in the all-time series to 48-35

FALCONS COME UP SHORT IN BATTLE OF I-75
In the 168th edition of the rivalry, Toledo knocked off Bowling Green on Tuesday (Jan. 17) night, 85-73. Toledo scored the final 13 points of the half to take an 11-point lead into the break. UT, who shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the floor and 45.0 percent (9-of-20) from downtown, led by at least three possessions for the remainder of the contest. In what has become an alarming trend at Savage Arena, Toledo destroyed the Falcons at the line by making ten more foul shots, and attempting 19 more free throws than BG. Since the turn of the century, Toledo has attempted 162 more free throws than BGSU in games played at Savage Arena, which averages out to over 28 free throw attempts a game for UT. BG is shooting under 16 free throws a game across that span.

EARLIER THIS MONTH: FALCONS BEAT CARDINALS IN MUNCIE
In the second conference game of the season on Jan. 7, BGSU earned its first road win and first MAC win of the 2016-17 season by defeating the Cardinals, 76-71. Ball State recorded 22 offensive rebounds, and outrebounded BGSU, 47-34, but the Falcons made 26 trips to the free throw line, and outscored the Cardinals at the line, 19-11. Ball State went 4-for-25 at the three-point line, and missed two game-tying triples in the final seconds of the game. Sophomore Antwon Lillard scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Fellow sophomore Demajeo Wiggins added 15 points and seven rebounds in the second half to finish with 17 and eight. Senior Zack Denny, who has shined against Ball State across his career, posted 15 points and eight rebounds in the win.

DENNY DOMINATES BALL STATE
Zack Denny, a native of Germantown, Ohio, which is about 90 minutes away from the Ball State campus, has dominated the Cardinals across his career. In five games, including four starts, Denny is averaging 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists against BSU. Denny is also shooting a combined 28-of-51 (54.9 percent) in games versus Ball State. Denny registered 15 points and eight rebounds in the game earlier in the year at Worthen Arena on Jan. 7. Two of Denny's nine double-doubles in his career have come against BSU. In last season's game (Feb. 2, 2016), he had 20 points and 13 rebounds. In his first-ever game against the Cardinals (Jan. 17, 2015), Denny posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, and in a MAC Tournament victory at the Stroh Center on March 9, 2015, Denny scored 16 points off the bench, while adding five rebounds and three assists.

INCREASED PAINT PRODUCTION
Through the non-conference schedule, Bowling Green averaged 28.1 paint points per contest. In five conference games, BGSU is averaging more than five more points in the paint, as the Falcons are scoring 33.6 points per game. This increased total is about four points more than BGSU's average on the season (29.7). In the conference opener at Akron (Jan. 3), and in Bowling Green's most-recent game at Toledo (Jan. 17), the Orange and Brown scored a season-high 48 points in the paint. BG did not score more than 40 points in the paint in any non-conference game.

THE FIRST 20 MINUTES
Playing a strong first half has been crucial to the Falcons' success under head coach Michael Huger. In 2016-17, Bowling Green is 5-1 when leading at the half, and 2-10 when trailing at the half. Since the beginning of the Michael Huger Era in 2015-16, the Falcons are 15-4 after taking a halftime lead, but just 8-24 when heading into the intermission with a deficit. This season, BG erased a seven-point halftime deficit against Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10), as well as a three-point halftime deficit at Ball State (Jan. 7). The only time BGSU has lost this year when having a halftime lead was against UMKC (Nov. 19). The Falcons led, 37-35, at the half before losing on a shot with less than three seconds left.

BG LOOKING TO TURN LAST WEEK INTO AN OUTLIER
Bowling Green has played its best basketball in 2016-17 at the Stroh Center. Earlier in the season, BGSU ended the non-conference schedule by winning its sixth-consecutive game at the Stroh. The six-game home winning streak tied the program's longest winning streak at the Stroh Center across a single season. BGSU ended the facility's inaugural season in 2011-12 with six-consecutive victories at home. However, last week, Bowling Green lost a pair of home games to Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) and Northern Illinois (Jan. 14). BG 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.

BGSU STILL HASN'T FACED A ROAD OPPONENT WITH A LOSING RECORD
The Falcons are 1-7 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 eight really difficult road games. In fact, all eight of BGSU's opponents on the road – Oakland (14-5), South Dakota (13-9), Cincinnati (16-2), Evansville (10-10), San Jose State (9-8) Akron (15-3), Ball State (12-6) and Toledo (10-8) – have at least .500 records. Evansville is the only team that isn't above .500, while San Jose State is the only team that hasn't recorded at least 10 wins. BGSU's eight road opponents have a combined record of 99-51 (.660). Bowling Green's next road opponent – Central Michigan (11-7) – has a winning record, as well. Incredibly, the Falcons won't play a team on the road with a losing record until Feb. 14, which will be 95 days into the season. On Feb. 14, the Falcons will travel to Kalamazoo to take on Western Michigan.

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 5-0 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.

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. Thurmond averaged 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds across his 14-year NBA career. He was voted as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players when the league celebrated its 50th anniversary of its founding. Tip time for the game was recently 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.

BREAKING DOWN THE SIX FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
In the Falcons' MAC opener on Jan. 3 at Akron, Bowling Green lost a game that went down to the wire for the sixth time this season. The Falcons have now lost six games by single digits, three games by one possession, two games by two possessions, including two games on a shot with less than three seconds left. Prior to the Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) game, Bowling Green had lost its last three games by a combined nine points.

CONFERENCE COMPETITION BRINGING OUT THE BEST OF DEMAJEO
Sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins continued his stellar play within the conference by posting 17 points and 11 rebounds in a Battle of I-75 showdown against Toledo on Tuesday (Jan. 17). Wiggins, who was playing in his hometown, went 7-for-9 from the field. He also held UT's Steve Taylor Jr., who is averaging a double-double on the season, below his averages in regards to points and rebounds. Through five MAC games, Wiggins is averaging a team-best 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. He's also shooting a team-high 56.9 (29-of-51) percent. In the MAC opener at Akron (Jan. 3), Wiggins went 10-for-17 from the field, scored a career-high 21 points, and added eight boards. Wiggins then went 6-for-11 from the floor at Ball State (Jan. 7) to finish with 17 points and eight rebounds, 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. Additionally, the sophomore has scored in double figures in six of the team's last seven games. Wiggins is now averaging 10.7 points and 7.4 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 70.0 percent (65-of-93) 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 35 more free throws than he did in 2015-16, has already made 43 more free throws this season. Wiggins has made a team-high 65 free throws, while shooting a team-high 93 shots. When counting just players that have taken at least 20 free throws, Wiggins' 70.0 percent ranks second on the squad.

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 14 of BGSU's last 15 games, is shooting 36.4 percent from downtown for his career.

ZACK "DOUBLE-DIGIT" DENNY
Senior Zack Denny scored 12 points and posted seven rebounds last game at Toledo (Jan. 17). For Denny, the 12 points marked the 47th time he's scored in double figures across his career. He's scored 10-plus points in a team-best 15 games this season. The Germantown, Ohio native is now just 104 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. 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, 9.2 points as a sophomore, and 3.3 points as a freshman. 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 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in five MAC games – both of which rank second on the team.

ALI MAKING THE MOST OF HIS LAST MAC SEASON
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 6.6 points, 5.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds. His 5.2 assists per game average ranks fourth in the MAC. Ali also ranks first in the conference with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. The senior has played his best basketball within the MAC. In BG's last game at Toledo (Jan. 17), he stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal. In two other MAC games, Ali tied his season high in points with 16. In Bowling Green's 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 home game versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 14), Ali scored 16 points again, 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 Saturday afternoon's game versus Ball State (Jan. 21), senior guard Ismail Ali ranks first in the Mid-American Conference with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ali has 88 assists compared to 37 turnovers. Last season, Ali finished with a 1.8 ratio after racking up 130 assists and committing 73 turnovers. Additionally, the senior sits fourth in the MAC in assists per game with 5.2. He's had 12 games with at least five assists, including nine 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), an eight-assist night at Toledo (Jan. 17), while also dishing out a season-high nine assists on Nov. 29 in a win over Notre Dame College.

FRYE AVERAGING 10.0 POINTS AND SHOOTING 50.7% OVER LAST EIGHT GAMES
Over the last nine ballgames, freshman guard Dylan Frye is averaging 10.0 points and shooting 50.7 percent (35-of-69) from the field. He's also shooting 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from downtown over that nine-game stretch. Frye scored nine points on 4-of-8 shooting at Toledo (Jan. 17) last game. Prior to that, he increased his scoring total in each subsequent MAC game. After scoring two points at Akron (Jan. 3), he scored five points at Ball State (Jan. 7), eight points versus Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) and 13 points against Northern Illinois (Jan. 14). Frye's 47.3 percent shooting on the year ranks second on the team, while his 43.4 percent three-point mark is tops on the team. He leads the BGSU bench in minutes (20.2) and scoring (7.7). The young sharp shooter owns a 70.6 free throw percentage, and has scored 10-plus points in six games.

#DeepFrye
Freshman guard Dylan Frye ranks fifth in the conference with a 43.4 three-point percentage (22-of-49). Across Bowling Green's last 14 games, he's been red hot from deep, as he's shooting 47.0 percent (23-for-49). He has made at least one triple in 11 of those 14 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. In BG's last home 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.

ALCEGAIRE BOUNCES BACK
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 entered the Toledo (Jan. 17) game having been held to single digits in three-straight contests. However, Alcegaire posted the type of bounce-back game that he needed against the Rockets. Alcegaire scored 14 points, and registered a season-high seven rebounds. He also added two assists and one steal. The Miami native ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game. He's also made a team-high 27 three-point field goals, and is tied for the team lead with 80 total field goals. Alcegaire, who already has five more assists (26) than he did all of last season, has shot at least 50.0 percent in nine games.

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 lone MAC win thus far 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, however, Lillard has struggled to make a similar impact. He has eight points and four rebounds in the last three games combined. The sophomore is still averaging a solid 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while shooting 45.9 percent from the field.

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 14 games. Over that 14-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.

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 16.9 minutes this season, Caldwell is averaging 5.7 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

THE BGSU SPLASH BROTHERS
Bowling Green has five players on the 2016-17 roster that have made 14-plus attempts from three-point range this season. As a team, BGSU is shooting 34.9 percent from downtown, which ranks seventh in the MAC. This mark is virtually all due to the team's five sharp shooters. Bowling Green's Splash Brothers – Wes Alcegaire (27-of-79; 34.2 percent), Dylan Frye (23-of-53; 43.4 percent), Zack Denny (20-of-69; 29.0 percent), Matt Fox (19-of-48; 39.6 percent), and Rodrick Caldwell (14-of-41; 34.1 percent) – have combined to make a total of 103 triples. Collectively, they are shooting 35.6 percent from deep (103-of-290). Frye ranks fifth 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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