Bowling Green Hosts East-Rival Miami Tuesday Night

Tuesday, January 31

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Miami

January 30, 2017 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

OPENING TIP
* Bowling Green and Miami will meet on the hardwood for the 137th time on Tuesday. The RedHawks own an 82-54 advantage in the all-time series, but the Falcons are 36-29 in games played in Bowling Green.
* Bowling Green is 7-5 at home in 2016-17, while Miami is 0-8 on the road.
* The Falcons and RedHawks split last season's series. BGSU won the MAC opener on Jan. 6, 2016 at home, while MU won the game in Oxford on Feb. 6, 2016.
* In BGSU's 96-72 loss versus Ohio on Saturday, freshman Dylan Frye scored a career-high 24 points, which included a 17-point first half.
* Freshman Rodrick Caldwell scored in double figures in both games last week, as he registered a career-high 19 points at Central Michigan before scoring 13 points against Ohio.
* Demajeo Wiggins averaged 9.0 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists last week. Through eight MAC contests, Wiggins is averaging a team-high 12.9 points 10.6 rebounds.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON MIAMI
"Our team will be back at full strength against Miami. We need to have a great bounce-back effort and find a way to win. I'm proud of the growth our young guys have shown, but we have more work to do in this building process. A win Tuesday would be a great start."

SCOUTING THE MIAMI REDHAWKS
Miami opened the MAC slate with a home win over Northern Illinois, but the RedHawks have since lost six of their last seven games. Miami is 0-4 on the road in conference play, and 0-8 on the road for the entire season. Last week, however, MU recorded a thrilling 75-74 win over Buffalo, before losing over the weekend in blowout fashion to Eastern Michigan. In MAC play, the RedHawks are allowing 78.5 points per game, and allowing opponents to shoot 48.1 percent from the field, and 38.7 percent from downtown. Miami is averaging a strong 8.6 steals per game in conference play, and have posted a solid plus-2.0 turnover margin. Through eight conference games, the RedHawks are getting crushed on the boards, and are barely averaging 30.0 rebounds per ballgame, as MU is averaging 30.6 boards per game within the conference. The Weathers brothers have been a huge part of Miami's success. Michael leads the team in scoring (17.4 PPG), assists (5.3 APG), and is also averaging 4.0 rebounds per game. Marcus Weathers is averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds for the season. Logan McLane is the only other RedHawk averaging double figures, as he's posting 11.6 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds. Fifth-year head coach John Cooper 57-91 at Miami.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 9-13
• Move Bowling Green's MAC record to 3-6
• Improve Michael Huger's record against Miami to 2-1, and 2-0 at the Stroh Center
• Move the Falcons ahead of Miami in the MAC standings
• Secure BGSU's third win over Miami in the last four meetings
• Improve the Falcons' record at the Stroh Center in 2016-17 to 8-5
• Narrow Miami's all-time lead in the series to 82-55
• Increase the Falcons' all-time advantage to 37-29 versus MU in games played in Bowling Green

BGSU AND MIAMI CAN CLIMB THE MAC STANDINGS TUESDAY NIGHT
Bowling Green, Miami and Western Michigan all own identical 2-6 conference records. Although the 2-6 marks are tied for last place in the league, a win on Tuesday night for either team would go a long way. Western Michigan is playing Ohio, so it is entirely possible that a win at the Stroh Center on Tuesday could propel BG to 10th place. Furthermore, Buffalo and Kent State are both 3-6, so depending on how their games go, the Falcons, with a win, could jump all the way into a tie for eighth place by the end of the evening. Eighth place would get a team a home game in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Besides Akron, which is 8-0, every team in the conference has at least three losses. Bowling Green could realistically climb the standings quite a bit by stringing together consecutive wins.

LAST WEEK IN FALCON BASKETBALL
The Falcons went 0-2 last week, as they lost at Central Michigan on Jan. 24 before losing at the Stroh Center to Ohio on Jan. 28. BG had a chance late to defeat CMU, but fell by a score of 82-76. Ohio made a Stroh Center record 18 three-pointers en route to a 96-72 win over BG. The Falcons had some incredible individual efforts, however. Sophomore Demajeo Wiggins recorded 22 rebounds against the Chippewas, which marked the most rebounds by a Falcon in 43 years. In the same game, freshman Rodrick Caldwell scored 17 second-half points to finish with a career-high 19. In the Ohio game, a Falcon freshman scored 17 points for the second-consecutive half, as Dylan Frye poured in 17 points in the first half, and went on to finish the game with a career-best 24 points.

WIGGINS RECORDS A HISTORIC 22 REBOUNDS AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
In Bowling Green's 82-76 loss at Central Michigan on Jan. 24, sophomore Demajeo Wiggins registered 22 rebounds – the most from a Falcon in 43 years. Cornelius Cash, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1975 NBA Draft, pulled down 22 rebounds in a 1974 game versus San Diego State. Wiggins notched seven offensive rebounds, and 15 defensive rebounds in the contest. The sophomore's effort played a huge part in the Falcons' racking up a season-high 49 rebounds. Prior to Tuesday night, it had been over two years since a Falcon even had 15 rebounds in a game. Richaun Holmes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, pulled down 18 rebounds against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 30, 2014. Nate Thurmond and Al Dixon hold the single-game program record with 31 rebounds.

FALCON FRESHMEN SCORE 17 POINTS IN CONSECUTIVE HALVES
Two Bowling Green freshmen – Rodrick Caldwell and Dylan Frye – each had a 17-point half last week. Rodrick Caldwell, in the second half at Central Michigan (Jan. 24), went 7-for-12 from the field over the final 20 minutes to finish with a career-high 19 points. In BGSU's next half of basketball, Frye made three triples and went 6-for-10 from the floor to total 17 points in the first half versus Ohio (Jan. 28). Frye went on a 10-0 run by himself before Ohio chucked in a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half. Frye finished the game with a career-high 24 points. Frye became just the third Falcon in 2016-17 to score 20-plus points. Caldwell, against CMU, also had a spectacular defensive effort in his big half against the Chippewas. He held Marcus Keene, the nation's leading scorer, to a 1-for-8 mark in the second half.

CAREER NIGHTS FOR HLUCHOWECKYJ AND GOOD
Bowling Green was shorthanded on Saturday (Jan. 28) afternoon against Ohio. Short on bodies, sophomore Malik Hluchoweckyj and freshman Ethan Good stood up, and had the best games of their careers. Hluchoweckyj played a career-high 29 minutes, and set career highs in points (9), rebounds (9), three-pointers (2) and blocks (1). The sophomore also registered his first assist of the season. Hluchoweckyj went 3-for-6 from the field, and 2-for-5 from downtown. Good logged a career-high 11 minutes, and scored his first-collegiate field goal by converting a difficult reverse layup. Good went 1-for-2 from the floor and also notched his first-career rebound.

THE FALCONS' FANTASTIC WEEK OF TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
Although Bowling Green went 0-2 last week, the Falcons had one of the better weeks of taking care of the basketball that one will see this season. In games against Central Michigan (Jan. 24) and Ohio (Jan. 28), Bowling Green combined for 23 assists and just 12 turnovers. The Falcons committed less than eight turnovers in each ballgame. At CMU, the Falcons racked up 14 assists, while committing just five turnovers. In the game versus Ohio, BG registered nine assists, and committed seven turnovers. Bowling Green ranks extremely well in a number of statistics that take into account assists, or turnovers. BG ranks 66th in the country with a 1.4 turnover margin, while senior guard Ismail Ali sits first in the MAC with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.

A STRING OF STRONG REBOUNDING EFFORTS
In each of the last four games, the Falcons have registered over 40 rebounds. Prior to this current stretch, BGSU didn't have a 40-rebound game since playing Notre Dame College on Nov. 29. Bowling Green already has more games with 40-plus rebounds in MAC play this season than all of last season, as BGSU had three 40-rebound games across the entire 2015-16 MAC slate. In BG's most-recent game versus Ohio (Jan. 28), Bowling Green pulled down 42 rebounds. Last time out before that, the Falcons registered a season-high 49 boards, which was sparked by sophomore Demajeo Wiggins' 22 rebounds. BG started the streak by recording 45 rebounds against Ball State (Jan. 21) and 41 rebounds at Toledo (Jan. 17). The effort against Ball State was especially significant, as BG lost the rebounding battle in its first meeting with Ball State by a 47-34 margin.

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 6-1 when leading at the half, and 2-12 when trailing at the half. Since the beginning of the Michael Huger Era in 2015-16, the Falcons are 16-4 after taking a halftime lead, but just 8-26 when heading into the intermission with a deficit. In BGSU's last game, the trend held true, as the Falcons dropped a 96-72 contest versus Ohio (Jan. 28) after trailing by 11 points at the half. 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.

LATE LEADS ARE LEADING TO WINS
The Falcons have played in quite a few close games this year, and have lost a large number of them. But when BGSU is able to earn a late lead, it almost always leads to a win. When BG has a lead with five minutes left, the Falcons are 8-3. Since head coach Michael Huger arrived for the 2015-16 season, BG is 21-5 in those situations. Furthermore, when BGSU has a lead with two minutes left, they are 7-1 in 2016-17, and 21-2 in the Huger era. On the flip side, BGSU is 3-26 under Huger when trailing at the five-minute mark, including a 0-10 record this year. When the Orange and Brown is looking at a deficit with two minutes remaining, BG is 1-12 in 2016-17, and 3-29 under Huger's watch.

BGSU STILL HASN'T FACED A ROAD OPPONENT WITH A LOSING RECORD
The Falcons are 1-8 on the road in 2016-17. Although six of those losses have been by single digits, and five of them have been by two possessions or fewer, the Falcons' opponents deserve a large amount of the credit for BGSU's struggles away from home. Bowling Green has played nine really difficult road games. In fact, at the time of the game, all nine teams had a winning record, with the exception of Oakland, which was 0-0. The nine opponents – Oakland (16-7), South Dakota (15-9), Cincinnati (19-2), Evansville (10-13), San Jose State (10-10) Akron (18-3), Ball State (14-7), Toledo (11-10), and Central Michigan (14-7) – have a combined record of 127-68 (.651). Bowling Green's next road opponent – Kent State (11-10) – 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.

A BATTLE OF I-75 REMATCH LOOMS
Bowling Green will look to snap its six-game losing streak to Toledo on Feb. 4 at the Stroh Center. Earlier this month (Jan. 17), Toledo beat BGSU, 85-73, at Savage Arena. Bowling Green erased a 21-6 deficit, and even took a two-point lead, before UT closed the first half on a 13-0 run to take an 11-point lead into the intermission. Toledo led by at least three possessions for the remainder of the contest. The Falcons will enjoy playing in the friendly confines of the Stroh Center, as BG has been absolutely destroyed at the foul line in the Glass City. Since the turn of the century, Toledo has attempted 162 more free throws than BGSU in games played at Savage Arena. On Jan. 17, Toledo attempted 19 more free throws than BG.

BGSU COMPLETES SEASON SWEEP OF BALL STATE
Bowling Green snapped a three-game losing streak on Jan. 21 by earning a 79-74 victory over Ball State at the Stroh Center. On Jan. 7, the Falcons picked up their first road win and first MAC win of the 2016-17 season by knocking off the Cardinals in Muncie, 76-71. In the most-recent meeting, Demajeo Wiggins recorded his fifth double-double of the season, as he scored 14 points and registered a then career-high 14 rebounds. Zack Denny led the Falcons in scoring with 17 points. With BGSU up by just three points with less than 10 seconds left, Matt Fox stole BSU's inbounds pass, and recorded an assist on Ismail Ali's game-sealing layup. In the first meeting of the season, Bowling Green also led by three points with under 10 seconds left, but in that game, the Falcons forced a miss and secured the rebound. Ball State ranks third in the MAC in three-point percentage (37.7), but combined, the BGSU defense held the Cardinals to a 12-for-50 (24.0 percent) shooting effort from three-point range.

BREAKING DOWN THE SEVEN FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
In BGSU's most-recent road game at Central Michigan, the Falcons lost a hardly-fought and tightly-contested game for the seventh time in 2016-17. Bowling Green has now lost seven games by single digits, three games by one possession, three 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.

DEMAJEO'S DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Last week, sparked by a historic 22-rebound game at Central Michigan, sophomore Demajeo Wiggins averaged 9.0 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Heading into BG's last game versus Ohio (Jan. 28), Wiggins had recorded a double-double in three-straight games. Over that stretch, Wiggins averaged a silly 14.0 points and 15.7 rebounds. Wiggins' 22 rebounds at Central Michigan (Jan. 28) were the highest total from a Falcon in 43 years. He also added 11 points and a career-high four assists. He's set career highs for rebounds in two of the last three games, as he posted 14 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Ball State (Jan. 24). The Toledo native started his double-double streak by recording 17 points and 11 rebounds at Toledo (Jan. 17). Wiggins, who has registered 11-plus rebounds in four-consecutive games, has six double-doubles on the season. To put that into perspective, in 2015-16, he had just four double-digit scoring nights, and one game with 10-plus rebounds. Wiggins has been a force through eight conference games, as he's averaging a double-double with 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest. He also leads the team in MAC play with a 53.3 (40-of-75) field goal percentage. In the MAC opener, he recorded a de facto double-double, as he scored a career-high 21 points while adding eight rebounds. After averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman in 2015-16, he's averaging 10.7 and 8.7 this season, respectively.

WIGGINS' IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING
Last season, sophomore Demajeo Wiggins shot 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the free throw line. In 2016-17, the Toledo native is, incredibly, up to 64.7 percent (75-of-116). He's made eight-plus free throws in three games this year. Wiggins has already made 53 more free throws than he did last year, and has earned 58 more free throw attempts than he did in 2015-16. He leads the team in makes (75) and attempts (116) in 2016-17.

FRYE STARTING TO SETTLE INTO STARTING ROLE
After starting the first game of the season, freshman Dylan Frye came off the bench in 17-straight games. In BG's win over Ball State (Jan. 21), Frye returned to the starting lineup, and has since started BG's last three games. Frye, after a few rough shooting nights, appears to have settled into the starting five. Last game, he exploded for a career-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting versus Ohio (Jan. 28). He also registered a career-best six rebounds. Frye has recorded the two best rebounding nights of his career in the starting lineup, as he notched five rebounds in the win over Ball State on Jan. 21.

FRYE'S FANTASTIC FRESHMAN SEASON
Freshman Dylan Frye has now made three-straight starts, and on the season, he's averaging 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, while shooting 44.3 percent (62-of-140) from the field. Frye, who is averaging 21.7 minutes per ballgame, has been an absolutely lethal three-point shooter, as well. His 40.3 percentage (27-of-67) from deep ranks 10th in the MAC, and he's made multiple three-balls in seven games this season, including five games with at least three triples. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native has made at least one three-pointer in 13 of the last 17 games. Frye has scored in double figures seven times this season, and he's missed just one free throw after going 2-for-4 against Morgan State on Nov. 26. Frye has shot at least 50.0 percent from the field in 10 ballgames in 2016-17.

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. Denny also went 2-for-3 from deep in BG's most-recent win versus Ball State (Jan. 21). He's now made 127 three-point field goals. The Germantown, Ohio native, who has made at least one three-pointer in 15 of BGSU's last 17 games, is shooting 36.0 percent from downtown for his career. With just five more triples, he can move up to seventh place all-time.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING NIGHTS HAVE DENNY NEARING 1,000 CAREER POINTS
For the 48th time in his career, senior Zack Denny scored in double figures in BGSU's most-win against Ball State (Jan. 21). The senior tied his season high with 17 points in the winning effort. Denny has scored in double figures a team-best 16 times in 2016-17. The Germantown, Ohio native is now just 79 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 12.3 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 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in seven MAC games – both of which rank second on the team.

ALCEGAIRE'S THREE-GAME SCORING STRETCH
Heading into Saturday's game versus Ohio (Jan. 28), senior forward Wes Alcegaire had scored 10-plus points in three-straight games. Over the mini three-game stretch, he averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Prior to the three-game run, Alcegaire had been limited to less than 10 points in three-straight contests. He broke that skid at Toledo (Jan. 17) by scoring 14 points and pulling down a season-high seven rebounds. The Miami native then scored 10 points in a win over Ball State (Jan. 21), before totaling 16 points, four rebounds and two assists at Central Michigan (Jan. 28). The Miami native ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging a career-high 11.6 points per game. He's also made a team-high 30 three-point field goals. Alcegaire, who already has 10 more assists (31) than he did all of last season, has shot at least 50.0 percent in nine games in 2016-17. He'll be looking to bounce back versus Miami (Jan. 31) after a 2-for-14 shooting effort last time out against Ohio. Alcegaire did register five rebounds and three assists in the contest.

ALI MAKING THE MOST OF HIS LAST MAC SEASON
After averaging 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds in his first season in BG in 2015-16, senior guard Ismail Ali is up to 6.7 points, 4.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds. His 4.8 assists per game average ranks fifth in the MAC. Ali also ranks first in the conference with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. The senior has played his best basketball within the MAC. Ali notched 13 points, a season-high five rebounds, two assists and two steals on Jan. 21 against Ball State. Prior to that, in a 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 a loss to 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 six times this season, and in each of those games, he's also added at least five assists or five rebounds.

ALI RANKED FIRST IN THE MAC IN ASSIST-TO-TURNOVER RATIO
Heading into Tuesday evening's game versus Miami (Jan. 31), senior guard Ismail Ali sits first in the Mid-American Conference with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ali has 91 assists compared to 42 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 4.8. 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.

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 12 of Bowling Green's last 17 games. Over that 17-game stretch, Fox is 18-for-45 (40.0 percent) from downtown. In the Falcons' last win against Ball State (Jan. 21), the Maumee, Ohio native hit at least two triples for the fifth time this season, as he went 2-for-3 and finished the game with eight points and four rebounds. Fox has also had a 4-for-7 game from three-point land versus Morgan State (Nov. 26).

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 first MAC win of the season 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.

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 55-36 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 .604 winning percentage at the Stroh Center. BGSU has won seven games at the Stroh Center this season, which ties last season's total.

YEAR TWO OF THE MICHAEL HUGER ERA
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 marks the first time that the Falcons will have a head coach in consecutive seasons since 2013-14. The former Falcon guard will look to build off an exciting run at last year's MAC Tournament. BG defeated both Kent State and Central Michigan to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.