Falcons And RedHawks Set For Saturday Showdown In Oxford

OPENING TIP
• Bowling Green and Miami will meet for the 138th time on Saturday. Miami owns an 82-55 advantage in the all-time series.
• Bowling Green started a three-game winning streak by defeating the RedHawks, 83-72, at the Stroh Center on Jan. 31.
• The Falcons have lost three of their last four games at Millett Hall, including a 55-51 decision in Michael Huger's first year as head coach last season. BGSU is just 16-47 in Oxford all-time.
• With a win, BG will sweep the regular-season series with MU for the first time since 2011-12.
• The RedHawks have won all 10 of their games at home this season. Miami is 3-5 at home within the conference, while BGSU is 2-10 on the road in 2016-17.
• The Orange and Brown snapped its three-game losing streak by knocking off Akron, 66-65, on Tuesday night. The win was BG's first over Akron since March 1, 2009. The win also put an end to Akron's 17-game winning streak over the Falcons.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 13-16
• Move Bowling Green to 7-9 in MAC play
• Give BGSU a regular-season sweep over Miami for the first time since 2011-12
• Give the Falcons two-straight MAC wins for the second time this season
• Mark BG's first win at Millett Hall in the Michael Huger era
• Be Bowling Green's 17th win in Oxford (16-47)
• Narrow Miami's lead in the all-time series to 82-56
• Mark BGSU's third road win in 2016-17
• Give Bowling Green two more MAC wins than it had all of last season
• Move Bowling Green to 4-3 in the month of February

THREE GAMES TO GO BEFORE THE MAC TOURNAMENT
With three games to go before the MAC Tournament, it's unlikely, although possible, for Bowling Green to move into a top-four seed, thus clinching a spot in the quarterfinals in Cleveland. However, the Falcons absolutely have a chance to host a first-round game, as seeds 5-8 play home games on campus sites on March 6. Bowling Green currently sits in 10th place, but with a win and a Central Michigan loss on Saturday (Feb. 25), BG would leap frog the Chippewas, as CMU also owns a 6-9 mark in the league. Furthermore, BGSU is just one game out of a tie for seventh place. Toledo and Northern Illinois are 7-8 in MAC play. Western Michigan and Kent State are two games ahead of BGSU, but the Falcons currently have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Golden Flashes.

BOWLING GREEN BEATS AKRON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2009
Senior Wes Alcegaire hit two clutch free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give Bowling Green a 66-65 win over Akron on Tuesday (Feb. 21). The win, which snapped BGSU's three-game losing streak, also snapped Akron's 17-game winning streak over the Falcons. The win was Bowling Green's first over Akron since March 1, 2009. Akron head coach Keith Dambrot entered the game 25-1 against BG as UA's head coach, and had never lost to the Falcons in Bowling Green, Ohio. Furthermore, Akron entered the contest having won 12-consecutive games against the Orange and Brown in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons held Akron, a prolific offensive team, to 35.9 percent (23-of-64) shooting, which includes a 9-for-30 (30.0 percent) mark from downtown. Bowling Green had two players score 20-plus points for the second time this season, as Dylan Frye (22) and Zack Denny (20) led the way for the Falcons.

ALCEGAIRE'S TWO FREE THROWS IN THE AKRON WIN
Wes Alcegaire is having a strong senior season, but for whatever reason, he's having a remarkably off year at the free throw line. Last year, in his first season as a Falcon, Alcegaire led BGSU with a 74.7 (56-of-75) free throw percentage. This season, in virtually the same amount of attempts, Alcegaire is shooting 58.0 percent (40-of-69). However, when everything was on the line on Tuesday (Feb. 21) night, the senior made the team's two most-clutch free throws of the season. Down by one point with 2.4 seconds left, Alceagire nailed two free throws to give BGSU a 66-65 victory, ending Akron's 17-game winning streak over the Falcons. In conference play, prior to his two free throws against the Zips, Alcegaire had only went a perfect 2-for-2 at the line across a single trip a total of three times. On the season, the Miami native is averaging a career-high 11.8 points and 1.4 assists, to go along with 3.1 rebounds. He leads the team in total field goals (124) and three-point field goals (43), while shooting a career-high 43.2 percent from the field. Alceagire is shooting 34.7 percent from deep.

FOUR PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES AGAINST MIAMI
Four players for the Falcons – Zack Denny (12.4), Wes Alcegaire (13.3), Antwon Lillard (10.3) and Malik Hluchoweckyj (10.0) – are averaging double figures in games played against Miami. Furthermore, Demajeo Wiggins is averaging a productive 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, while having made 11-of-16 field goal attempts versus the RedHawks. Denny has had three double-digit nights against MU, including a 20-point night in 2014-15 and a 17-point game last season. Alcegaire scored a career-high 25 points in the first meeting of the season, while Hluchoweckyj set his career high with 10 points in the same game. Lillard posted 16 points in last year's home game against the RedHawks. Wiggins had a season-high 11 rebounds in one game against Miami last year, and posted 12 points and nine rebounds in the other contest in 2015-16.

EARLIER THIS SEASON: FALCONS FORCE 24 TURNOVERS IN WIN OVER MIAMI
Bowling Green started a three-game winning streak on Jan. 31 by defeating the RedHawks in the Stroh Center, 83-72. The Falcons made 10 three-pointers, which marked a season high at the time. Bowling Green forced 24 Miami turnovers, and scored 17 points off those turnovers. Senior Wes Alcegaire scored a career-high 25 points, and made a career-best six (6-of-9) three-pointers in the victory. Sophomore Malik Hluchoweckyj went 4-for-5 from the field, and posted a career-high 10 points. The RedHawks shot 56.5 percent from the field, but the Falcons countered that by making 11 more free throws than Miami. Bowling Green went 23-for-31 at the charity stripe, while the RedHawks went 12-for-16.

FALCONS WIN CONSECUTIVE OVERTIME GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1934-35
A magical and memorable two-game stretch came to an end for Bowling Green when the Falcons lost to Buffalo (Feb. 11). It's nearly impossible to track, or say for certain, but there's little doubt that the Falcons' first two wins in February were two of the craziest, most-unbelievable games in the history of Bowling Green men's basketball. After beating arch-rival Toledo (Feb. 4) in double overtime, 104-100, the Falcons knocked off Kent State (Feb. 7) in overtime by a score of 84-83. The two games marked the first time that BGSU has played consecutive overtime games since the 1934-35 season. By winning both games, Bowling Green recorded two MAC wins in overtime for the first time since 1996-97. In both contests, Bowling Green trailed by at least three points with less than 10 seconds left in an overtime period. The Orange and Brown trailed by at least five points in both overtimes against Toledo, and were down by four points with less than 10 seconds left in the single overtime at Kent State. Both games were tied, 75-75, after regulation. More details on the games can be found on pages 12-13.

FALCONS FINDING A WAY TO WIN CLOSE GAMES
In non-conference play, Bowling Green lost four games that were decided by two possessions or fewer, including two games where the Falcons lost on a shot with less than three seconds left, and also a contest where a game-tying triple rimmed out at the buzzer. As Michael Huger said in his post-game press conference following BG's win over Akron (Feb. 25), Bowling Green appears to have learned from their close-game struggles at the beginning of the season. The Falcons have won their last three games by a total of six points. In Bowling Green's wins over Kent State (Feb. 7) and Akron, the game-winning score was posted with less than 2.5 seconds remaining. In the other victory, the Falcons knocked off Toledo (Feb. 4) by four points in double overtime, after making a series of clutch shots (see page 13) down the stretch. In Bowling Green's six most-recent games decided by two possessions are fewer, the Falcons are 5-1.

STROH CENTER MAGIC
Iowa State is known for unexpected victories at their home arena – the Hilton Coliseum. The improbable victories have made the phrase, "Hilton Magic," a popular term among college basketball fans. The Falcons have had some of their own magic at home lately. The Falcons played the only overtime game in Stroh Center history on Feb. 4 versus Toledo. In a game now considered the most-thrilling contest in rivalry history, the Falcons won, 104-100, in double overtime. In BG's last game at home (Feb. 21), senior Wes Alcegaire hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to give Bowling Green its first win over Akron in nearly eight years. The Falcons are now 10-6 at home this season, marking the fourth time in arena history that BGSU has won 10-plus home games in a single season. If Bowling Green beats Kent State on Feb. 28, and wins a possible home game in the MAC Tournament, the Falcons would tie the facility's record for most home wins in a single season. In the Stroh Center's inaugural season in 2011-12, the Falcons went 12-4 at home.

BOWLING GREEN IS TERRIFIC AT TURNING TEAMS OVER
BGSU is an elite team in terms of steals and turnovers. When looking at where BG ranks in the nation in terms of categories that encompass those statistics, they rank 43th in the country with a 2.4 turnover margin, and 75th in the land in steals per game (7.1). There are no two major statistics, when looking at the entire country, where BG ranks higher. The Falcons have forced at least 14 turnovers in seven-consecutive games. Over that seven-game span, BG has turned a total of 123 turnovers into 128 points. The last time BG faced MU (Jan. 31), the Falcons forced 24 turnovers. BG forced 19 turnovers in games against Kent State (Feb. 7) and Buffalo (Feb. 11). Most recently, Bowling Green forced 16 turnovers at Western Michigan (Feb. 14), and 14 turnovers in each of the past two games in contests against Ohio (Feb. 18) and Akron (Feb. 21). In the steals department, Bowling Green is averaging 8.7 steals over the last seven ballgames. The Falcons have registered at least six steals in the last seven contests.

TRENDS TO KEEP TABS ON
Throughout the course of a game, there are several key statistics and trends that often times play a huge role in determining the winner of each BGSU men's basketball game. The halftime score is one of them. The Falcons are 9-2 this year when leading at the half, but 3-14 when trailing. When BGSU is leading at the five-minute mark and two-minute marks of regulation, Bowling Green is 11-3 and 10-1, respectively. On the flip side, when trailing at both time periods, the Falcons are 1-13 and 2-15. The Falcons typically prefer to hold opponents under 80 points, as BG is 2-9 when its opponent scores at least 80 points. However, when the Falcons score 80 points, which is 5.0 points above their average on the season, Bowling Green is 6-1. Free throwing shooting has also been huge. When making more free throws than its opponent, BGSU is 8-5, but when its opponent makes more, the Orange and Brown are 2-11.

PUTTING FRYE'S 20-POINT GAMES INTO PERSPECTIVE
Dylan Frye is having one of the better freshman scoring seasons in program history. Frye, who has started each of the past 10 games, is averaging 9.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 2016-17. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the field, and 39.6 percent on #DeepFrye attempts. In Bowling Green's win over Akron (Feb. 21), the sharp shooter scored 22 points, marking the third time this season that he's scored 20-plus points. All of Frye's 20-point games have come in conference play. No other Falcon freshman this millennium has had three games with 20-plus points in MAC games during the regular season. The last two BG freshmen that scored 20-plus points in at least three MAC games during the regular season were Anthony Stacey (1995-96) and Keith McLeod (1998-99) – the program's top-two leading scorers. When looking at 20-plus point games across the entire season for freshmen, only two players – Chris Knight (2007-08) and Ron Lewis (2002-03) – have accomplished the feat of having three 20-point nights this millennium. Lewis had four 20-point games, while Knight had three. However, none of Knight's games took place in MAC play. Frye scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio (Jan. 28) and 20 points versus Buffalo (Feb. 11). Frye went 9-for-17 against the Bobcats and 9-for-12 versus the Zips. His nine field goals in both games are a career high. Frye went 8-for-14 from the field against the Bulls, and he's made at least three three-pointers in all three games.

#DeepFrye
Freshman guard Dylan Frye went 3-for-5 from deep in Bowling Green's victory over Akron (Feb. 21). The freshman has now made multiple #DeepFrye attempts in nine games in 2016-17. He's nailed at least three triples in a total of seven games, while knocking down four three-pointers in three games. Frye is shooting 39.6 percent from downtown this season, which ranks 13th in the Mid-American Conference. In 12 games this season, he's shot at least 50.0 from behind the long line. In less than a two-minute span in the program's historic win over Akron, Frye scored eight-straight points, with two of those baskets being cold-blooded triples. He gave Bowling Green a 54-51 lead with 6:50 on a clock on a shot where he dribbled the ball up the court, and sprinted to the three-point line in transition. Frye then crossed up his defender, and nailed another three-pointer, increasing the Falcons' lead to four points at 57-53 with 5:23 to go.

DENNY'S 1,000TH-CAREER POINT AND 10TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior Zack Denny, who came off the bench in all six of Bowling Green's games prior to the team's contest at Ohio (Feb. 18), re-entered the starting lineup for the Orange and Brown and scored his 1,000th-career point versus the Bobcats. Denny entered the game with 994 points, and nailed his first two three-pointers early in the first half to reach 1,000 points. Denny became the 44th player in program history to reach the milestone. He scored in double figures for the 54th time in his career on Saturday (Feb. 21), as he totaled 20 points in the win over Akron. In 2016-17, he's scored 10-plus points a team-best 22 times. Denny also registered 10 rebounds against the Zips, marking the 10th double-double of his career, his second double-double on the season, and his first since a Nov. 19 game versus UMKC. Denny is averaging a career-high 12.9 points, which ranks 24th in the conference. He's also averaging 5.0 rebounds. In conference play, he's averaging a team-best 13.8 points, as well as 4.8 rebounds, which ranks second on the team.

ADD DENNY TO ANOTHER TOP-10 LIST
When senior guard Zack Denny went 5-for-5 from downtown in Bowling Green's epic win over Toledo on Feb. 4, he moved from 10th to seventh all-time on the program's three-point field goals list. Denny has made eight three-pointers over the last three games, running his career total to 143. He needs 11 more three-pointers to surpass Scott Thomas (2008-12) for sixth all-time. In Bowling Green's win over Akron (Feb. 21) on Tuesday, Denny registered four steals to move into 10th place on the program's all-time steals list. Denny has 149-career steals, and needs just one more to surpass Nate Miller (2006-09). After that, he'd need 160 steals to tie Rosie Barnes (1977-80) and 162 to tie Antonio Daniels (1994-97). With seven more steals this season, Denny would have 61 on the season, which would tie him with three former Falcons for ninth-most in program history across a single season.

ZACK DENNY IS MR. CLUTCH
Senior Zack Denny turned in one of the most impressive clutch performances in BGSU men's basketball history on Feb. 4 versus Toledo. Denny hit three triples in the overtime sessions that either tied the game, or gave Bowling Green the lead. He also made all four of his free throws in the second overtime. Denny sent the game into double OT with a three-ball with six seconds left. He then tied the game at 99-99 with 1:18 remaining in the final overtime, before winning the Falcons the game by hitting another three-pointer with 28 seconds left. In the Falcons' win versus Akron (Feb. 21), he made more clutch shots and plays. With Bowling Green down by one with under a minute to play, Denny recorded a steal with 47 seconds left. He then hit a go-ahead jumper with 20 seconds left on the other end. In clutch situations – which for this exercise, are defined as shots taken in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime with the score in single digits at the time of the shot – Denny has been unconscious. He's 9-for-20 from the field, 5-for-8 from three-point range, and a ridiculous 14-of-15 at the free throw line.

RODRICK CALDWELL – SCORING AND STARTING
Freshman guard Rodrick Caldwell is a scoring point guard, and he's been at his best since moving into the starting lineup for the Falcons' home game against Ohio (Jan. 31). He's started every game since. Over the last nine games, which takes into account his last eight starts and the one game prior to his promotion, Caldwell is averaging 8.9 points, which is 2.0 points higher than his average (6.9) on the season. Heading into the game against Akron on Tuesday (Feb. 21), he was averaging 11.3 points over the previous eight games. Furthermore, he's had five double-figure scoring nights across the nine-game stretch, after having just three double-digit nights in the 19 previous games. Caldwell is also shooting 42.3 percent (30-of-71) in this current nine-game run, which is 6.1 percent above his average for the season. The freshman has made arguably his biggest improvement over the last nine games on shots from three-point range. Caldwell, a 37.0 percent three-point shooter on the season, is shooting 41.0 percent (16-of-39) from downtown in BG's last nine contests. He's made multiple three-balls in four of the last five ballgames. Since his 1-for-16 shooting performance in the season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11), he's shooting 39.5 percent from the field, and 39.5 percent from three-point range. Caldwell is averaging 6.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2016-17 in 18.2 minutes of play.

WIGGINS VS. THE MAC'S TOP BIG MEN
Demajeo Wiggins, a sophomore native of Toledo, is having a tremendous season. After averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last year, he's up to 10.6 points and 8.2 rebounds in 2016-17. What's been even more encouraging is the fact that he's played great basketball against the big men commonly believed to be the best in the league. In the Falcons' win against Kent State (Feb. 11), while being matched up with First Team All-MAC selection Jimmy Hall, Wiggins went 7-for-10 from the floor and registered 16 points and eight rebounds. In two games against Toledo's Steve Taylor, who ranks first in the league in rebounding and 11th in scoring, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, while shooting 73.7 percent (14-of-19). The sophomore scored a career-high 21 points on a career-high 10 made field goals against Akron's Isaiah Johnson – another First Team All-MAC selection – in the MAC opener. For the season, he averaged 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds against Johnson. In two wins over Ball State, Wiggins averaged 15.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while playing against Trey Moses, who ranks fourth in the league in rebounding. In those two games against the Cardinals, Wiggins shot 60.0 percent (12-of-20).

DEMAJEO'S DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins hasn't posted a double-double recently, but he's notched at least 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in each of Bowling Green's last four games. Wiggins is averaging 11.6 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds through the first 15 conference games in 2016-17. Wiggins has recorded six double-doubles on the season – three of which have been posted in MAC games. To put Wiggins' six double-doubles into perspective, in 2015-16, he had just four double-digit scoring nights, and one game with 10-plus rebounds. Wiggins is shooting a team-high 52.6 percent in conference play, and a team-high 48.8 percent on the season. He ranks fifth in the league in offensive rebounds per game (3.0), and seventh in defensive rebounds (5.2). His 8.2 rebounds per game mark is good enough for fifth in the league. He also sits 15th in the conference in field goal percentage.

ALI'S ASSIST NUMBERS WHEN SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Ismail Ali, a native of South Hayward, California, is scoring at an improved rate in 2016-17. Ali is up to 6.5 points per game this season. Last year, he averaged 5.4 points. In 2015-16, Ali scored in double figures a total of five times. This year, he's already reached double digits eight times, and in seven of those eight games, he's also added at least five assists. The one game he didn't, which was in Bowling Green's home win over Ball State (Jan. 21), he had five rebounds. In the win over Toledo (Feb. 4), Ali had seven assists and just one turnover. He assisted all three of Zack Denny's clutch three-pointers in overtime. Ali's 4.2 assists per game average ranks sixth in the conference, while his 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops in the league. The senior's rebounding numbers are also up from a season ago, as he's averaging 2.2 boards per contest after averaging 2.1 rebounds in 2015-16.

FOX CATCHES FIRE FROM DOWNTOWN IN WIN OVER KENT STATE
Junior Matt Fox went bananas from behind the long line in Bowling Green's 84-83 win in overtime at Kent State on Feb. 7. Fox hit his first three triples of the game, and went on to tie his career high with 18 points. For the game, he went 5-for-7 from deep. His five three-balls tied his career high, while breaking his season high. In the second half, he hit an and-one triple, and completed the four-point play by draining the free throw. He got fouled on another three-point attempt, and hit 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. The product of Anthony Wayne High School has now made multiple three-pointers in seven games in 2016-17, and his 38.0 three-point percentage ranks just outside the top 15 in the conference. Fox is averaging a career-high 4.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists this season, while playing a career-high 16.1 minutes per contest.

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 the game, 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.

BREAKING DOWN THE SEVEN FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
In BGSU's loss at Central Michigan, the Falcons dropped 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.

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.

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