Falcons Win Fourth Straight By Earning First Victory At Akron Since 2009

Friday, February 26

Akron, OH

7:00 PM EST

Bowling Green State University

14-9,10-7MAC

Akron

14-6,12-5MAC

Bowling Green

Akron

Photo by: Larry Clapper

Falcons Win Fourth Straight By Earning First Victory At Akron Since 2009

February 26, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by BGSU Strategic Communications

Box Score
Post-Game Audio: Coach Huger With Todd Walker

AKRON, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team shined on national television on Friday (Feb. 26) night, picking up an 83-71 victory at the University of Akron. The Mid-American Conference game aired live on CBS Sports Network. The triumph for BGSU marks the program's first win inside James A. Rhodes Arena since March 1, 2009.

The Falcons have won four-straight games – all of which have come on the road. BGSU is a league-best 8-2 on the road in conference play. Bowling Green's 10 overall road wins tops the MAC, as well. The Falcons are 14-9 in 2020-21, including a 10-7 record in MAC play.

After leading by just a single point at the break, the Falcons completely dominated over the final 20 minutes. In the second half, BGSU held the Zips to an anemic 9-for-31 (29.0 percent) clip from the floor. The Falcons shot 52.9 percent (18-of-34) from the field as a team in the second stanza.

Bowling Green's starting back court of Justin Turner (19 points), Kaden Metheny (15) and Caleb Fields each scored in double figures. Dylan Swingle added nine points and three rebounds. Trey Diggs and Josiah Fulcher each scored eight points, while Daeqwon Plowden registered seven points and six rebounds. Chandler Turner added four points, three rebounds and two assists.

COACH HUGER QUOTE
"The guys are in a great place right now. They are bringing the energy and effort every time we step onto the court. We have to do the same thing at home now – that's where we've been lacking … We have to bring the same intensity on Tuesday against Miami."

8️⃣3️⃣ — Bowling Green
7️⃣1️⃣ — Univ. of Akron #AyZiggy // #Team106 pic.twitter.com/1JndchYKyO
— BGSU Basketball (@BGSUMHoops) February 27, 2021

TODD WALKER RADIO CALLS
• Turner Passes Wilder On MAC Scoring List (33-33, Tied)
• #DowntownDiggs (38-35, BGSU)
• Turner Three-Pointer (43-43, Tied)
• Plowden Transition Layup (51-45, BGSU)
• Metheny Fadeaway Jumper (55-50, BGSU)
• Fields To The Bucket (68-61, BGSU)
• Fields DUNK!! (70-63, BGSU)
• Fields Steal = Fulcher And-1 (75-64, BGSU)
• BGSU WINS!!! (83-71, BGSU)

TEAM NOTES
• In a game that featured the conference's best home team versus the league's best road team, it was the Falcons that prevailed. BGSU is a league-best 8-2 on the road in conference play. Bowling Green's 10 overall road wins leads the MAC, as well. Akron entered the game with a perfect 9-0 record inside James A. Rhodes Arena in 2020-21. Entering the game, the Zips had won 14-straight home games dating back to the 2019-20 season. For BGSU, the win marks the program's first road victory at Akron since March 1, 2009.
• The Falcons have now spoiled a MAC team's unblemished home record for the second time this season. Toledo is 10-1 at Savage Arena in 2020-21. UT's lone defeat is a seven-point loss to Bowling Green on Feb. 13, 2021.
• BGSU improved to 10-7 in Mid-American Conference play. The Falcons have won 10-plus MAC games in at least three-consecutive seasons for just the third time in program history. BGSU went 12-6 in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Falcons won 10-plus MAC games in four-straight seasons from 1998-2002. Bowling Green won double-digit MAC games in five-straight seasons from 1979-84.
• When head coach Michael Huger took over the job, the Falcons had lost 13-straight games to Akron. Bowling Green has now picked up four wins over the Zips since 2017. The Falcons have beaten Akron in three-straight seasons. BGSU is 4-9 against the Zips under Huger, having won three of the last six meetings between the two schools.
• The Falcons dished out 13 assists. Bowling Green has racked up 10-plus assists in 20-of-23 games in 2020-21. BGSU had 10 turnovers on the night, committing just two turnovers in the second half. BGSU did not turn the ball over in the final 11 minutes of regulation.
• Bowling Green won the battle on the glass by a 42-41 margin.
• BGSU had 38 paint-points compared to 28 for the Zips. Bowling Green also had more points off turnovers (13-12) and fast-break points (15-13).
• The Falcons are 102-84 in the Michael Huger Era. With his 102nd win, Huger moved past former Falcon coach Louis Orr for fifth place on BGSU's all-time wins list. Bowling Green is 57-31 under Huger since the start of the 2018-19 season.
• BGSU has posted a MAC record of 34-19 since the start of the 2018-19 season.
• BGSU outscored Akron in the second half by a margin of 45-34. The Falcons have scored at least 11 more points than their opposition over the final 20 minutes of regulation a total of 11 times in 2020-21.
--- By 21 versus South Carolina State (56-35)
--- By 21 points at Northern Illinois (45-24)
--- By 18 points versus Purdue Northwest (48-30)
--- By 18 points at Ohio (51-33)
--- By 16 points at Eastern Michigan (54-38)
--- By 16 points at Robert Morris (44-28)
--- By 14 points at Ball State (41-27)
--- By 15 points versus Wright State (46-31)
--- By 13 points at Central Michigan (49-36)
--- By 11 points at Akron (45-34)
--- By 11 points versus Central Michigan (44-33)
• With the win, BGSU closed out the month of February with a record of 4-2.
• Bowling Green is 3-0 in 2020-21 when playing on Friday.

PLAYER NOTES
• With his 19-point night, fifth-year senior guard Justin Turner moved into 12th all-time on the Mid-American Conference's scoring list, surpassing Thomas Wilder (2014-18 | Western Michigan | 2,040) and Dan Majerle (1984-1988 | 2,055). The native of Detroit has scored 2,057 points in the Orange and Brown over 117 games. Turner leads the conference in scoring in 2020-21 with 462 total points. The native of Detroit has scored in double figures in all 23 games in 2020-21. Turner has scored in double figures a total of 103 times as a Falcon.
• Freshman guard Kaden Metheny continued his stellar play by posting a final line of 15 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Metheny went 6-for-12 from the floor, including a 3-for-6 mark from three-point range. Metheny is averaging 19.8 points on 54.7 percent (29-of-53) shooting over the last four ballgames. He's 17-of-35 (48.6 percent) from downtown over the same stretch.
• In the month of February, Metheny has posted 20 assists compared to six turnovers. Metheny has registered multiple assists in each game this month, totaling a turnover ratio of at least two-to-one in all six games. The native of Morgantown, West Virginia has scored 14-plus points in four-consecutive games. Metheny has scored in double figures a total of 12 times as a rookie.
• Junior guard Caleb Fields scored 13 points for the second-straight contest. Fields finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Fields grabbed four rebounds, as well. Ten of Fields' 22 double-figure scoring games have come in 2020-21. Over the last three games, the native of Cape May Court House, New Jersey is averaging 9.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
• Redshirt-sophomore center Dylan Swingle had one of his strongest games in a Falcon uniform. Playing close to his hometown of Chillicothe, the big man scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. The nine points for Swingle marked his highest-scoring game scoring 14 points at Ohio on Dec. 30, 2020. On this night, Swingle also pulled down three rebounds.
• Senior forward Trey Diggs had a strong game with eight points and six rebounds. By going 2-for-5 from downtown, Diggs pushed his three-point field goal total at Bowling Green to an even 100. Diggs went 50-for-128 in his first season at BGSU last year, and at the moment, he's 50-for-128 in 2020-21. For his Falcon career, Diggs is shooting the three-ball at a 39.1 percent clip. The Floridian has converted on multiple three-pointers in the same game a total of 25 times. Diggs has made at least one triple in 43-of-54 games at Bowling Green.
• Freshman wing Josiah Fulcher contributed with eight points, two rebounds and two assists. Fulcher went 3-for-5 from the floor, and provided some key defense with his length on Akron's Loren Cristian Jackson, who needed 20 shots to score his 29 points.
• Senior forward Daeqwon Plowden appeared in his 120th-consecutive game, finishing with seven points and six rebounds. Plowden moved into 11th place on Bowling Green's all-time rebounding list, surpassing Skip Howard (1973-75 | 693). Plowden has totaled 698 rebounds for the Falcons in his standout career.
• Sophomore wing Chandler Turner was a noticeable presence yet again, recording four points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. One of Turner's assists led to an and-one layup for Dylan Swingle, while his other assist led to Caleb Fields' slam dunk.
• Junior center Jacob Washington and freshman forward Cam Young each grabbed one rebound.

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