BGSU Men's Hoops Returns Home For Holiday Themed Game Saturday

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program will return home to the Stroh Center for the first of three straight home games to round out the non-conference schedule. The first game of the homestand will take place on Saturday (Dec. 17) as the Falcons host the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks for a 2:00 p.m. tip. The contest will be available to watch on ESPN3. Fans can also tune in to the action via WFRO Eagle 99. A live stat link will be provided at bgsufalcons.com with live updates available on Twitter (@BGSUMHoops).

Saturday will mark the second meeting all-time between the Falcons and Skyhawks. The last, and first, matchup came during the 2018-19 season, being a 94-80 victory for BGSU on Dec. 30, 2018. In that game, the Falcons were paced by a strong three-point attack, hitting 14 triples as a squad, seeing six from Caleb Fields and four from Antwon Lillard.

At The Game
Saturday's game will be holiday themed inside the Stroh Center. There will be a Toys For Tots promotion, partnered with The Cocoon. Fans who bring a new, unopened toy can receive up to four free tickets for the game. The first 200 fans will receive an ugly sweater koozie and fans are encouraged to wear their ugly sweaters. Holiday music and videos will be played throughout the game.

A Bowling Green Win Would …

Push the Falcons above .500 at home this season at 3-2.
Mark BGSU's second consecutive win over UT Martin.
Keep the Orange and Brown undefeated all-time against UT Martin.
Give Bowling Green two consecutive home wins.

Scouting The Skyhawks
UT Martin will enter Saturday's game with a 6-5 record, including winners in three of their last four. Notable opponents for the Skyhawks have included an 80-58 loss to Pitt to begin the season and a 72-68 loss to Ole Miss. UT Martin is paced by graduate guard Parker Stewart who is averaging 17.5 points and 2.0 steals over 11 games. KJ Simon is close behind with 16.3 points and 2.5 assists over his 10 games played.

Me-THREE-ny Strikes Again
Kaden Metheny put together his best game of the season against Norfolk State, ending with 28 points, one shy of his career high. In the game, Metheny matched his career-highs for threes made (8), threes attempted (14), field goals made (10) and field goals attempted (16). The performance marked the second time this season, and the third time in his collegiate career, that Metheny has had at least five threes in a game. He had five against Oakland earlier this year (Dec. 11) and had eight during his freshman season against Eastern Michigan (Feb. 23).

Emphasis On Ball Movement
Against Norfolk State, Samari Curtis logged BGSU's first points-assists double-double since Dec. 18, 2020 finishing with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists. Curtis' 10 assists topped a 19-assist game for the Falcons. BGSU has had at least 10 assists as a team in five consecutive games, averaging 16.6 assists per game over that span. Individually, Curtis is averaging 4.5 assists per game this season with a total of 17 over the last two games.

Success For Falcons In Free Throws
Over the last four games, the Falcons have made 59-of-81 free throw attempts, shooting 72.8% from the line. Over those five games, Samari Curtis has gone 14-of-15 (93.3%) to improve his season mark to 90% at 27-of-30. Curtis' consistent success at the line has him second in the MAC and within the Top 25 in the nation for free throw percentage this season.

Bench Points Playing Role
So far this season, the bench has played a significant role in the outcome of BGSU's games. In wins this season, the Falcons average 26.0 bench points per game, including a season-high 41 in the win over Hampton. However, in losses this season, the Falcons average 16.5 bench points per game, a 9.5-point difference between the two outcomes. In wins, the Falcons are also averaging more second chance and fast break points.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' men's basketball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSUMHoops
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsumhoops'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'

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Samari Curtis

Caleb Fields

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