Bowling Green Back On The Road With Trip To Central Michigan Tuesday

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program will go back on the road for their next two games, first traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Falcons and Chippewas are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip Tuesday night (Jan. 24) at McGuirk Arena with the game being available to watch on ESPN+. Fans can 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).

Tuesday will mark the 85th meeting all-time between BGSU and CMU. The all-time series favors the Falcons with a record of 44-40 over the Chippewas, but Central Michigan holds the advantage when hosting with a record of 24-18. Bowling Green has won four of the last six meetings with this game being the third straight to be played in Mount Pleasant. The last two have been split by the teams with the Falcons winning in 2021 (93-65) and the Chippewas winning in 2022 (78-74).

A Bowling Green Win Would …

Push the Falcons above .500 in MAC play at 4-3.
Give Bowling Green two consecutive wins.
Bring BGSU's road conference record to .500 at 2-2.
Make the Orange and Brown .500 for the season at 10-10.

Scouting The Chippewas
Central Michigan will enter Tuesday's game having lost four of the last five with their lone win coming in overtime over Buffalo 87-78. Most recently, CMU lost to Akron by 18 and to Ohio by 28. Defense has been the emphasis for Central this season, ranking fourth in the MAC for average points allowed, third in opponent field goal percentage, second in opponent three-point field goal percentage and second in blocks.

Assisting the Offense
The Falcons have logged at least 10 assists in 14 consecutive games this season and have recorded a minimum of 15 assists in 10 of those 14 games. BGSU has totaled 231 assists over the 14-game stretch, averaging 16.5 assists per game. As for the season, the Falcons have amassed 284 assists, averaging just shy of 15 per game, the third-most in the MAC behind only Buffalo (15.6) and Toledo (15.3).

Success In Shooting
Bowling Green put together one of the team's best shooting performances of the season in the win over Miami (OH). The Falcons shot 56.3% from the field and 91.7% from the free throw line. The Falcons have now shot 49% or better from the field in seven of the team's last eight games and shot above 50% in five of them. As for at the line, the 91.7% mark is the second-best this season when BGSU shoots at least 10 free throws. The Falcons went 23-of-25 (92%) against Ohio Dominican earlier this season.

Staying Out In Front
In seven of Bowling Green's nine wins this season, the Falcons have been leading with five minutes remaining. Similarly, BGSU has led with two minutes remaining in eight of the team's nine wins this year. During the Coach Huger Era, BGSU is 99-11, 7-0 this year, when leading with five minutes left in the game and 107-7, 8-0 this season, when leading with two minutes remaining in the game.

Ayers Lighting Up The Scoreboard
Leon Ayers III posted a career-high 31 points for the Falcons against the RedHawks while also adding a team-high four assists. Ayers has now recorded three straight games with at least 20 points and has nine of the Falcons' 12 20-point games this season. Additionally, Ayers has both of BGSU's 30-point games this season after having 30 against Ohio Dominican. Over the course of the season, Ayers has led the Falcons in scoring 12 times and in assists four times.

Curtis Among Nation's Leaders
Samari Curtis is currently ranked fourth in the nation, and first in the MAC, for free throw percentage with a mark of 93.8%. This season, Curtis has gone 60-of-64 at the free throw line, making 45 of his last 46. From last season, Curtis has improved his percentage at the line by 26.7 percentage points, shooting 67.1% from the line during the 2021-22 campaign.

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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