BGSU Back Home: Men's Hoops To Host Ball State In Return To Stroh Tuesday

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program will return home to the Stroh Center Tuesday night (Jan. 31) to close out the month of February against the Ball State Cardinals. The Falcons and Cardinals are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip 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 92nd meeting all-time between the Falcons and Cardinals with Bowling Green leading the all-time series 52-39. The Orange and Brown also hold the advantage in games played in Bowling Green with a record of 32-13 when hosting. In the last meeting, Samari Curtis tallied 18 points with six rebounds. As for BGSU's last win in the series, it marked Coach Huger's 100th win at the helm of the Falcons while Kaden Metheny scored 21 points.

At The Game
Tuesday night (Jan.31 ) will be Dollar Night at the Stroh Center. Tickets, parking and select concessions will be $1. It will also be Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.

A Bowling Green Win Would…

Push the Falcons above .500 in the Mid-American Conference at 5-4.
Bring BGSU back to .500 on the season at 11-11.
Mark the program's 555th win all-time within the MAC.
Move Bowling Green ahead of Ball State in the MAC standings.

Scouting The Cardinals
Ball State enters the weekend as one of the top shooting teams in the MAC. The Cardinals are second in the MAC for both field goal percentage (46.7%) and three-point percentage (37.7%). However, BSU is 11th of 12 for free throw percentage with a mark of 67.6% at the line. On the defensive side, Ball State is first in the MAC for blocks with 4.3 per game.

Ayers Reaches Career Milestone
Leon Ayers III hit the 1,000-career point mark on Saturday (Jan. 28) at Toledo, scoring a team-high 21 in the game. Ayers reached the mark after recording 354 points with Mercer in 2020-21, 269 at Duquesne in 2021-22 and now has 394 points this season as a Falcon. Ayers has also now registered five straight 20-point games, averaging 24.0 points per game over the stretch, including a career-high 31 against Miami (OH). On the season, Ayers has recorded at least 20 points in 11 of BGSU's 21 games, recording 11 of the Falcons' 14 20-point games this season.

Falcons Shooting Lights Out Of Late
Over the last 10 games, BGSU has registered a shooting percentage of 49% or higher nine times, including shooting at least 50% seven times over the stretch. During the 10-game span, the Falcons are 301-of-585 from the field for a mark of 51.5%. As for the season, BGSU is shooting 45.9%, which ranks fifth in the MAC. During MAC play, the Falcons have shot 50.3% from the field and 42.4% from three, both of which lead the conference.

BGSU Bench Providing Depth
Over the course of the season, the Falcons are averaging 25.5 bench points per game, the second-most in the MAC. Over the last five games, BGSU has averaged 32.8 bench points, including 53 against Western Michigan. The charge has been paced by Samari Curtis and Rashaun Agee, who are averaging 14.6 and 10.2 points per game, respectively, over that stretch. Curtis has scored at least 10 points in each of the five games as well.

The 80-Point Threshold
This season the 80-point threshold has been a big mark for the Falcons' offense. BGSU has maintained the third-highest scoring offense in the MAC, and 43rd in the nation, averaging 78.1 points per game this season. When BGSU scores 80 or more points this season, the team is 9-1. However, when they fall short of 80 points, the Falcons are 1-10. Similarly, BGSU is 9-4 when holding their opponent to less than 80 points, but 1-7 when giving up 80 or more 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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