BGSU Men's Hoops Set for MAC Road Tilt at WMU on Tuesday Night

Tuesday, January 26

Kalamazoo, Mich.

7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Western Michigan

Photo by: Larry Clapper

January 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

Bowling Green (12-7, 3-3 MAC) vs. Western Michigan (8-11, 2-4 MAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 * 7:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo, Mich. * University Arena

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STARTING FIVE
(1) SNAP OUT OF IT: The Falcons will look to snap a two-game losing streak when they return to action on Tuesday night at Western Michigan. BGSU has dropped each of its last two contests - at home to both Toledo and Kent State. BGSU has not lost more than two games in a row all season long, having posted three two-game losing streaks on the year.

(2) 1-1 IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN: BGSU has gone 1-1 overall thus far this season when playing in the state of Michigan. The Falcons suffered a 95-80 loss at Detroit on Dec. 12 in non-conference play. BGSU returned to Michigan to defeat Eastern Michigan 84-79 in conference play on Jan. 16.

(3) FIRST OF THREE: Tuesday night's road contest at Western Michigan will be the first of three straight cross-divisional contests versus the MAC West Division for the Falcons. BGSU's trip through the MAC West includes games at Central Michigan and at home versus Ball State. The Falcons are 1-1 versus the MAC West this season with a home loss to Central Michigan and a road win at Eastern Michigan.

(4) LOOKING TO REMAIN UNBEATEN: BGSU will look to remain unbeaten on the road in MAC play on Tuesday night, as the Falcons are 2-0 on the road in league play this season with wins at Ohio and at Eastern Michigan. Western Michigan is 2-2 at home in MAC play, but 7-3 at home in University Arena on the season overall.

(5) CORRALLING THE BRONCOS: BGSU enters Tuesday night's contest versus Western Michigan having won four straight over the Broncos and each of the last two road games at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.

(6th man) CENTENNIAL SEASON: The 2015-16 is the Centennial Season for the BGSU men's basketball program, which began playing basketball in 1915-16.

SCOUTING THE WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Western Michigan enters Tuesday night's MAC contest at 8-11 overall and 2-4 in MAC play coming off a 91-71 win over Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. The Broncos, who are 7-3 at home this season, are averaging 74.2 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting. WMU is led by the duo of Thomas Wilder (17.6 ppg) and Tucker Haymond (17.1 ppg), who are both averaging over 17 points per game and are logging over 31 minutes per game, both team highs. The Broncos have 10 players averaging over double digit minutes of playing time on the season and have four players shooting over 45 percent from the field overall. Western Michigan has been without the services of MAC West Division Preseason All-MAC Team selection Connar Tava, who broke his left foot in the preseason.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND WESTERN MICHIGAN
BGSU leads the overall series over the Western Michigan Broncos 69-46, as the two teams first met back in 1946. BGSU has won each of the last four meetings over the Broncos, a streak that dates back to 2012, however, the two teams have split series at 5-5 over the last 10 meetings. The Falcons are 27-30 all-time on the road at Western Michigan.

NEW VERSUS TENURED
Tuesday's match up will feature a first-year head coach in BGSU's Michael Huger versus a 22-year veteran on the sidelines in WMU's Steve Hawkins. Huger is in his first year as a head coach in the MAC, while Hawkins is the longest-tenured active coach in the MAC with 2015-16 being his 13th season at the helm of the Western Michigan Broncos program.

COACH'S CORNER
"We had a tough week dropping two home games to Toledo and Kent State. I am proud of the fact that we have had a chance to win every game this season, but our team needs to improve in order to win a MAC Championship. Western Michigan is our next opportunity to take a step forward and get back in the win column. They are a multi-dimensional team that have weapons at every position. Our guys have to find a way to put together a 40 minute team effort on the defensive end in order to win this game. Our focus right now is on improving our team, collectively and individually. We've shown we are able to play with anybody in the league, now it's time to show we can beat anybody. We will break down the film on Toledo and Kent State, learn from our mistakes, reinforce the positives, and then move on to Western Michigan."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
BGSU will remain on the road to face off with Central Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 4:30 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, Mich. CMU defeated the Falcons 79-67 back on Jan. 9 in Bowling Green, Ohio.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 13-7 overall on the season.
* Mean that BGSU started the MAC season off at 4-3 overall.
* Give Bowling Green an overall record of 6-2 on the road this season.
* Keep the Falcons unbeaten on the road in conference play at 3-0.
* Push the Falcons' record to 5-3 for the month of January.
* Extend the Falcons' winning streak to five straight games over Western Michigan.
* Snap a two-game losing streak.

LAST TIME OUT - KENT STATE 62, BGSU 59 (JAN. 23)
The Falcons surrendered 19 offensive rebounds and allowed 21 second chance points to Kent State, as the Golden Flashes escaped the Stroh Center with a 62-59 road win over the Falcons in BGSU's Centennial Game, in which the Falcons were celebrating 100 years of BGSU men's basketball. The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department recognized over 40 men's basketball alums that came back to be a part of the Centennial Game, as well as the program's reach 100-year history, during the halftime intermission. It was a tale of two halves for the Falcons, as BGSU scored just 19 points on 20 percent shooting (6-of-30) in the first half to trail the Golden Flashes 30-19 at the halftime break. In the second half, the Falcons poured in 40 points on 57.7 percent shooting (15-of-26) to get back into the contest and give the home team a chance to win the game.

A STROH CENTER ANOMALY
An anomaly occurred in the Stroh Center on Jan. 19, as the Falcons suffered a loss at home despite scoring over 70 points for the game in the 81-74 defeat to the Rockets. The loss is only the second ever loss inside the Stroh Center for the Falcons when scoring over 70 points for the game. The only other loss in which the Falcons scored over 70 points in the Stroh Center was to Kent State, 81-80, last year on Senior Night, Mar. 3, 2015. BGSU is 25-2 all-time in the Stroh Center when scoring 70 points or more for the contest.

PARKER APPROACHING 1,000
Senior Spencer Parker is quietly approaching the 1,000 career points mark in his final year at BGSU. He enters Tuesday night's contest with 953 career points, 47 points away from the career milestone. Parker, who is averaging 14.2 points per game this season, would need to average 3.9 points per game over the remaining 12 regular season games for BGSU to reach the mark and become just the 43rd player in BGSU history to score over 1,000 career points.

CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE STARTING FIVE
Head Coach Michael Huger has sent out the lineup of David Joseph, Zack Denny, Wes Alcegaire, Spencer Parker and Rasheed Worrell to start all 19 games this season for BGSU.

SOLID START A NECESSITY
BGSU has relied on solid starts this season, as the Falcons are 10-0 on the season when leading at the halftime break. Bowling Green is just 2-6 on the season when going into the locker room trailing at the halftime intermission and 0-1 on the year when tied at the half.

LINE OF DEFENSE = UTMOST IMPORTANCE
The defense has been vital to the Falcons success this season, as BGSU is just 1-7 on the season when its opponent records a higher field goal percentage than the Falcons for the game. While on the flip side, BGSU is 11-0 when shooting better from the floor than its foe and is a solid 8-1 overall when holding its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting for the game. The Falcons are 8-1 when limiting their opponents to 69 points or less for the contest, but are 0-4 when allowing their opponents to score 80 points or more for the game.

BENCH HELP
The BGSU bench has been big for the Falcons thus far in MAC play, as Coach Huger's subs have outscored their opponent's bench in five of the six conference contests with the Falcons matching the Eastern Michigan Eagles at 10 bench points apiece in the other game. In league play, BGSU has totaled 145 bench points, an average of 24.2 points per game. Their opponents have combined to score at total of 67 bench points, an average of 11.2 per contest.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 44 percent from the floor as a team in each of their 12 wins thus far this season, including shooting a season-high 55.7 percent overall from the field in the blowout win over Urbana on Nov. 29. The Falcons are also a perfect 11-0 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall.

KEY IS CLEANING THE GLASS
BGSU has done well this season when out-rebounding its opponents for the game. In fact, the Falcons are a perfect 11-0 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are just 1-7 on the year when losing the battle of the boards with the lone win coming versus Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 6, 2016.

GETTING TO THE CHARITY STRIPE
Bowling Green has made it a habit to get to the free throw line this year, as the Falcons have shot more foul shots than their opponent in 13 of their 19 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 15 games on the year, including a season-high 35 attempts at Detroit on Dec. 12. The Falcons have made more free throws than their opponents have even attempted in six different contests this season.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
The duo of Zack Denny and Spencer Parker have each tallied multiple double-doubles this season and have combined for eight double-doubles on the year overall. Denny recorded his five double-doubles with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over YSU, followed by 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the FGCU Eagles. He then tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds in the road win at Cleveland State to close out the month of December and then totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds in the very next game versus Oakland City (Ind.). He recently picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds in the road win at Ohio on Jan. 12. Parker has registered three double-doubles this season with 16 points and 12 rebounds versus North Dakota, 22 points and 10 boards in the win at FGCU and a career-high 33 points and 11 rebounds at Detroit.

MINUTES, MINUTES, EVERYONE GETS MINUTES!
A total of nine players are averaging double digit minutes of playing time on the court thus far this season for the Falcons. In fact, at least nine different players have notched 10 minutes or more of playing time in 10 different games for the Falcons this season. Seven different Falcons are averaging 20 minutes or more of playing time on the year.

SPENCE LEADING BY EXAMPLE
As the most experienced player on the Falcons' roster, senior forward Spencer Parker has been leading by example with career numbers this season. Parker leads the team in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.9 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He is shooting 48.5 percent from the field overall, which is also a career-high. He has scored in double figures in 14 games and has already posted five 20-plus point games with 22 points at FGCU, 20 points versus UMBC, a career-high 33 points at Detroit, 22 points at Ohio and 21 points on the road at EMU.

DENNY DIALING IN FROM LONG DISTANCE
This season, Zack Denny is shooting a career-high 42.7 percent from behind the three-point line and leads the team with 38 made treys on the season. The junior guard is shooting 41.2 percent overall from long distance for his career, as he is 91-of-221 from long range, which has him currently ranked fourth in career three-point field goal percentage at BGSU. He has also made at least one three-pointer in 16 of 19 games this season for the Falcons.

TWO GOING FOR 20-PLUS
With Spencer Parker's 21 points and Zack Denny's 20 points in the road win at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 16, the duo became the first pair of Falcons to score 20 points or more in the same game since BGSU's Anthony Henderson and Jehvon Clarke each poured in 23 points at Toledo on Feb. 5, 2014.

HUGER FIRSTS ON THE SIDELINE
BGSU first-year head coach Michael Huger picked up his first career win as a head coach in the 79-61 win over New Orleans in the season opener. His first MAC win as a coach with the Falcons' 73-62 home win over Miami (Ohio) in the two teams' conference opener on Jan. 6, at the Stroh Center. He recorded his first MAC road win at Ohio, 91-75, on Jan. 12.

10 POINT POSSESSION
BGSU recorded a 10-point possession in only 37 seconds late in the second half in the win over Ohio on Jan. 12. The Falcons got a three-pointer from Ismail Ali (3), who was also fouled on the play. After the foul, a scuffle ensued with both teams which drew four technical fouls, three to Ohio and one to BGSU. With the technical fouls, BGSU got four free throws on top of Ali's foul shot from being fouled on the play. Ali hit his free throw from the foul (4) and then calmly knocked down 3-of-4 attempts from the Ohio technical fouls (7). BGSU then got the ball out of bounds, where Zack Denny abruptly drove down the lane, hit the layup (9) and was fouled on the play. He then drained the free throw (10) to cap of the possession. BGSU is 9-2 on the season when making more free throws than its opponent compared to just 3-4 overall when its foe makes more free throws than them for the game.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS
The Falcons finished their non-conference regular season slate with a 9-4 record this season. The nine non-conference wins, not including postseason play, are the most by a Falcons' team in a single season since posting 10 non-conference wins in 2006-07.

GRABBING 50
For the first time in eight years, the Falcons as a team reached the 50 mark in rebounds in a single game. BGSU pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds in the win over Oakland City (Ind.) on Jan. 2, 2016. The last time a Falcons' squad totaled 50 rebounds or more was back in the 2008-09 season, when BGSU hauled in 50 boards versus Detroit on Dec. 14, 2008.

A FALCON NOW LEADING THE FALCONS
It seems fitting that a former Falcon would lead the program during its Centennial Season, as former BGSU standout and 1994 graduate Michael Huger returns to his alma-mater as the head coach in 2015-16. Huger, who returns to where he was a standout player for the Falcons from 1989-93. While a player at BGSU, Huger helped the Falcons to a pair of NIT appearances. Tabbed the BGSU Team MVP in 1992-93, he earned all-conference honors in his final two seasons, and was a Naismith Award nominee and the runner-up for MAC Player of the Year his senior year.

WATCH ME: BGSU ON ESPN3, BCSN AND THE TWC SPORTS CHANNEL
Every Falcons' home game over the 2015-16 season will broadcast live on ESPN3. A number of road contests will also be video steamed live over the ESPN3 network, while the Falcons will also still appear locally on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) as well as the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWCS). Of the remaining games left this season, BGSU will be on BCSN and TWCS on Mar. 1 at Kent State. A number of other BGSU games could be chosen for TV by either ESPN or the CBS Sports Network throughout the season as wildcard selections.

CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2015-16
The Falcons have three team captains for the 2015-16 season in junior JD Tisdale, junior Wes Alcegaire and redshirt-sophomore Garrett Mayleben.

PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE MAC EAST IN PRESEASON POLL
With the loss of its top three scorers from last season in Richaun Holmes to the NBA, and both Jehvon Clarke and Anthony Henderson due to graduation, the Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the MAC East Division in the 2015-16 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which was determined by a 23-member MAC News Media Panel. The Falcons garnered 42 points overall.