Men's Hoops Wraps Up MAC Regular Season Road Slate at Kent State on Tuesday Night

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

STARTING FIVE
(1) DOWN THE HOME STRETCH: It is the final week of the MAC regular season slate this week, which means there is a lot on the line in every MAC match up. BGSU is looking to finish the season strong and take some momentum into the first round of the 2016 MAC Championship Tournament. Kent State is still in the hunt for a piece of the MAC title and is also looking to secure a first round bye in next week's conference championship tournament.

(2) A CLUSTER FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: The MAC regular season standings heading into play this week are in a cluster from top to bottom. Behind Akron, who is just one game up in front of the next team, is both Ohio and Ball State at 10-6. Three more teams are tied at 9-7, including Kent State, while two other squads are tied at 8-8. BGSU is tied with both Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan at 5-11 and will be looking to stay out of the cellar.

(3) CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Over the last six meetings, Kent State has combined to score just four more points than the Falcons overall at 404-400. In fact, four of the last five games have been decided by three points or less, including last year's two meetings which were decided by a combined three points overall. Kent State clipped BGSU by just three points at 62-59 earlier this season back on Jan. 23 in Bowling Green, Ohio.

(4) HOT AND COLD: The Falcons have been hot and cold this season on the road. BGSU won its first two road games, dropped its next two on the road, posted four straight road wins and is now in a five-game skid in road contests.

(5) PARKER CONTINUING THE CAREER CLIMB: Senior Spencer Parker continues to climb up the BGSU career scoring list as he now ranks 35th overall in BGSU history with 1,092 career points. Parker trails Kevin Netter who has 1,114 career points and ranks 34th-place overall on the BGSU scoring list.

(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 GOLDEN FLASHES OF KENT STATE
Kent State enters Tuesday night's home contest having dropped each of its last two games. At 18-11 overall and 9-7 in the MAC, the Golden Flashes are still in the hunt for a piece of the MAC East Division regular season championship and is fighting for a top-four overall finish to earn a first round bye in next week's 2016 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Golden Flashes rank third in the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting at a clip of 45.2 percent overall on the season, and third in rebounding with an average of 37.4 boards per game. Kent State leads the MAC in offensive rebounding with 12.5 offensive rebounds per contest. Led by forward Jimmy Hall, who ranks in the top-10 overall in the MAC in both scoring (16.4) and rebounding (7.7), is one of three players averaging double digit points on the year along with Kellon Thomas (12.3) and Xavier Pollard (12.2), who has missed time this year due to injury.

ALL-TIME SERIES BETWEEN BGSU AND KENT STATE
BGSU leads the overall series over Kent State 84-71, but dropped the first meeting between these two teams 62-59 back on Jan. 23, 2015. The Falcons have won two out of the last four meetings between the two MAC East Division foes, however, Kent State has won each of the last two contests between the Falcons and the Golden Flashes. BGSU, who defeated KSU 66-64 at the M.A.C. Center last season, is 32-42 all-time on the road in Kent, Ohio.

TOUGH ROAD TASK AHEAD
It will be a tough road task ahead for the Falcons who are looking for their seventh true road win of the season overall, as the Golden Flashes have been dominant at home in the M.A.C. Center this season. Kent State is 12-2 overall at home this year and 6-2 at home in the MAC with the lone losses coming to Buffalo (Jan. 8) and Toledo (Feb. 6). KSU has won three straight home games entering Tuesday night versus Bowling Green, which will serve as Senior Night for the Golden Flashes.

THE GAME ON THE BOARDS
In the two teams' previous meeting this season, a 62-59 road win for Kent State over the Falcons in Bowling Green, Ohio, the game was won on the boards as the Golden Flashes pulled down 19 offensive rebounds which led to 21 second chance points. Kent State out-rebounded BGSU 44-38 overall for the game and was able to fire off 10 more shot attempts than the Falcons over the 40 minute contest (66-56).

COACH'S CORNER
"We will head back to the Akron/Kent area to match up with Kent State on Tuesday. As we finish out the final week of the regular season, this matchup is one that we could potentially see again in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Our guys will need to play tough for 40 minutes and we will need a much improved defensive effort. If we can do those two things, we should be in position to win the game."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons will wrap up the regular season with a home contest versus Buffalo on Friday, Mar. 4, at 7 p.m.

A FALCON WIN WOULD ...
* Put the Falcons at 15-15 overall on the season.
* Improve BGSU's road record to 7-7 overall on the season.
* Avenge a 62-59 home loss to Kent State back on Jan. 23, 2015.
* Extend the Falcons' road winning streak at Kent State to two straight games.
* Snap a two-game losing streak to the Golden Flashes.

LAST TIME OUT - AKRON 89, BGSU 54 (FEB. 26)
The Falcons were hit with an Akron three-point barrage for a full 40 minutes on Friday night, as the Zips hit a season-high 19 three-pointers and shot 46.3 percent from behind the three-point line to down BGSU 89-54 at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio. BGSU was 20-of-48 (41.7 percent) shooting for the game overall and outscored the Zips 26-18 in points in the paint on the night, yet couldn't overcome the sharp-shooting Zips who went 19-of-41 (46.3 percent) from long range and shot 31-of-65 (47.7 percent) overall on the night. The Zips, who had 57 of their 89 points come from behind the three-point line, also scored 29 points off of 16 BGSU turnovers and outscored the Falcons 11-7 in second chance points as Akron out-rebounded BGSU 37-27 for the game.

NO LOVE FOR THE FALCONS IN FEBRUARY
BGSU has had no love thus far in the month of February, as the Falcons are just 1-7 thus far this month. The Falcons are averaging just 65.8 points per game for the month of February and are giving up an average of 76.8 points per contest for the month.

SHARING THE ROCK
The Falcons have done a good job in sharing the ball over the last six games, as BGSU has recorded a total of 82 assists over that span, an average of 13.7 per game. BGSU had 17 assists versus Akron (Feb. 9), posted back-to-back games with 14 assists versus Western Michigan (Feb. 13) and at Northern Illinois (Feb. 16) and dished out 12 assists at Buffalo (Feb. 20). Last week, BGSU tallied 15 assists in the home win over Ohio (Feb. 23) and passed out 10 assists at Akron (Feb. 26.)

STUDENT-ATHLETES FIRST
On Feb. 23, BGSU head coach Michael Huger reminded not only his team, but everyone that his Falcons are student-athletes first as he changed his starting lineup for the first time all season long for the game versus Ohio due to his players not meeting the team's academic guidelines encompassed around the motto of Attitude, Class, and Commitment.

NEVER TO LATE FOR FIRST CAREER STARTS
In the Falcons' home contest versus the Ohio Bobcats on Feb. 23, three different Falcons in Brandon Busuttil, Matt Fox and Demajeo Wiggins made their first ever starts for BGSU in the 87-82 home conference win. In the next contest, BGSU's Ismail Ali made his first start as a Falcon on the road at Akron on Feb. 26.

50 BACK-TO-BACK
BGSU shot over 50 percent in each back-to-back games on the road at Buffalo (Feb. 20) and at home versus Ohio (Feb. 23). The Falcons shot 54.4 percent (31-of-57) in a road loss at UB and then shot 52.5 percent (32-of-61) in a home win over the Bobcats.

20/20
In the second half of the Falcons' 87-82 home win over Ohio on Feb. 23, BGSU's Spencer Parker scored all 20 of his points over the final 20 minutes of the contest. He is the first Falcon to score 20 points or more in a half since Jordon Crawford had 20 points in a half versus Buffalo back on Mar. 8, 2013.

1000 AND COUNTING FOR PARKER
In the Falcons contest on Feb. 9 versus Akron, senior forward Spencer Parker recorded his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer at the 15:56 mark of the first half. He became the 43rd player in BGSU men's basketball history to reach the 1,000 career points mark. Parker finished the game with 23 points and enters Tuesday night's contest with 1,092 points overall, which ranks 35th overall.

HITTING 100 FROM LONG RANGE
Junior shooting guard Zack Denny eclipsed the century mark in three-point field goals made for his career with his first trey at NIU on Feb. 16, as he has now drained a total of 104 career treys over his three years at BGSU. After making just three three-pointers in just three games due to injury as a freshman in 2013-14, Denny knocked down a team-high 50 three-balls last season. He has topped that mark this season already with 51 made treys for the Falcons.

DISH FROM ISH
Junior point guard Ismail Ali leads the team with a total of 116 assists thus far this season. The first-year Falcon has made it eight straight seasons that at least one player has recorded 100 assists or more for BGSU, a streak that dates back to the 2008-09 campaign.

GOTTA GET TO 70
The Falcons have got to find a way to get to the magic number of 70 on the scoreboard, as BGSU is 13-3 overall on the season when scoring 70 points or more. The Falcons are just 1-12 on the year when scoring less than 70 points for the contest.

LINE OF DEFENSE = UTMOST IMPORTANCE
The defense has been vital to the Falcons success this season, as BGSU is just 2-13 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 12-2 when shooting better from the floor than its foe and is a solid 8-2 overall when holding its opponent to less than 40 percent shooting for the game. The Falcons are 8-2 when limiting their opponents to 69 points or less for the contest, but are 1-7 when allowing their opponents to score 80 points or more for the game.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 44 percent from the floor as a team in each of their 14 wins 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 12-2 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall with losses coming at Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 6 and at Buffalo on Feb. 20.

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 stellar 13-2 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are 1-13 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 opponents in 20 of their 29 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in 21 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 NINE different contests this season.

BENCH HELP
The BGSU bench has been big for the Falcons in MAC play, as Coach Huger's subs have outscored their opponent's bench in 10 of the 16 conference contests with the Falcons matching Eastern Michigan in one of those other six games. In MAC play, BGSU has totaled 400 bench points, an average of 25.0 points per game. Their opponents have combined to score at total of 259 bench points, an average of 16.2 per contest over league play.

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 14 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 14.1 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.2 rebounds per game, both of which are career highs. He has scored in double figures in 22 games and has already posted eight 20-plus point games with 22 points at FGCU, 20 points versus UMBC, a career-high 33 points at Detroit, 22 points at Ohio, 21 points on the road at EMU, 23 points at home against Akron, 21 points on the road at Buffalo just last Saturday and 20 points at home versus Ohio on Tuesday night, Feb. 23.

RESILIENT FALCONS
The Falcons have proved to be "fighting" Falcons throughout the 2015-16 season, as Coach Huger's squad have trailed by five points or more in seven of their 14 wins this season. In fact, BGSU has been behind on the scoreboard in 12 of their 14 wins on the year. In three of their last four wins, the Falcons have erased a double digit deficit for a come from behind win. BGSU deleted a 14-point deficit at Ohio to defeat the Bobcats 91-75 on Jan. 12. The Falcons overcame a 10-point deficit at Western Michigan to upend the Broncos 79-78 in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Jan. 26. and then most recently erased a 10-point deficit to Ohio in an 87-82 home win over the Bobcats on Feb. 23.

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. The Falcons did it again on Feb. 23, as Parker and Wes Alcegaire each poured in 20 points in the 87-82 home win over Ohio.

MAKE IT 10 YEARS IN A ROW
With the Falcons' 87-82 win over Ohio on Feb. 23, BGSU recorded its seventh home win of the season. BGSU has registered at least seven home wins over each of the last 10 seasons dating back to the 2006-07 season.

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.

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.

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 and on Mar. 3 vs. Buffalo.

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.

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