Parker Reaches 1,000 Career Points, as the Zips Shoot Past BGSU

Tuesday, February 9

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

13-11, 4-7MAC

Akron

20-4, 9-2MAC

Akron

Bowling Green

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

February 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by Kevin Davis, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Final Stats: Box Score (PDF)
Final Stats: Box Score (HTML)
Video: BGSU Highlights
Audio: Postgame Press Conference: Huger | Parker
Audio: Postgame Interview with Todd Walker: Huger
Audio: Radio Calls by Todd Walker:
        1st half - Joseph steal and basket
                         Denny three-ball from the wing
                         Lillard board & pass to Parker for the layup
       2nd half - Denny block leads to Parker slam
                         Worrell hook shot ties the game up
                         Fox three-pointer from the top of the key
                         Lillard steal leads to Parker jam
                         Denny steal & feed to Lillard for the basket
Photos: Photo Gallery (Christine Nelson)
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Schedule: 2015-16 BGSU Men's Basketball Schedule
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Bowling Green, Ohio – BGSU senior forward Spencer Parker scored his 1,000th career point less than five minutes into the contest and led the Falcons with a game-high 23 points, yet it wasn't enough to overcome 16 three-pointers from the Akron Zips who defeated the Falcons 83-68 in MAC East Division play on Tuesday night in the Stroh Center.

The Zips hit a Stroh Center record 16 three-pointers on Tuesday night in the win, surpassing the BGSU mark of 14 made three-pointers versus Morehead State on Feb. 18, 2012. The 16 treys are also the most by a BGSU men's basketball opponent inside the Stroh Center eclipsing the previous record of 13 set by Kent State on Mar. 3, 2015.

The loss drops the Falcons to 13-11 overall and 4-7 in MAC play, while the win propels Akron out to a 20-4 record and keeps the Zips atop of the MAC standings at 9-2 in league play.

Parker registered his sixth 20-plus point game of the season with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting overall, including going 3-of-4 from long range in 37 minutes of play. Forward Rasheed Worrell finished with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Zack Denny turned in a stats line of seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior guard David Joseph picked up a team-high five assists and recorded a game-high four steals.

The Zips, who had five different players hit at least one three-pointer for the game, were led by Antino Jackson's 20 points, as the guard was 7-of-13 overall, including going 6-of-8 from behind the three-point line. Reggie McAdams chipped in with 15 points on five three-pointers, while Isaiah Johnson tallied 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench for the Zips before leaving the game midway through the second half with an injury.

BGSU outscored the Zips 34-22 in points in the paint, 10-0 in fast break points and edged Akron 10-9 in points off turnovers. However, Akron outscored the Falcons 48-15 in points off of three-point field goals, as BGSU was 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from long range compared to the Zips 16-of-32 (50 percent) shooting from behind the three-point line, and almost doubled the Falcons in bench points at 27-14 for the game.

The start of the contest saw both teams going back-and-forth, swapping points and the lead over the first four minutes of the game until two straight three-pointers from Parker over a 36 second stretch pushed the Falcons in front by six at 10-4 with 15:56 to go in the opening half.

Akron would cut the BGSU lead to four two more times over the next 1:30 of play, only to see two free throws from Parker on the ensuing offensive possession put BGSU back up by six points each time.

Minutes later at the 13:41 mark, Denny hit a three-pointer from the wing and then added a long two-point jumper one minute later to spark a 6-0 run by the home team who flew out to an 11-point lead at 20-9 on a free throw from Wes Alcegaire with 12:06 to go in the first half of play.

However, the Zips refused to go away and got a layup in the paint from Johnson, a three-pointer from Noah Robotham, a jumper in the paint from Pat Forsythe, a three-ball from Jackson and two free throws from Forsythe to score 12 unanswered points and wrestle away the lead from BGSU at 21-20 with 9:25 to go before the halftime break.

A jumper from BGSU's Antwon Lillard ended the Akron scoring run and gave the lead back to the home team at 22-21, however, it did not slow down the Zips shooting onslaught as four of Akron's next five baskets would be from behind the three-point arc as the visitors in blue pushed its lead out to nine at 35-26 with 4:18 remaining on the first half game clock.

A Parker free throw at the 3:11 mark put BGSU down eight, yet the Zips got four straight points from Johnson and a layup from Jimond Ivey over the next two minutes to pull back out in front by 14 at 41-27.

BGSU's Parker ended the half with a three-ball, his third of the game, and a fast break layup over the final minute of play to put the Falcons down just nine at 41-32 at the halftime break.

With a 5-0 run to close out the first half, BGSU carried over the momentum into the second half of play, as Worrell opened the scoring up with a layup down low in the paint less than a minute into the period.

After a three-pointer from Akron's McAdams, the Orange and Brown got a 15-foot jumper from Alcegaire on an inbounds play, a free throw from Worrell, a fast break one-handed slam from Parker and another layup in the paint from Worrell to put the Falcons within three of the Zips at 44-41 with 16:52 left in the contest.

Akron ended the BGSU run at seven straight points with another three-pointer from Jackson, his sixth of the game, to push its lead back out to six at 47-41.

The three did nothing to slow down the Falcons' offensive attack, as BGSU answered with a layup from Alcegaire and back-to-back jumpers from Denny and Worrell to tie the game up at 47-47 at the 14:45 mark of the second half.

Yet again on the next Akron offensive possession, the Zips hit another three-ball, this time from McAdams, to once again zip back out to the lead at 50-47.

The three-pointer from McAdams jump-started a 12-3 run by the visitors in blue, as a jumper in the paint from Johnson at the 10:47 mark gave the Zips a nine point lead at 59-50.

Refusing to quit, the Falcons picked up a layup from Lillard on the block, a tough trey from Matt Fox from the top of the key and another one-handed tomahawk slam from Parker on a steal and kick ahead pass from Lillard to put the home team in white within two at 59-57 with 8:23 to go in regulation.

That would be as close as the Falcons would get for the remainder of the game, as a jump hook in the lane by Forsythe and three straight three-pointers from the trio of McAdams, Ivey and Jake Kretzer launched the Zips back out in front by double digits at 70-57 with just over five minutes left on the game clock.

The Falcons got four straight points from Worrell, two free throws from Parker and a fast break layup from Lillard over the next 1:40 of play, yet couldn't close the gap on Akron who answered the Falcons' points with three-pointers from Kretzer and Robotham to keep the visitors lead at double digits en route to the 83-68 MAC win.

BGSU shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) overall for the game and shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from the free throw line. Akron shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the field overall and shot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the charity stripe.

The Zips also out-rebounded BGSU 34-28.

Bowling Green (13-11, 4-7 MAC) will look to rebound against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. inside the Stroh Center.

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Notes

BGSU's 10 steals on Tuesday night are tied for the season-high for thefts in a single game. The Falcons also recorded 10 steals as a team in home win over UMBC on Dec. 2, 2015.
The Falcons passed out 17 assists on the night, the fifth most for the Falcons as a team in a single game this season.
The 17 assists are the most since BGSU collected 18 assists as a team in the win over Oakland City on Jan. 2, 2016.
Senior Spencer Parker became the 43rd player in BGSU men's basketball history to score 1,000 career points during his time as a Falcon.
Parker's 23 points on the night gives him six 20-plus point games this season.
Parker has scored in double figures in 18 different contests this season.
With his 15 points, Rasheed Worrell has scored in double digits 10 times this year.
Senior David Joseph recorded a new BGSU career-high four steals in the loss.
With one made three-pointer in the contest, Zack Denny now has 99 career made three-point field goals over his three years at BGSU.
With the loss, the Falcons have now lost four straight games for the first time this season.
The Falcons are 0-3 thus far for the month of February.
The loss drops the Falcons to 6-6 overall at home in the Stroh Center on the year.