Bowling Green Travels To Kent State Tuesday In Search Of Third-Straight Win

Tuesday, February 7

Kent, OH

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

Bowling Green Travels To Kent State Tuesday In Search Of Third-Straight Win

February 06, 2017 | Men's Basketball

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

OPENING TIP
• The Falcons and Golden Flashes will meet for the 158th time on Tuesday night. Bowling Green holds an 85-72 advantage in the all-time series.
• Bowling Green lost both regular-season meetings to Kent State last season, before knocking off KSU in the M.A.C. Center in the first round of the 2016 MAC Tournament. The Falcons are 33-43 all-time in games played in Kent, Ohio.
• The Falcons are 1-8 in 2016-17 on the road. Kent State is 7-4 this season at the M.A.C. Center.
• Bowling Green wrapped up a three-game home stand last week with wins over rivals Miami (Jan. 31) and Toledo (Feb. 4), while Kent State beat Eastern Michigan and Miami on the road.
• Senior Zack Denny scored a career-high 30 points in the double-overtime win over Toledo. Denny went 5-for-5 from deep for the game, and scored BGSU's final 10 points of the contest.
• Wes Alcegaire is coming off his best week as a Falcon. The senior, sparked by a career-high 25 points versus Miami, averaged 23.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in BG's 2-0 week.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON KENT STATE
"It was a fun night on Saturday at the Stroh Center. Our fans were electric and the student section was fantastic. I am very proud of our team for how they competed. However, it is time to regroup and focus on Kent State. In order to win on the road in the MAC, our guys will have to play with an incredible amount of energy and toughness. Kent in the top offensive rebounding team in the country, and they run their offense through Jimmy Hall, who is one of the best big men in the country. Defense will be our ticket to victory in this game."

SCOUTING THE KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
After an uncharacteristic 1-4 start to the conference schedule, Kent State might be the hottest team in the MAC, having won four of its last five games. Last week, the Golden Flashes picked up a pair of road wins over Eastern Michigan (Jan. 31) and Miami (Feb. 4). Kent State is led by arguably the best player in the conference – senior forward Jimmy Hall. Hall leads Kent State in scoring (18.5) and rebounding (10.8). Hall sits fourth in the MAC in scoring, and fourth in the conference in rebounding. Hall also is averaging a team-high 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest. Kent State absolutely has a "Big 3," as sophomore guard Jaylin Walker and senior guard Deon Edwin rank second and third on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points and 13.0 points, respectively. No other player on the roster is averaging more than 5.7 points. Kent State makes a living on the glass, as the Golden Flashes rank first in the country in offensive rebounds per game (16.7), and fourth in the MAC in rebounds per game (34.4). In conference play, KSU is scoring and allowing just over 78.0 points per ballgame. The Golden Flashes average 6.2 steals per game within the conference, and are allowing opponents to shoot 45.1 percent from the field, and 33.8 percent from downtown, while shooting 43.6 and 34.6 themselves. Sixth-year head coach Rob Senderoff owns a record of 113-77 at Kent State.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 11-13
• Move Bowling Green's MAC record to 5-6
• Put BG on a three-game MAC winning streak for the first time since February of 2015
• Give BGSU its second-straight win over Kent State
• Move BGSU ahead of Kent State in the MAC standings
• Move BGSU to 2-2 in the Michael Huger era versus Kent State
• Improve the Falcons record in February in 2016-17 to 2-0
• Give Bowling Green its second road win of the season
• Increase BG's lead in the all-time series to 86-72

BG'S LAST TRIP TO THE M.A.C. CENTER
Bowling Green lost both regular-season games to Kent State in 2015-16 by double digits, including a 70-54 defeat in Kent, Ohio in the second-to-last away game of the season. Just six days later, Bowling Green made another trip to the M.A.C Center for the first round of the MAC Tournament. While playing as the No. 12 seed, the Falcons walked away with a thrilling 70-69 victory over the Golden Flashes, becoming just the third No. 12 seed to ever win a first round game in the tournament. Spencer Park (18), Wes Alcegaire (14) and Antwon Lillard (13) scored in double figures, and the Falcons hit free throws down the stretch to survive and advance to the quarterfinals in Cleveland. Bowling Green shot 54.0 percent (27-of-50) for the game, and held star Jimmy Hall to just four rebounds and six points on 2-of-10 shooting. Demajeo Wiggins led the Orange and Brown in the rebounding department with seven.

BGSU STILL HASN'T FACED A ROAD OPPONENT WITH A LOSING RECORD
The Falcons are 1-8 on the road in 2016-17. Although six of those losses have been by single digits, and five of them have been by two possessions or fewer, the Falcons' opponents deserve a large amount of the credit for BGSU's struggles away from home. Bowling Green has played nine really difficult road games. In fact, at the time of the game, all nine teams had a winning record, with the exception of Oakland, which was 0-0. The nine opponents – Oakland (18-7), South Dakota (16-10), Cincinnati (21-2), Evansville (11-14), San Jose State (11-10) Akron (19-4), Ball State (15-8), Toledo (11-12), and Central Michigan (15-8) – have a combined record of 137-75 (.646). Bowling Green's next road opponent – Kent State (13-10) – has a winning record, as well. Incredibly, the Falcons won't play a team on the road with a losing record until Feb. 14, which will be 95 days into the season. On Feb. 14, the Falcons will travel to Kalamazoo to take on Western Michigan (7-15).

FALCONS SHOOT LIGHTS OUT IN 2-0 WEEK
Bowling Green's combined 187 points last week were the most combined points in two-straight MAC games since the 1996-97 season. BGSU scored 99 points and 94 points in consecutive wins over Central Michigan and Toledo in March of 1997. Bowling Green entered the beginning of last week tied for last in the Mid-American Conference with a 2-6 record. Two games later, the Falcons are just a few games out of a tie for second place after winning a pair of home games over Miami (Jan. 31) and Toledo (Feb. 4). BGSU shot extremely well in both victories. In the win over the RedHawks, the Falcons made a season-high 10 three-pointers on 23 attempts to win by a score of 83-72. BGSU also shot 74.2 percent from the free throw line by converting on 23-of-31 attempts from the charity stripe. Over the weekend, the Orange and Brown outscored one of the top offensive teams in the conference in an epic double-overtime win versus Toledo. Bowling Green won, 104-100, marking the first time that the program had scored 100-plus points since Nov. 9, 2013. The Falcons shot a season-high 58.7 percent (37-of-63) from the field, and a season-high 75.0 percent (9-of-12) from behind the long line. Bowling Green also made 21 more free throws in the win.

DOUBLE-OT CLASSIC: BOWLING GREEN BEATS TOLEDO IN THRILLER
In what was most likely the greatest men's basketball game ever played between Bowling Green and Toledo, the Falcons snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rockets by winning, 104-100, in double overtime on Saturday (Feb. 4) at the Stroh Center. Zack Denny scored a career-high 30 points, while fellow senior Wes Alcegaire poured in 22. Both went 8-for-11 from the field, and did not miss a three-pointer, as Denny nailed five triples and Alcegaire made two. Toledo native Demajeo Wiggins posted 16 points and seven rebounds. Antwon Lillard registered 12 points, while Ismail Ali had 10 points and seven assists. Seniors Alcegaire, Ali and Denny, who had never beaten Toledo, combined to go 20-for-29 from the field, and 7-for-8 from three-point land. Below is a breakdown of the Bowling Green's clutch plays down the stretch of the game.

Toledo appeared to have the game wrapped up after Jonathan Williams hit three free throws to give the Rockets an 87-80 lead with just 1:48 to go in the first overtime. However, Alcegaire scored six-straight points, including a jumper to pull the Falcons within a single point at 87-86 with 40 seconds to go.

Toledo's Jaelan Sanford answered with a dagger-type, fading-away jumper as the shot clock expired with 12 seconds left. The jumper gave Toledo an 89-86 lead. Bowling Green then rushed the ball passed half court and called a timeout.

Michael Huger set up a perfect play that gave Denny a wide-open triple. Denny hit the three-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 89-89 with six seconds left. Sanford went coast-to-coast for Toledo, and his shot appeared to be sliding in, but it popped out, and the game went to double OT. In the second OT, the Rockets quickly jumped out to a 94-89 lead less than a minute into the session. However, Alcegaire converted on a three-pointer, and then Ali scored a tough layup to knot the game at 94-94 with 2:54 to go. UT's Jordan Lauf put the Rockets back on top, 97-94, on Toledo's 14th three-pointer of the game. After that, Denny completely took over and scored Bowling Green's final 10 points of the contest.

With the Falcons down by three, he hit two free throws to bring the Falcons within one with two minutes to go. Sanford countered with a layup, but Denny tied the score at 99-99 with just 1:18 to go with another three-ball. Luke Knapke of Toledo split a pair of free throws with 46 seconds remaining, prior to Denny hitting the game-winning triple. His triple gave BG a 102-100 lead with 28 seconds left on the clock.

Sanford attempted a desperation three-ball on the other end that hit the front rim. Toledo got the rebound, but Denny's pressure forced a Sanford back-court violation. The Falcons successfully inbounded the basketball to Denny, who hit two game-sealing free throws for his 29th and 30th points of the game.

HOME SWEET STROH
Bowling Green is having one of the best home seasons at the Stroh Center in program history. The Falcons improved to 9-5 at the Stroh Center in 2016-17 with two home wins last week over rivals Miami (Jan. 31) and Toledo (Feb. 4). Bowling Green's win over Miami gave the Falcons their most wins at home in the Michael Huger era, as BGSU went 7-8 at the Stroh in 2015-16. The Orange and Brown are 16-13 at home under Huger, and with three more home games remaining, Bowling Green can tie the program record for most wins at the Stroh Center by winning out. In the facility's inaugural season, BG went 12-4. If Bowling Green goes 2-1 at home to close out the season, it will finish with 11 wins, which will match the totals from the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons. Earlier in the season, the Falcons registered their 50th win at the Stroh Center by knocking off Morgan State on Nov. 26. The Falcons are 57-36 at home since the facility opened in 2011. Bowling Green owns an all-time winning percentage of .613 at the Stroh Center.

BOWLING GREEN GAINS MORE GROUND IN MAC STANDINGS
Even though both Toledo and Bowling Green have identical 4-6 MAC records, the Falcons win over the Rockets moved BG ahead of UT in the MAC standings due to tiebreaker rules. Bowling Green has a better record against the top teams in the conference, due largely in part to the Falcons' 2-0 record versus Ball State, which sits in first place in the MAC West. Bowling Green sits in ninth place currently, as the Falcons are also ahead of 3-7 Western Michigan and 2-8 Miami. With a win over Kent State on Tuesday (Feb. 7), Bowling Green will, at worst, be in eighth place. That is significant, due to the fact that the eight seed would host a home game in the MAC Tournament. It's also possible that the Falcons could be just one game in the win column out of the second place with a win over the Golden Flashes.

ZACK DENNY IS MR. CLUTCH
Senior Zack Denny turned in one of the most impressive clutch performances in BGSU men's basketball history on Saturday (Feb. 4) versus Toledo. Denny hit three triples in the overtime sessions that either tied the game, or gave Bowling Green the lead. He also made all four of his free throws in the second overtime. Denny sent the game into double OT with a three-ball with six seconds left. He then tied the game at 99-99 with 1:18 remaining in the final overtime, before winning the Falcons the game by hitting another three-pointer with 28 seconds left. His last triple gave the Orange and Brown a 102-100 lead. He then forced a turnover, and hit two game-sealing free throws. Denny's performance against Toledo was no fluke, however. Clutch situations, for this exercise, are defined as shots taken in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime with the score in single digits at the time of the shot. In those situations this season, Denny has been unconscious. He's 7-for-14 from the field, 5-for-6 from three-point range, and a ridiculous 14-of-14 at the free throw line.

AN ALL-TIME GREAT WEEK FOR ALCEGAIRE
While playing against BGSU's biggest historic rivals in Miami and Toledo, senior Wes Alcegaire turned in the best week of his career. The Miami, Florida native averaged 23.5 points and 3.0 rebounds. In Bowling Green's 2-0 week, he combined to shoot 17-for-26 (65.4 percent) from the floor, and a lethal 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from three-point range. In Bowling Green's win over Miami, Alcegaire scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He made a career-high six three-pointers, and started off his performance with a 20-point first half. Over the weekend against Toledo, he scored six-straight points in the first overtime with BG staring defeat right in the eyes. He went on to finish with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He also went 2-for-2 from downtown. His two career outings came after a 2-for-14 shooting night versus Ohio. However, despite the off game against Ohio, Alcegaire appears to have rediscovered his shooting stroke, as he's scored in double figures in five of Bowling Green's last six games. The senior, who leads the team in total field goals (108) and three-point field goals (38), is averaging a career-high 12.6 points, which ranks second on the team. Alcegaire is also averaging 3.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He has 33 assists in 2016-17, which is 12 more than he had all of last season.

TOLEDO NATIVE DEMAJEO WIGGINS VS. THE ROCKETS
Demajeo Wiggins, a product of Springfield High School in Toledo, has played fantastic basketball against the school he grew up in the shadows of. In three career games against the Rockets, 12.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and is shooting 64.0 percent from the field. In Saturday's (Feb. 4) epic win over the Rockets, he had 14 second-half points, and finished the contest with 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. In the Jan. 17 game at Toledo this season, he posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Last season, as a freshman, Wiggins went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, and registered four points and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. Wiggins made two more free throws in the game, running his percentage to 64.5 on the season. He shot 37.9 percent from the line last season as a freshman. Wiggins has made 78-of-121 attempts this year – both numbers lead the team. Last season, he made just 22 free throws, while taking a total of 58 attempts.

ALI'S ASSIST NUMBERS WHEN SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Ismail Ali, a native of South Hayward, California, is scoring at an improved rate in 2016-17. After his 10-point afternoon versus Toledo (Feb. 4), Ali is up to 6.9 points per game this season. Last year, he averaged 5.4 points. In 2015-16, Ali scored in double figures a total of five times. This year, he's already reached double digits eight times, and in seven of those eight games, he's also added at least five assists. The one game he didn't, which was in Bowling Green's home win over Ball State (Jan. 21), he had five rebounds. In the win over the Rockets, Ali had seven assists and just one turnover. He assisted all three of Zack Denny's clutch three-pointers in overtime. Ali's 4.7 assists per game average ranks fifth in the conference, while his 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops in the league. The senior's rebounding numbers are also up from a season ago, as he's averaging 2.4 boards per contest after averaging 2.1 rebounds in 2015-16.

MALIK CONTINUES TO MAKE THE MOST OF HIS STARTING ROLE
Malik Hluchoweckyj has started each of Bowling Green's last three games. Prior to the first start of his career against Ohio on Jan. 28, the sophomore had played a total of 15 minutes. He went on to play 29 minutes in that game, and he recorded nine points and nine assists. In the team's following game against Miami (Jan. 31), Hluchoweckyj scored a career-high 10 points in a winning effort. In the Orange and Brown's most-recent game versus Toledo (Feb. 4), Hluchoweckyj made an impact in a variety of ways, as he had two points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals. His two steals and two assists tied career highs. He also broke a UT player's ankles on a play where he scored an up-and-under layup at the first-half buzzer. The Bellevue, Nebraska native also recorded just the second block of his career in the thrilling victory over the Rockets. Hluchoweckyj made two three-pointers in each of his first two starts, as he went 2-for-5 versus Ohio and a perfect 2-for-2 in the Miami win.

DENNY MOVES INTO SEVENTH PLACE ON PROGRAM'S THREE-POINT LIST
Senior guard Zack Denny moved from 10th place to seventh place on the program's three-point field goals list by converting on all five of his three-point attempts in Bowling Green's epic win over Toledo on Saturday (Feb. 4). It was a huge shooting night for Denny, who has been having an uncharacteristic year shooting the three-ball. His hot night improved his three-point percentage from 27.4 percent to 31.5 percent. Denny's five triples allowed him to surpass Joe Jakubowski (2007-11), Brian Moten (2005-09) and DeMar Moore (1995-99). Denny will need 19 more triples to move past Scott Thomas (2008-12). For his career, Denny is shooting 36.6 percent from deep.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING NIGHTS HAVE DENNY NEARING 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Zack Denny posted his 50th game with 10-plus points last Saturday (Feb. 4) versus Toledo, and he did so in style, as he registered a career-high 30 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He also went 5-for-5 from downtown. He has now scored 10-plus points a total of 18 times in 2016-17, which is the most on the team. The Germantown, Ohio native is now just 39 points shy of becoming the 44th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Denny has increased his scoring output in each of his four seasons as a Falcon. He's averaging a career- and team-high 13.0 points in 2016-17 after scoring 10.6 points as a junior, 9.2 points as a sophomore, and 3.3 points as a freshman. Along with fellow senior Wes Alcegaire and sophomore Demajeo Wiggins, Denny is one of three Falcons averaging double digits this season. The senior is averaging a team-high 14.3 points within the conference. He also averaging 5.6 rebounds in MAC play, which ranks second on the squad.

FRYE JOINS ELITE CLASS OF FALCON FRESHMEN FOLLOWING 24-POINT OUTING
Dylan Frye's career-high 24 points versus Ohio (Jan. 28) were the most from a Falcon freshman since sophomore Antwon Lillard scored 26 points against Central Michigan at last year's MAC Tournament. Prior to Lillard's 26-point outburst, the last Falcon freshman to score at least 24 points was Chris Knight. He dropped 24 points on Cincinnati during the 2007-08 season. Including Frye, only six freshmen at Bowling Green have scored 24 points in a game over the past 14 seasons. Josh Almanson totaled 25 points versus Wilmington during the 2000-01 season. Hall of Famer Keith McLeod scored 29 points his freshman year in 1998-99 against Urbana. Ron Lewis scored 30 points versus Central Michigan on March 13, 2003, which stands as the most points scored by a freshman in the Orange and Brown over the last 14 seasons. Frye made three triples against Ohio, and went 9-for-17 from the field. His nine made field goals marked a new career high. Frye is averaging 7.8 points per game, and his minutes continue to rise, as he's now playing 22.0 minutes a night. He's shooting 44.1 percent from the field, and he's recorded a season-high six rebounds in two of the last three games. Frye is averaging 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 2016-17.

WORRELL'S EFFORT PLAYS ROLE IN WIN OVER MIAMI
Redshirt-sophomore Rasheed Worrell played a big role in the Falcons' win over Miami on Jan. 31. In 23 minutes, which were the most from Worrell since the season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11), the forward registered seven points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. His scoring and rebounding totals were his most since Nov. 26, when he posted seven points and nine rebounds in a win over Morgan State. Worrell also bumped his free throw percentage from 43.8 percent to 50.0 percent by making 5-of-6 attempts. The five free-throw makes were the second most in Worrell's career, and the most since he went 7-for-10 at Western Michigan last season on Jan. 26, 2016. Worrell has had at least four points and four rebounds in 12 games this year.

GOOD SCORES FIRST-COLLEGIATE FIELD GOAL VERSUS OHIO
Freshman Ethan Good, who hails from Wapakoneta, Ohio, saw significant action in BG's loss to Ohio on Jan. 28. Good, who had played seven minutes on the season heading into the game, logged a career-high 11 minutes in the contest. The freshman guard converted a difficult reverse layup in the second half for the first field goal of his collegiate career. Good finished the game 1-for-2 from the field, and also recorded his first-career rebound in the ballgame.

DEMAJEO'S DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins is averaging 12.6 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds through 10 conference games in 2016-17. Wiggins has recorded six double-doubles on the season – three of which have been posted in MAC games. To put Wiggins' six double-doubles into perspective, in 2015-16, he had just four double-digit scoring nights, and one game with 10-plus rebounds. Wiggins is shooting a team-high 54.9 percent in conference play, and a team-high 49.1 percent on the season. His best games this season have come in MAC play. He had 22 rebounds at Central Michigan (Jan. 24), which were the most rebounds from a Falcon in 43 years. He had 14 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Ball State (Jan. 21). The Toledo native posted 17 points and 11 rebounds in the team's first meeting with Toledo on Jan. 17, before scoring 14 second-half points to finish with seven rebounds and 16 points in the team's double-overtime win over the Rockets on Saturday (Feb. 4). He also recorded a de facto double-double at Akron (Jan. 3), when he registered a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Wiggins is averaging 10.8 and 8.3 this season.

WIGGINS RECORDS A HISTORIC 22 REBOUNDS AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
In Bowling Green's 82-76 loss at Central Michigan on Jan. 24, sophomore Demajeo Wiggins registered 22 rebounds – the most from a Falcon in 43 years. Cornelius Cash, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1975 NBA Draft, pulled down 22 rebounds in a 1974 game versus San Diego State. Wiggins notched seven offensive rebounds, and 15 defensive rebounds in the contest. The sophomore's effort played a huge part in the Falcons' racking up a season-high 49 rebounds. Prior to the game, it had been over two years since a Falcon even had 15 rebounds in a game. Richaun Holmes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, pulled down 18 rebounds against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 30, 2014. Nate Thurmond and Al Dixon hold the single-game program record with 31 rebounds.

CALDWELL CONTINUES TO START
After the best game of his career at Central Michigan (Jan. 24), freshman Rodrick Caldwell has made three-consecutive starts. Recently, the freshman scored in double figures in two-straight games for the second time in his career. In the loss at CMU, he posted 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He scored 17 of those points in the second half, while limiting the nation's leading scorer, Marcus Keene, to a 1-for-8 shooting effort across the final 20 minutes of the ballgame. Caldwell then posted 13 points next time out in a start versus Ohio (Jan. 28). His 13 points matched his previous career high before his outburst against the Chippewas. While averaging 17.3 minutes this season, he's averaging 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

#DeepFrye
Freshman Dylan Frye has now made five-straight starts, and on the season, he continues to shoot the three-ball at a lethal rate. Frye made his lone three-point attempt in Bowling Green's 104-100 victory over Toledo on Feb. 4. He ranks 10th in the MAC with a 40.0 three-point percentage (28-of-70). He's made multiple three-balls in seven games this season, including five games with at least three triples. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native has made at least one three-pointer in 14 of the last 19 games. The freshman, who scored 24 points against Ohio on Jan. 28, has scored in double figures seven times this season, and he's shot at least 50.0 percent from behind the long line 10 times in 2016-17. He's shot at least 50.0 percent from the field in 11 games.

BREAKING DOWN THE SEVEN FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
In BGSU's most-recent road game at Central Michigan, the Falcons lost a hardly-fought and tightly-contested game for the seventh time in 2016-17. Bowling Green has now lost seven games by single digits, three games by one possession, three games by two possessions, including two games on a shot with less than three seconds left. Prior to the Eastern Michigan (Jan. 10) game, Bowling Green had lost its last three games by a combined nine points.

BGSU RANKS 65TH IN THE NATION IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Bowling Green ranks 65th in the country with a plus-2.0 turnover margin. Turnover margin is a statistic that takes into account a team's own turnovers, and the turnovers that they force their opponents into. In Bowling Green's win over Miami (Jan. 31), the Falcons forced 24 RedHawk turnovers, and cashed in by scoring 17 points off those turnovers. In Bowling Green's two games prior to the Miami contest, BG did an incredible job of taking care of the basketball, as the Falcons committed seven turnovers versus Ohio (Jan. 28), and just five turnovers at Central Michigan (Jan. 24). Prior to the Central Michigan game, the last time the Falcons committed five or fewer turnovers was during the 2014-15 season, when BG turned the ball over five times in a game versus Ball State on Feb. 14, 2015. In the Falcons' most-recent win over Toledo (Feb. 4), Bowling Green turned 17 UT turnovers into 21 points.

THE FIRST 20 MINUTES
Playing a strong first half has been crucial to the Falcons' success under head coach Michael Huger. In 2016-17, Bowling Green is 7-1 when leading at the half, and 3-12 when trailing at the half. Since the beginning of the Michael Huger era in 2015-16, the Falcons are 17-4 after taking a halftime lead, but just 9-26 when heading into the intermission with a deficit. Bowling Green overcame a first-half deficit for the second time in conference play in 2016-17 last time out, as BGSU erased a four-point UT lead at the half, before winning 104-100 in double overtime. BG also erased a seven-point halftime deficit against Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10), as well as a three-point halftime deficit at Ball State (Jan. 7). The only time BGSU has lost this year when having a halftime lead was against UMKC (Nov. 19). The Falcons led, 37-35, at the half before losing on a shot with less than three seconds left.

LATE LEADS ARE LEADING TO WINS
For just the fourth time in the Michael Huger era, Bowling Green won a game after trailing with under five minutes to go, as BGSU knocked off Toledo on Feb. 4. Bowling Green also trailed with under two minutes to go. Prior to the win over the Rockets, the Falcons were 0-10 in those situations in 2016-17. The Falcons have played in quite a few close games this year, and have lost a large number of them. But when BGSU is able to earn a late lead, it almost always leads to a win. When BG has a lead with five minutes left, the Falcons are 9-3. Since head coach Michael Huger arrived for the 2015-16 season, BG is 22-5 in those situations. Furthermore, when BGSU has a lead with two minutes left, they are 8-1 in 2016-17, and 22-2 in the Huger era. On the flip side, BGSU is 4-26 under Huger when trailing at the five-minute mark, including a 1-10 record this year. When the Orange and Brown is looking at a deficit with two minutes remaining, BG is 2-12 in 2016-17, and 4-29 under Huger's watch.