BGSU Men's Hoops Wraps Up Four-Game Road Swing at CSU on Wednesday

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

STARTING FIVE
(1) SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON: For the second straight season, the Falcons and the Vikings will face off in a non-conference contest. BGSU defeated CSU 67-57 last year on Dec. 13, 2014 in the Stroh Center. This year's meeting marks the first time that the two teams have met in back-to-back seasons since 1991 and 1992.

(2) LAST TIME BGSU WAS IN THE LAND: The last time that the Falcons were in Cleveland was last season, when BGSU played in the quarterfinals of the 2015 MAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. BGSU fell to Eastern Michigan 73-67 on March 11, 2015.

(3) MAC/HORIZON LEAGUE CHALLENGE?: A number of MAC and Horizon League teams have faced off on the hardwood in non-conference action thus far this season and BGSU and Cleveland State are no exception. BGSU is 1-2 versus the Horizon this season with a win over Youngstown State (Nov. 22) and losses at both Detroit (Dec. 12) and Wright State (Dec. 20). CSU is 0-4 versus the MAC this season with losses at Akron (Nov. 14), at Toledo (Dec. 2) and at home versus Kent State (Dec. 5) and Ohio (Dec. 12).

(4) ROAD WOES AT CLEVELAND: The Falcons have struggled on the road in Cleveland, Ohio versus the Vikings, as BGSU is just 3-5 in true road contests against CSU. Bowling Green has dropped four straight road bouts to the Vikings with its last road win in Cleveland coming on Dec. 4, 1974 in a 93-90 overtime thriller.

(5) ROAD TRIP: The Falcons are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season. BGSU will close out the 2015 calendar year with four straight games on the road at SEMO (Dec. 8), Detroit (Dec. 12), Wright State (Dec. 20) and Cleveland State (Dec. 23).

(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 CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS
The Vikings of Cleveland State are 4-7 overall on the season, but have won two straight games with a road win at Loyola (Chicago) and at home against Belmont. CSU is 0-4 thus far this season against the MAC with losses to Akron, Toledo, Kent State and Ohio. The Vikings are averaging just 60.6 points per game and have scored a season-high 67 points twice this season, yet have three players averaging double figures in points in Rob Edwards (11.7), Demonte Flannigan (10.7) and Andre Yates (10.4). CSU wins games with its defense, as the Vikings are holding their opponents to 66.4 points per game. CSU is forcing its foes into an average of 14.5 turnovers per game and are averaging 7.5 steals per contest thus far this season.

FALCONS VERSUS CLEVELAND STATE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Falcons hold a slight 9-8 edge over the Vikings in the all-time series record. BGSU has won three of the last four meetings, including a 67-57 home win over CSU last year on Dec. 13 inside the Stroh Center. Prior to back-to-back wins for BGSU in 1999 and 2002, the Vikings won five straight meetings over the Falcons from 1977 to 1992. Before that streak, BGSU posted six straight wins over Cleveland State from 1973 to 1976. This is the first time the two teams have met in back-to-back season since 1991 and 1992.

LILLARD RETURNING TO THE LAND
BGSU freshman Antwon Lillard will be returning to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio for the first time as a Falcon on Wednesday, Dec. 20. Lillard lettered at Cleveland Central Catholic for four years and where last year he was tabbed the Division II Lakes District Player of the Year when he averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a senior. Last year, he led his team to a 20-6 overall record and a spot in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division II state title game for the first time since 2011.

COACH'S CORNER
"Cleveland State has a rich history of success and will be a tough final road test for us before MAC play begins. My staff and I emphasize that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it. We've made some adjustments and our team has regrouped after a poor performance at Wright State. We are looking forward to another opportunity to potentially earn another hard fought road victory."

UP NEXT FOR THE FALCONS
BGSU will wrap up its non-conference 2015-16 slate with a home contest versus Oakland City (Ind.) on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 4 p.m. inside the Stroh Center.

A FALCON WIN WOULD MEAN ....
* The Falcons would improve to 8-4 overall on the season.
* BGSU would have eight wins before the month of January for the first time since 2006-07.
* Put the Falcons at 4-2 in true road contests on the year.
* BGSU would finish the month of December at 4-2 overall..
* BGSU would extend its winning streak to two straight games over Cleveland State.
* BGSU picked up its fourth win in the last five meetings against the CSU Vikings.
* The Falcons picked up their first road win at Cleveland State since 1974.

LAST TIME OUT - WRIGHT STATE 83, BGSU 47 (DEC. 20)
The Bowling Green State University Falcons struggled offensively for the entire game on Sunday afternoon, as the Wright State Raiders defeated the Orange and Brown 83-47 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. BGSU shot just 27.5 percent (14-of-51), including going just 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) from behind the three-point line in the loss. On the other side, Wright State was 26-of-50 (52 percent) overall and 13-of-28 (46.4 percent) from behind the three-point line in the win. BGSU matched Wright State with 22 points overall in points in the paint, however, the home team edged the Falcons 12-9 in points off turnovers and 6-5 in second chance points. WSU also outscored the Falcons 35-28 in bench points. Bowling Green was 17-of-25 (68 percent) from the free throw line for the contest, while Wright State was 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) from the foul line on the afternoon. The Falcons did not score a single fast break point for the game.

TOUGH TOUR THROUGH THE HORIZON LEAGUE CONTINUES
The Falcons will conclude their road trip through the Horizon League at Cleveland State on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 1 p.m. BGSU's "Tour Through the Horizon" started with a 95-80 road loss at Detroit on Dec. 12 and continued with a 83-47 loss at Wright State on Dec. 20 .The Falcons also defeated Youngstown State at FGCU in a neutral site game on No. 22.

NON-CONFERENCE WINS
The Falcons are 7-4 thus far this season over its non-conference slate with two more non-league games to go this season. BGSU won eight non-conference games, not counting postseason wins in the MAC Tournament or the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), last year. The Falcons also posted eight non-conference wins in regular season play in 2009-10, 1999-2000, and 1996-97.

PARKER APPROACHING 1,000
Senior Spencer Parker is quietly approaching the 1,000 career points mark in his final year at BGSU. Parker enters Wednesday's contest with 840 career points, 160 points away from the career milestone. Parker, who is averaging 14.3 points per game this season, would need to average 8.0 points per game over the rest of the season to reach the mark and become the 43rd player in BGSU history to score over 1,000 career points.

CLEAR LINE BETWEEN WINS AND LOSSES
This season, the stats show a clear line between wins and losses for the Falcons. In their seven wins, BGSU is averaging 80.3 points per game and have scored 72 points or more in each game. The Falcons have shot on average 49.5 percent from the field as a team in their seven victories and have shot over 45.5 percent in every win this season. BGSU is also averaging 40.9 rebounds per game and 15.1 assists per game in their seven wins. However, in their four losses, the Falcons are averaging just 59.0 points per game, and have scored less than 60 in three of those four losses. BGSU has also shot just 35.6 percent on average in its four losses and have twice shot less than 30 percent for the contest. The Falcons are also averaging just 34.5 rebounds and only 9.5 assists per game over their four L's on the season.

SHARP SHOOTING FALCONS
The Falcons have shot over 45 percent from the floor as a team in each of their seven 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 7-0 on the season when shooting better than their opponents from the field as a team overall. On the flip side, BGSU is 0-4 on the year when shooting below 45 percent from the floor.

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 7-0 when grabbing the same number or more rebounds than their foes in a game this season. The Falcons are 0-4 on the year when losing the battle of the boards.

GETTING TO THE CHARITY STRIPE
Bowling Green has made it a habit to get to the free throw line, as the Falcons have shot more foul shots than their opponent in eight of their 11 games this season. BGSU has attempted 20 or more free throws in eight 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 three different contests this season.

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, nine different players notched 14 minutes or more of playing time over the 40 minute contest versus New Orleans (11/14), while nine different Falcons logged 13 minutes or more against Cincinnati (11/18). Nine different players also played 10 minutes or more versus North Dakota (11/21) and in the win over Youngstown State (11/22). Eleven different Falcons logged 10 minutes or more in the home win over Urbana on Nov. 29, while nine different players notched 13 minutes or more in the road win at Southeast Missouri on Dec. 8. Nine players also tallied 10 minutes or more in the road loss at Wright State on Dec. 20.

DENNY DIALING IN FROM LONG DISTANCE
This season, Zack Denny is shooting a career-high 44.2 percent from behind the three-point line and leads the team with 23 made treys on the season. The junior guard is shooting 41.3 percent overall from long distance for his career, as he is 76-of-184 from long range, which has him currently ranked fourth in career three-point field goal percentage at BGSU.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
The duo of Spencer Parker and Zack Denny have each tallied multiple double-doubles thus far on the young season for the Falcons. 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. Denny has posted two 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.

#MAKEHISTORYNOW
Falcons' head coach Michael Huger recorded his first career win as a head coach in the 79-61 win over New Orleans in the season opener.

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 his alma mater 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 appear locally on the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) on Jan. 6 vs. Miami (Ohio) and Jan. 19 vs. Toledo. BGSU will also be on the TWC Sports Channel on Dec. 20 at Wright State, Jan. 12 at Ohio and Mar. 1 at Kent State. A number of BGSU games could be chosen for TV by eight 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.

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