Clutch Caldwell Leads BGSU Past USC Upstate At Creek Classic

Friday, November 24

Buies Creek, NC

5:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

4-1

USC - Upstate

2-4

USC Upstate

Bowling Green

November 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: PDF
Post-Game Audio: Coach Huger With Todd Walker

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Behind a flurry of Rodrick Caldwell late three-pointers, Bowling Green knocked of USC Upstate by a score of 83-74 on Friday (Nov. 24) evening at the Creek Classic in Buies Creek, N.C. The ballgame was played at Campbell University's Gore Arena.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-1 on the young season, while USC Upstate drops to 2-3. For the second-straight game, the Falcons dished out 20-plus assists. Bowling Green had five double-digit scorers.

KEY PLAYS
• With the score tied with 4:23 to play, Daeqwon Plowden hit two free throws, giving Bowling Green a 68-66 lead.
• Justin Turner then converted a tough layup with 3:47 to play, giving the Falcons a 70-66 advantage.
• USC Upstate answered with a layup, but then Rodrick Caldwell hit a three-pointer with 2:21 remaining off a nice pass from Derek Koch. The triple gave the Falcons a 73-68 lead.
• With the shot clock winding down, Caldwell then buried a three-ball over a defender with just 1:28 left. The dagger shot put the Falcons in front, 76-68.

TODD WALKER RADIO CALLS
• #DeepFrye
• Turner First-Half Buzzer Beater
• #DeepFrye x5
• Caldwell Triple
• Caldwell And-1
• Caldwell Three-Ball
• Caldwell Dagger Trey

PLAYER NOTES
• Junior Demajeo Wiggins scored 20-plus points for the second-straight game, and posted his first double-double of the season. Wiggins finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He went 8-for-13 from the floor.
• Sophomore Dylan Frye poured in 20 points, marking the fifth 20-plus point game of his career. He tied a career-high in triples, as he went 5-for-7. He also had three assists, two rebounds and one steal.
• Sophomore Rodrick Caldwell scored 15 points in the second half, finishing with 18 points, seven assists and two rebounds. He made a career-high five triples, going 5-for-8 from downtown, including a 4-for-5 mark in the second half.
• Daeqwon Plowden added a career-high 10 points, and also chipped in with four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
• Matt Fox scored three points, while Derek Koch had two points, three rebounds and three assists. Koch has at least two assists in each of the last four games.
• Nelly Cummings distributed a career-high four assists.

FALCON FACTS
• Bowling Green is 4-1 on the season, which is the best start through five games in the Michael Huger Era.
• BGSU is now on a three-game winning streak, marking the program's first three-game winning streak since Jan. 31, 2017 – Feb. 7, 2017.
• The victory over USC Upstate moves Bowling Green to 1-0 in the all-time series versus Spartans.
• The Falcons are now 2-0 in 2017-18 in games away from the Stroh Center.
• After 26 assists and nine turnovers last game versus Lake Erie, the Falcons notched 21 assists, and only turned the ball over 10 times.
• Bowling Green shot 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from the field, 50.0 percent (11-of-22) from downtown, and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the charity stripe.
• Bowling Green limited the Spartans to just eight free throw attempts.
• After USC Upstate shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the floor and 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from three-point territory in the first half, the Falcons limited the Spartans to 35.7 percent (15-of-42) shooting in the second half. USC Upstate went just 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from three in the second half.
• The Falcons won the battle in transition, out-scoring the Spartans, 17-6, on the fast break.
• Bowling Green scored 15 points off turnovers, while USC Upstate scored just six points off turnovers.

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"You have to make shots against the zone. They are going to pack it in, and dare you to shoot them, and continue to dare you to shoot them, and we have to knock them down." – Coach Huger on success against the zone defense.

UP NEXT
• Bowling Green plays Campbell University tomorrow (Nov. 25) at 5 p.m.
• Campbell is the host team for the Creek Classic.