Falcons Meet Broncos Tuesday Night In Kalamazoo

OPENING TIP
• Bowling Green and Western Michigan will meet for the 118th time on the hardwood on Tuesday night. Bowling Green holds a 70-47 advantage in the all-time series. 
• Last season, the two schools split the season series, with each program winning on each other's home floor. The Falcons have won five of the last six games against the Broncos.
• The Falcons are 2-8 in 2016-17 on the road, but BGSU defeated Kent State last Tuesday (Feb. 7) in its last away game. Western Michigan is 8-2 at University Arena this season.
• Bowling Green is nearly .500 in games played in Kalamazoo, as the Falcons are 28-30 against Western Michigan all-time on the road. 
• Bowling Green saw its three-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday (Feb. 11), as Buffalo downed the Falcons, 88-74. WMU won both of its games last week, picking up victories over Miami and Northern Illinois. 
• For the first time this season, BGSU will play a road game against a team with a losing record.

HUGER'S THOUGHTS ON WESTERN MICHIGAN
"On Tuesday, we will play a tough road game at Western Michigan. They are a squad that plays extremely well at home. This will be a great test for our team, and another opportunity to bounce back and get another victory. We will need to compete from start to finish. Our ticket to success is in how hard we play. When we play hard, we give ourselves a great chance to win. Tuesday will be a battle of energy and effort."

SCOUTING THE WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
Western Michigan got off to a 2-6 start in conference play, but the Broncos have since won three of their last four games to pull within a single game of first place in the MAC West. Last week, Western Michigan recorded wins over Miami and Northern Illinois. At home, the Broncos have only lost to Akron in MAC play. Guards Thomas Wilder and Tucker Haymond are two of the better players in the league. Wilder, a junior, is averaging a team-high 18.3 points and 3.7 assists. While the senior, Haymond, is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game. He's also averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 assists. Freshman guard Reggie Jones is providing a spark off the bench. Jones is averaging 9.6 points, which ranks third on the team, and 3.0 rebounds. Western Michigan is allowing 78.1 points per ballgame, while its opponents are shooting 48.9 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from three-point range. WMU, on the other hand, is shooting 44.9 percent as a team and 36.3 percent from distance. The Broncos are scoring an average of 75.5 points. Western Michigan ranks last in the MAC in total rebounds per game at 34.9, but the Broncos rank fifth in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (12.0). Steve Hawkins is in his 14th year at the helm of the program. He owns an overall record at WMU of 243-200.

A BGSU WIN WOULD…
• Improve BGSU's overall record to 12-14
• Move Bowling Green to 6-7 in MAC play
• Give Bowling Green more MAC wins than it had all of last season
• Give BG its third win in its last four ballgames
• Move Michael Huger to 2-1 versus Western Michigan
• Give BGSU its second-straight road win
• Improve the Falcons record in February in 2016-17 to 3-1
• Give BG the head-to-head tiebreaker over WMU for the rest of the season
• Move Bowling Green to 29-30 in games played at Western Michigan all-time
• Increase BG's lead in the all-time series to 71-47

ANOTHER CRITICAL CONFERENCE GAME FOR BOWLING GREEN
For the fifth-straight game, Bowling Green is set to play a conference game against an opponent that either has the same record, or is one game ahead of Bowling Green in the MAC standings. Both Bowling Green and Western Michigan own identical 5-7 league records. Both Miami and BG owned 2-6 records on Jan. 31. When the Falcons played Toledo, BGSU was 3-6 and UT was 4-5. After Bowling Green beat Kent State on Feb. 7, the two schools owned 5-6 records. Buffalo was 6-5, while BGSU was 5-6, heading into Saturday's (Feb. 11) game. With just six games to go, Bowling Green is two games out of a tie for second place, and one game out of a tie for fourth place. Currently, just two games separate seeds two and 11. Each team in the league has at least five losses, outside of Akron, which is running away with the regular-season title at 11-1.

BG FACES A TEAM ON THE ROAD WITH LOSING RECORD FOR 1ST TIME IN 2016-17
The Falcons are 2-8 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 10 really difficult road games. In fact, at the time of the game, all 10 teams had a winning record, with the exception of Oakland, which was 0-0. The 10 opponents – Oakland (19-7), South Dakota (18-10), Cincinnati (22-3), Evansville (13-14), San Jose State (13-10) Akron (21-4), Ball State (15-10), Toledo (13-12), Central Michigan (16-9), and Kent State (13-12) – have a combined record of 163-91 (.642). Incredibly, Tuesday (Feb. 14) night will mark the first time this season that Bowling Green will play a team on the road with a losing record. When BGSU takes on Western Michigan (9-15) in Kalamazoo, it will be 95 days into the 2016-17 season.

BOWLING GREEN SEES THREE-GAME WINNING STREAK COME TO AN END
The Falcons of Bowling Green faced Buffalo on Saturday (Feb. 11) afternoon at the Stroh Center. Both teams were riding three-game winning streaks. The Falcons saw their winning streak come to an end with an 88-74 defeat. Buffalo shot 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the field, which is the highest mark that Bowling Green has allowed all season. The Bulls attempted double the amount of free throws than the Falcons, and made 10 more shots from the charity stripe. Bowling Green forced 19 turnovers, and scored 18 points off those turnovers. However, Buffalo crushed the Falcons in the paint, outscoring BG in the paint, 48-22. Buffalo held a 37-28 advantage on the glass, as well, while having four players score at least 15 points. Bowling Green owned a 42-39 lead at the half, despite Buffalo shooting 72.7 percent. The Falcons lost when leading at the half for just the second time this season. BG is 8-2 in 2016-17 in those situations, and 18-5 in the Michael Huger era. 

FALCONS WIN CONSECUTIVE OVERTIME GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1934-35
A magical and memorable two-game stretch came to an end for Bowling Green on Saturday (Feb. 11), when it lost to Buffalo. It's nearly impossible to track, or say for certain, but there's little doubt that the Falcons' last two wins were two of the craziest, most-unbelievable games in the history of Bowling Green men's basketball. After beating arch-rival Toledo (Feb. 4) in double overtime, 104-100, the Falcons knocked off Kent State (Feb. 7) in overtime by a score of 84-83. The two games marked the first time that BGSU has played consecutive overtime games since the 1934-35 season. By winning both games, Bowling Green recorded two MAC wins in overtime for the first time since 1996-97. In both contests, Bowling Green trailed by at least three points with less than 10 seconds left in an overtime period. The Orange and Brown trailed by at least five points in both overtimes against Toledo, and were down by four points with less than 10 seconds left in the single overtime at Kent State. Both games were tied, 75-75, after regulation. More details on the games can be found on pages 3-4, while information on the ending of the games can be found below. 

BGSU STUNS KENT STATE, MAKES SPORTSCENTER APPEARANCE IN THE PROCESS
Even though victory appeared impossible near the end, Bowling Green won its second-straight game in overtime in thrilling fashion on Feb. 7 at Kent State. The crazy ending of the game was shown on that night's edition of SportsCenter. Junior Matt Fox tied his career high with 18 points to lead the Falcons. He made a season-high five three-pointers (5-for-7). Freshman Rodrick Caldwell hit a career-high four triples (4-for-6), and ended the contest with 16 points and four rebounds. Fellow freshman Dylan Frye posted 11 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Demajeo Wiggins added 16 points and eight boards.

After a back-and-forth, up-and-down second half, the Falcons trailed the Golden Flashes by four points with less than 10 seconds left in overtime. Caldwell flew up the court after a KSU layup, and hit a deep pull-up triple with 7.2 seconds left to pull BGSU within one point at 83-82. Sophomore Antwon Lillard then forced a turnover on Kent State's inbounds pass, giving BGSU the ball back with 6.4 seconds to go. 

With no timeouts left, the Falcons turned to Caldwell, who drove the lane, and fired up a difficult shot. It didn't draw rim, but Wiggins plucked it out of the air, and tipped the basketball in, giving BGSU an 84-83 lead, with 1.3 seconds left in overtime. BGSU closed out the game by not allowing a Kent State shot attempt. 

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 Feb. 4 at the Stroh Center. Zack Denny scored a career-high 30 points, while fellow senior Wes Alcegaire poured in 22. 

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, Zack Denny capped a 9-2 run by hitting a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 89-89 with six seconds left.

With the Falcons down by three in the second overtime, Denny tied the score at 99-99 with just 1:18 to go with a three-pointer. Denny gave BG a 102-100 lead with 28 seconds left after another cold-blooded three-ball. Denny's pressure forced a UT back-court violation on its ensuing possession. The senior went on to hit two game-sealing free throws for his 29th and 30th points of the game.

THE YOUNG STARTING FIVE FOR THE FALCONS
Eight of Bowling Green's 13 players are either freshman or sophomores. Four of those players have started each of the last five games. Freshmen Rodrick Caldwell and Dylan Frye, along with sophomores Malik Hluchoweckyj and Demajeo Wiggins, joined senior Wes Alcegaire in the starting lineup beginning with the Ohio game on Jan. 28. Wiggins and Alcegaire have started all 25 games for the Falcons. Hluchoweckyj made the first start of his career against the Bobcats. He nearly doubled his minutes on the season in that game, and posted nine points and nine rebounds. In the next game, he scored a career-high 10 points in a win over Miami (Jan. 31). Frye has started the last seven games, while Caldwell, who started the season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11), re-entered the starting five for the Ohio ballgame. Since the lineup switch from Michael Huger, the Falcons have recorded a 3-2 record, and recently went on a three-game winning streak. 

THREE-POINT SHOOTING LED BGSU TO THREE-GAME WINNING STREAK
Although Bowling Green's three-game losing streak came to an end on Saturday (Feb. 11), the Falcons' three-point shooting over the last four games has sparked the Falcons to a 3-1 record over their last four games. Over its last four games, Bowling Green is shooting 47.7 percent (41-of-86) from three-point range, which is 12.3 percent above its average on the season. In each of Bowling Green's last two games, the Falcons have made a season-high 11 three-pointers. BG went 11-for-23 against Buffalo (Feb. 11), and 11-for-28 at Kent State (Feb. 11). The Orange and Brown shot a season-high 75.0 percent (9-of-12) in a double-overtime win versus Toledo (Feb. 4). Bowling Green made a then season-high 10 three-pointers in a win over Miami (Jan. 31), as the Falcons went 10-for-23 in the contest. Individually, the Falcons have had fantastic individual performances from downtown over the last four games. Wes Alcegaire made a career-high six (6-for-9) three-pointers in the Miami game, while Zack Denny went 5-for-5 versus the Rockets. In the victory over Kent State, Matt Fox tied his career high with five (5-for-7) three-balls. Rodrick Cadwell hit a career-high four (4-for-6) triples against the Golden Flashes. Dylan Frye then tied his career high by making four (4-for-7) #DeepFrye's against Buffalo. 

BGSU RANKS 48TH IN THE NATION IN TURNOVER MARGIN
Bowling Green ranks 48th in the country with a plus-2.2 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). Bowling Green has continued to turn over its opponents in its three most-recent games. The Falcons scored 18 points off 19 Buffalo (Feb. 11) turnovers. Against Kent State (Feb. 7), the Falcons turned 19 turnovers into 21 points. In the win over Toledo (Feb. 4), Bowling Green turned 17 UT turnovers into 21 points. The Falcons are averaging 7.1 steals per game, which ranks fourth in the MAC and 83rd in the country.

FRYE DROPS 20 FOR SECOND TIME IN FIVE GAMES
Dylan Frye, a freshman from Pembroke Pines, Florida, scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting against Buffalo (Feb. 11) on Saturday at the Stroh Center. Frye, who went 4-for-7 from downtown, also registered a career-high seven rebounds. Frye scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio exactly two weeks earlier. Both his 20-point nights came after head coach Michael Huger inserted him back into the starting lineup. Frye has now started seven-straight games for Bowling Green, and is averaging 10.3 points, nearly two points more than his average on the season. Frye, who started the first game of the season at Oakland (Nov. 11), began his tour back in the starting lineup with a two-point game versus Ball State (Jan. 21) and a three-point game at Central Michigan (Jan. 24). Since then, he has scored in double figures three times, and is averaging 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. When Frye dropped 24 points on Ohio, he became just the sixth Falcon freshman in the last 14 seasons to score at least 24 points in a game. On the season, Frye is averaging 22.1 minutes, while averaging 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists. He's shooting 44.6 percent for the season. 

#DeepFrye
Freshman Dylan Frye, after his 4-for-7 effort from downtown last time out against Buffalo (Feb. 11), is now shooting 40.5 percent (32-of-79) from deep on the season, which ranks 13th in the Mid-American Conference. With his effort against Buffalo, Frye has now made multiple three-balls in eight games this season, including six games with at least three triples. The young sharp shooter, who has shot at least 50.0 percent from behind the long line 11 times in 2016-17, has made at least one three-pointer in 15 of the last 21 games. Frye has now made four three-pointers in three games, and in each game, he went 4-for-7. Frye also nailed four #DeepFrye's in wins over Detroit Mercy (Dec. 10) and Alabama A&M (Dec. 22). 

RODRICK RUNNING THE SHOW AT POINT
Freshman Rodrick Caldwell, who has started at point guard in each of the last five games for the Orange and Brown, has scored in double figures in three of Bowling Green's last six games. In 17.7 minutes per game in 2016-17, Caldwell is averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He's shooting 35.2 percent from the field, and his three-point shooting has risen up to 36.2 percent, as he's made 7-of-12 attempts from deep over the last four games. In Bowling Green's most-recent win at Kent State (Feb. 11), Caldwell made a career-high four (4-of-6) three-pointers and scored 16 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. The freshman went 2-for-4 from deep last time out versus Buffalo (Feb. 11). Since his 1-for-16 shooting night in the season opener at Oakland (Nov. 11), Caldwell is shooting 38.8 percent from the field, and 39.0 percent on three-point attempts. 

FOX CATCHES FIRE FROM DOWNTOWN IN WIN OVER KENT STATE
Junior Matt Fox went bananas from behind the long line in Bowling Green's 84-83 win in overtime at Kent State on Feb. 7. Fox hit his first three triples of the game, and went on to tie his career high with 18 points. For the game, he went 5-for-7 from deep. His five three-balls tied his career high, while breaking his season high. In the second half, he hit an and-one triple, and completed the four-point play by draining the free throw. He got fouled on another three-point attempt, and hit 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. The product of Anthony Wayne High School has now played multiple three-pointers in seven games in 2016-17, and his 40.8 three-point percentage ranks 12th in the conference. Fox is averaging a career-high 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds this season, while playing a career-high 16.0 minutes per contest. 

ALCEGAIRE'S UP-AND-DOWN SENIOR SEASON
Senior Wes Alcegaire is what every coach dreams about when bringing in a junior college transfer. He's started all 59 games since arriving to campus for the 2015-16 season. After averaging 10.2 points last season, Alcegaire is averaging a career-high 12.0 points in 2016-17. He's also registered 13 more assists (34) than he did all of last year. Alcegaire had the best week of his career recently, when he averaged 23.5 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 65.4 percent in Bowling Green's wins over Miami (Jan. 31) and Toledo (Feb. 4). He scored a career-high 25 points against Miami, and made a season-high six (6-for-9) three-points. He then followed up that performance with 22 points against arch-rival Toledo. In the game prior to that two-game stretch, he scored four points on 2-of-14 shooting. In the two games since his back-to-back elite efforts, he's scored 11 points combined. In mid-to-late January, the senior scored in double figures in three-consecutive games, but in the three games prior, he scored in single digits in three-straight games. Before that, he dropped at least 10-points in seven of eight games. Alcegaire leads Bowling Green in three-point field goals (113) and total field goals (39), and is averaging 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He's shooting 44.1 percent from the field, and 34.8 percent from deep. 

DEMAJEO'S DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Sophomore forward Demajeo Wiggins, who notched seven points and eight rebounds versus Buffalo (Feb. 11) over the weekend, is averaging 12.4 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds through 12 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 56.2 percent in conference play, and a team-high 50.3 percent on the season. He ranks third in the league in offensive rebounds per game (3.2), and eighth in defensive rebounds (5.1). His 8.3 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the league. He also sits 12th in the conference in field goal percentage, and 30th in scoring (10.8). Below is a breakdown of Wiggins' six double-doubles in 2016-17.

WIGGINS VS. THE MAC'S TOP BIG MEN
Sophomore Demajeo Wiggins is having a tremendous season. His development from his freshman to sophomore season passes the eye test. That stats back it up, as well. After averaging 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last year, he's up to 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 2016-17. What's been even more encouraging is the fact that he's played great basketball against the big men commonly believed to be the best in the league. In the Falcons' last win against Kent State (Feb. 11), while being matched up with First Team All-MAC selection Jimmy Hall, Wiggins went 7-for-10 from the floor and registered 16 points and eight rebounds. In two games against Toledo's Steve Taylor, who ranks first in the league in rebounding and 10th in scoring, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds, while shooting 73.7 percent (14-of-19). The sophomore scored a career-high 21 points on a career-high 10 made field goals against Akron's Isaiah Johnson -- another First Team All-MAC selection. In two wins over Ball State, Wiggins averaged 15.5 points and 11.0 rebounds while playing against Trey Moses, who ranks fourth in the league in rebounding. In those two games against the Cardinals, Wiggins shot 60.0 percent (12-of-20).
 
ZACK DENNY IS MR. CLUTCH
Senior Zack Denny turned in one of the most impressive clutch performances in BGSU men's basketball history on 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-16 from the field, 5-for-7 from three-point range, and a ridiculous 14-of-14 at the free throw line.

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 Feb. 4. 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). After a 2-for-2 effort from downtown last time out versus Buffalo (Feb. 11), Denny now needs 15 more triples to move past Scott Thomas (2008-12). For his career, Denny is shooting 36.8 percent from deep.

DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING NIGHTS HAVE DENNY NEARING 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Zack Denny posted his 51st game of his career with 10-plus points on Saturday (Feb. 11) at the Stroh Center versus Buffalo, as he 2-for-2 from deep before finishing with 12 points. Denny registered the 50th double-figure night of his career in epic fashion on Feb. 4 versus Toledo, 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 19 times in 2016-17, which is the most on the team. The Germantown, Ohio native is just 19 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 12.7 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. Denny is one of three Falcons averaging double digits this season. The senior is averaging a team-high 13.5 points within the conference. He also averaging 5.1 rebounds in MAC play, which ranks second on the squad.

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. Ali is up to 6.7 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 Toledo (Feb. 4), Ali had seven assists and just one turnover. He assisted all three of Zack Denny's clutch three-pointers in overtime. Ali's 4.5 assists per game average ranks fifth in the conference, while his 2.0 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 2.3 boards per contest after averaging 2.1 rebounds in 2015-16. 

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. 

BREAKING DOWN THE SEVEN FINAL-MINUTE LOSSES
In BGSU's last road loss at Central Michigan, the Falcons dropped 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.

YEAR TWO OF THE MICHAEL HUGER ERA
Michael Huger has begun his second season at the helm of his alma mater. Huger has brought some needed stability to the program, as the 2016-17 season marks the first time that the Falcons will have a head coach in consecutive seasons since 2013-14. The former Falcon guard will look to build off an exciting run at last year's MAC Tournament. BG defeated both Kent State and Central Michigan to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.