Falcon Fodder

Player reaction to Miller going to Indiana

Simone Eli had the opportunity to play basketball at a lot of different places. She chose to play at Bowling Green, even though it meant she would spend her first two seasons as a walk-on.

Why?

"I came here as a walk-on because I wanted to play for coach Curt Miller," Eli said. "He's a great coach and a great person off the floor.

"I got that [treatment] for three years, and everyone got that when they played here."

Miller, of course, left Bowling Green Wednesday after 11 seasons to become the new women's basketball coach at Indiana University. Eli said Miller held a team meeting at 10 a.m. to announce his plans.

"He sat everyone down and said, 'There isn't a script for this,' " Eli said. "He was emotional. The team was emotional. The assistant coaches were emotional.

"He's right: There's no script for it. It's hard to know what to say to people who have become your family, who you've come to see every day and love and trust. It was difficult to hear."

Eli said that, while the players are saddened by Miller's departure, they also understand the reasons for the move.

"We're happy for him, because it's a great opportunity for him to go and be in the Big Ten," Eli said. "Obviously, with the success he's had at Bowling Green, it's deserved and not surprising whatsoever."

In 11 years at BG, Miller had an overall record of 258-92 and a Mid-American Conference record of 135-41. The Falcons won seven outright league regular-season crowns during the last eight seasons and has made eight consecutive national postseason appearances.

"I think we can continue to win here because of what he left us," Eli said. "He left us with the motto, 'Together We Attack.' He left us with the [thought] that to have a winning lockerroom -- to win off the court -- is going to help you win on the court.

"We learned from him. If it wasn't for coach Miller, we wouldn't have had the success we had."

Eli said none of Miller's assistant coaches -- Jennifer Roos, Brandi Poole, Kevin Eckert and Monique Rosati -- gave any indication of their future plans. Eli also said that, to her knowledge, no players have talked about transferring or leaving the program.

"[His leaving] is unfortunate for future players who wanted to play for him here," Eli said.

Miller takes women's basketball job at Indiana

Curt Miller resigned as women's basketball coach at Bowling Green State University Wednesday to accept the head coaching position at Indiana University.

Miller will be officially announced as the Hoosiers' new coach at a 4 p.m. press conference Wednesday.

In 11 years at BG, Miller had an overall record of 258-92 and a Mid-American Conference record of 135-41.  The Falcons have won an unprecedented eight-straight MAC divisional titles over the last eight seasons, with seven outright league regular-season crowns during that span.

BGSU has made eight consecutive national postseason appearances, with trips to the NCAA Championships in three consecutive years from 2005-07 and back-to-back appearances in 2010 and 2011.  The 2007 season saw the Falcons win two games to make the first trip to the ‘Sweet Sixteen’ in MAC women’s basketball history.  BGSU participated in the WNIT in 2008, 2009 and 2012.

Miller will replace Felisha Legette-Jack, who was fired March 12 after six seasons with the Hoosiers. Indiana was 6-24 last season and won a total of 29 games the last three years. Legette-Jack's overall record with the Hoosiers was 87-113.

"This is a bittersweet day for Bowling Green athletics," BG athletics director Greg Christopher said Wednesday in a conference call from Denver, where he is involved with the NCAA women's basketball Final Four this weekend. "We hate to see him go, because what he has done here is remarkable. He has set a standard of excellence for BG women's basketball."

Christopher said in the conference call that he talked to the team earlier this morning about the opening but has had only informal conversations with the rest of Miller's coaching staff -- associate coach Jennifer Roos, assistant coaches Brandi Poole and Kevin Eckert and director of basketball operations Monique Rosati.

When asked if Roos would be a candidate for the opening, Christopher said, "She knows what I think of her -- and I think the world of Jennifer. I expect that she will be a finalist for the job, but she needs the credibility of going through a complete search."

Christopher said he hasn't named an interim coach to replace Miller. "There is no program better situated to handle this type of possibility better than the women's basketball program," he said.

Christopher called the search process for this coaching position the "highest priority" and emphasized that he would conduct, "a full national search to to find the best coach and the best leader" for the program.

"The type of person we are looking for in this position is someone who will provide leadership -- who will be the CEO of the program," Christopher said. "The four areas I am looking at for this position are recruiting, player development, the 'Xs and Os' of strategy, and program management."

When asked if any of those elements rises above the other in importance, Christopher said, "They all play a role in success. Obviously they are all so general you can drive a truck through them. I believe recruiting is the lifeline of any program, but you can't ignore the others, either."

Christopher said prior head coaching experience isn't a must for his next coach. "I don't think you can pigeonhole yourself," he explained. "I'm looking for a coach with a commitment to excellence to fill an opening in a program with a national profile. I think successful coaches come in all shapes and sizes."

Since Christopher is in Denver surrounded by potential candidates for the job, "I probably will have some conversations with coaches about the job. But they will be more informal than formal."

Christopher said he also will have some conversations with Miller about his replacement as well. "I'll still have more than a handful of conversations with Curt about a variety of administrative things," Christopher said. "I hope to get Curt's feedback on the job in the next couple of days."

While Christopher was saddened to lose Miller, BG's athletics director said he was happy personally for Miller.

"I know this type of opportunity was a goal for Curt," Christopher said. "Indiana is a first-rate institution. It has the resources to be successful on a national level, and the recruiting base is right in his wheelhouse."

Miller was named MAC Coach of the Year a league-record six times, including in 2012, and he also earned Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 4 Coach-of-the-Year accolades on four occasions, with the most recent honor coming last week.

Miller is the third-winningest coach in Mid-American Conference women’s basketball history in league games, and ranks second in MAC annals in overall games.  He became the fastest MAC coach to both 200 and 250 overall wins, and the second-fastest coach in league annals to reach 100 MAC wins.

Bowling Green is the fourth Mid-American Conference school with a women's basketball coaching vacancy. The others are Ball State, where Kelly Packard resigned on March 21; Kent State, where Bob Lindsay did not have his contract renewed on March 14; and Western Michigan, where Tasha McDowell was let go on March 12.

Spring football overview -- Defense

Bowling Green football coach Dave Clawson talked before spring practice started about his team, including a position-by-position analysis of the roster. Here is the second part of a three-part breakdown of the team entering the spring, focusing on the defense.

DEFENSIVE LINE: At defensive tackle, the Falcons return senior All-MAC first team choice Chris Jones as well as juniors Ted Ouellet and Jairus Campbell along with sophomores Hunter Maynard and Darius Gilbert. At defensive end, the returnees include junior Ronnie Goble, sophomores Charlie Walker, Bryan Thomas and Zach Colvin, and redshirt freshmen Bryan Baird and Shaq Hall.

"Chris Jones is the best defensive tackle in the league,” Clawson said. "We also have Ouellet and Jairus Campbell back, and young guys like  Hunter Maynard and Darius Gilbert had very good off-seasons. At end, two of the best ‘look’ players we had last year were Bryan Baird and Shaq Hall. We’re six-deep [at that position], and we’re young. All those guys need is some reps and some sun and some water, and I think they’ll grow.”

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

LINEBACKERS: The Falcons return their entire linebacking unit from last season, led by senior All-MAC first team choice Dwayne Woods, junior Paul Swan, and sophomores Gabe Martin and D.J. Lynch. Freshman Coy Brown, a 2012 signee who enrolled in school early, is working to learn the "buck" linebacker position.

“We didn’t lose anybody who played, we got a year older – and we added someone to the mix [Coy Brown],” Clawson said. “You want to be two-deep, but we’re an injury away from not being two-deep. You have to get [Brown] ready as if he’s going to play. And I think Coy can be an outstanding special-teams guy as well.”

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: At cornerback the Falcons return three players with extensive experience in junior Cameron Truss and sophomores Von McKoy and Darrell Hunter. Also look for freshman Johnny Joseph and possibly sophomore Jude Adjei-Barimah to get reps there. At the safety position, junior BooBoo Gates and sophomores Ryland Ward and Brian Sutton are working at the "stud" safety, while the candidates at the "whip" safety include junior Aaron Foster. While Gates is the returning starter at rover, among those who will learn the position this spring are Sutton and sophomore linebacker Gabe Martin.

"It’s very important that we find a fourth corner,” Clawson said. “The starters have to get better, but I think they are good players who are going to get better." When asked about all the position-switching, Clawson said, "It’s hard to get a young player to learn one position. Now that it’s their second year, you can cross-train them a little bit. That way you can put your three best safeties out there. Some times you are playing your sixth-best player if your guys can only play one position. Part of the challenge of this spring is [for players] to master their positions and to learn a second [position]. Last year it was about guys learning one position in the base defense. Now they should know their position and should know the base defense. So how do we get our best 11 players on the field at all times and in all situations? To do that involves some cross-training."

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

Click here to read about Clawson looking at the offense, and on Tuesday, April 10 he will talk about special teams.

Samuel injured, will miss rest of spring drills

Anthon Samuel, the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year last season, will miss the rest of the Bowling Green football team's spring practices after suffering a wrist injury.

Samuel fractured his wrist early in practice Saturday and had surgery Monday, according to Falcons football coach Dave Clawson.

"Indications are he will be back to full strength by the end of May," Clawson said.

In nine games last season Samuel ran for 844 yards, giving him an average of 93.8 yards per game that ranked third nationally among FBS freshmen runners. Samuel ran for more than 100 yards in fifth different contests and finished with five touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 93 yards.

Clawson said the loss of Samuel is important for several reasons, one of which being this was Samuel's first time to participate in spring practice.

"You don't want anyone to miss practice," Clawson said. "If practice wasn't important, we wouldn't do it. By the same token, injuries happen in the spring. You keep your fingers crossed that he will be allowed to return by the time the summer program starts, and you hope he doesn't miss fall camp."

Samuel's injury is the latest at the running back position. Jordan Hopgood had knee surgery after the season and is not participating in spring drills, leaving the reps to Jamel Martin, John Pettigrew and walk-on Alex Carter.

"Every spring one position ends up getting thin, and for us this year, it's the running backs," Clawson said.

Spring football overview -- Offense

Bowling Green football coach Dave Clawson talked before spring practice started about his team, including a position-by-position analysis of the roster. Here is a three-part breakdown of the team entering the spring, beginning with the offense.

QUARTERBACK: Junior Matt Schilz remains the starter, but redshirt freshman Matt Johnson will gets reps with the first-team offense and redshirt freshman Malik Stokes will see action, too.

“You have to make every position competitive,” Clawson said. “And as I have said many times, in this league traditionally you better have two quarterbacks [ready]. “

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

TAILBACK: There is depth at this position, starting with sophomore Anthon Samuel, last year's MAC freshman of the year. Sophomore Jamel Martin and senior John Pettigrew also will see carries during the spring. Junior Jordan Hopgood will not practice in the spring because of injury, while Andre Givens hopes to join the team in the fall. Givens currently is enrolled at BG and taking classes; he has to pass a certain number of classes and achieve a target GPA to become eligible.

“Tailback is potentially the deepest position on the team,” Clawson said. “Now a position that wasn’t a position of depth now becomes one with a lot of depth. We hope to have a lot of internal competition to play a lot of guys and to keep guys fresh.”

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

TIGHT END: There is a great deal of talent at this position, as juniors Alex Bayer and Tyler Beck return as starters (Bayer as TE, Beck as H-back, or fullback) along with sophomores Kendall Montgomery, Clay Rolf and Chris Pohlman as well as freshmen Scott Davis and Zach Steinmetz.

“Those are all good players,” Clawson said. “Not only do you have experience at the starting positions, but you have depth that is going to start coming in to its own.”

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

OFFENSIVE LINE: While a number of familiar faces return, many of them will be in unfamiliar places. Junior Kyle Bryant is listed as the starter at right tackle, while senior Jordon Roussos is lining up at right guard to compete with freshman Alex Huettel. The idea is for the top to players to start, with Roussos moving back to tackle if Bryant is "third."  The competition is center is between senior Chip Robinson and junior-college transfer David Kekuewa. Junior Dominic Flewellyn has moved to left guard, where he will compete with a part-time starter from last year, senior Dominique Wharton. The competition for the starter's job at left tackle is between freshman Fahn Cooper and sophomores Darion Delaney and Isaiah Byler.

“I haven’t been able to talk about this many linemen since I’ve been here,” Clawson said. “That’s a position where it takes a long time to rebuild, and I finally feel we have good players that allow us to go 10 deep. Some of the guys who started for us last year are going to be hard-pressed to start this year. Last year’s recruiting class was as good a class of offensive lineman we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

WIDE RECEIVER: The graduation of Kamar Jorden opens up the "X" position for junior Shaun Joplin, while junior Je'Ron Stokes and freshman Herve Coby are among the leaders for the "slot" position filled last season by Eugene Cooper. Sophomore Heath Jackson, transfer Michael Allen and freshmen Chris Gallon, Travis Greene and Diontre Delk also will compete for playing time.

“That’s the one position where we’ve lost a lot in terms of reps,” Clawson said. “Shaun Joplin has come into his own since last season, and we hope he takes over the X position. JeRon Stokes and Herve Coby are in the slot but also will play the X. Heath Jackson, in year three, I hope he will make his presence felt in the program."

Click here to read an analysis of this position following the 2011 season.

On Wednesday, March 28 Clawson looks at the defense, and on Thursday, March 29 he will talk about special teams.

Page candidate for favorite Walleye player

Former Falcon hockey player Kyle Page is a candidate for the title of "My Favorite Walleye," a contest sponsored by The Blade.

Page, who played at BGSU from 2006-10, is in his third season skating for the Walleye. An alternate captain for Toledo, Page has played in 55 games and has one goal and 12 assists.

Click here to cast your vote in the contest.

Click here to read Page's biography with the Walleye.

BiG look at women's VCU loss

The BG women's basketball team saw its season come to a close with a 72-71 loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament Thursday. The Falcons held the lead through much of the contest, but the Rams used a big push in the game's final moments to earn the victory. Here is a closer look at the loss. ...

BiG TWITTER POST: Slagle hits FTs to give Falcons lead but VCU's Barbour hits buzzer-beater to give Rams 72-71 win over BG in WNIT 1st round at Stroh Thursday

BiG GAME STORY: The Falcons had the better of play early, rolling to an 18-8 lead just seven minutes into the contest thanks in part to four 3-pointers in that span. A 12-0 run by BG gave the Falcons a 25-8 lead with 10:11 to play, but from there VCU went on an 11-2 run that cut Bowling Greens' advantage to 27-19 at the 4:48 mark. The Falcons led 34-25 at the half, and early in the second half the lead hovered at 10-13 points, with BG leading 65-53 with 4:51 left. But the Falcons scored only one more basket from that point on, a jumper by Jessica Slagle with 3:26 left, and VCU quickly cut its deficit to 67-62 with 2:29 to play. The Rams' Courtney Hurt, who scored 11 of her game-high 30 points in the final 2:42 of the game, eventually scored on a layup with 6.3 seconds left that made the score 70-69 VCU, but Slagle was fouled and made both free throws with 5.1 seconds to play to give BG a 71-70 lead. Then VCU's Andrea Barbour drove the length of the court and made a layup at the buzzer to give the Rams the shocking win.

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons were led in scoring by Jessica Slagle, who finished her BGSU career with a 23-point effort and also led the Falcons with four assists. Jasmine Matthews scored 13 points, while Chrissy Steffen had 12 points. Alexis Rogers led BG on the boards with nine to go with nine points, while Danielle Havel had five rebounds. Rogers also had three assists and three steals.

BiG PLAY: The Falcons had watched VCU mount a big comeback in the final minutes, but seemed poised to claim the victory when Jessica Slagle hit a pair of pressure-packed free throws with 5.1 seconds left to give BG a 71-70 lead. But VCU, which did not have a timeout, quickly inbounded the ball to Andrea Barbour, who drove the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to give the Rams the victory.

BiG PLAYER OF THE GAME: Senior Jessica Slagle made her final game as a Falcon one to remember, finishing with a career-high 23 points. She was 7-for-11 from the field, making both of her 3-point attempts, and was 7-for-10 from the foul line. Two of those free throws nearly gave BG the victory as she was fouled with 5.1 seconds left and stroked both free throws to give the Falcons a 71-70 lead. She also scored 13 points in the first half to carry BG to a 34-25 halftime advantage. Slagle led Bowling Green with four assists and also had four rebounds.

BiG NUMBERS: The visiting Rams were taller along the frontline than the Falcons, and VCU took advantage of that height by outrebounding BG 45-32. In the first half that wasn't a huge problem, because VCU scored only nine second-chance points on eight offensive boards and Bowling Green led by nine points. In the second half the Falcons did even better in the first 17 minutes, outrebounding VCU 16-14. But in the last three minutes ... disaster. The Rams collected SEVEN offensive rebounds in the last 3:03 -- four by Andrea Barbour, three by Courtney Hurt, and had seven second-chance points in that span to fuel their late comeback. Hurt finished with 17 rebounds, eight offensive, while Barbour had 11 boards, including seven offensive. VCU had 19 second-chance points in the game off 19 offensive rebounds.

BiG NOTE: One of the things the Falcons did well in the first half was force turnovers, as VCU turned the ball over 11 times -- and BG converted those miscues into nine points. But in the second half the Rams had only ONE turnover, and it came at the 14:14 mark of the period. Meanwhile BG, which had just three turnovers in the first half, coughed up the ball seven times in the second half, including twice in that final three-minute flurry when VCU was coming back. The final turnover count was 12 for VCU and 10 for BG, with the Rams scored 10 points off BG's turnovers while the Falcons managed nine points off VCU's miscues.

BiG THOUGHT: If you listened to coach Curt Miller's post-game press conference, you heard one of the reporters ask him if he felt his team had choked. For those of you sending me e-mails to find out who asked that question, here's your answer: I did. And here's why I asked: Simply put, a good team shouldn't give up a 10-point lead with 4:32 to play on its home court. Miller's response, in short, was that he thought VCU's big rally was caused more by the Rams' two top players, Andrea Barbour and Courtney Hurt, wanting to win than by BG "choking." And I agree. I thought the final minutes were more a function of a young team not knowing how to close out a veteran, talented team rather than a choke. It's a painful way to learn that lesson, but hopefully its a lesson the Falcons can translate onto the court next season.

BiG QUESTION: What is the next step for the Bowling Green women's basketball team? The Falcons lose just one player who saw action this year, although the loss of Jessica Slagle will be felt both on and off the court. This will be an extremely interesting summer for the Falcons, because there will be lots of competition for playing time next season. Come November, we will be able to see what players put in the time and effort to fine-tune their game -- and earn time on the court -- next season.

MORE INFO: Click here to read the game story from the contest. Click here to view a photo gallery courtesy of The Blade's Jeremy Wadsworth.

BG hockey -- Falcons' rise began in December

In the past few weeks, the Bowling Green hockey team has made a Cinderella run to reach the semifinals of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament for the first time since 2001.

But the Falcons' improbable tournament run began long before they beat two potential NCAA Tournament teams -- Northern Michigan and Ferris State -- in best-of-three series on their opponents' home ice.

"Our second half of the year has been all about come-from-behind," coach Chris Bergeron said. "We've had to come back from a poor first half, quite honestly, because our first half was not good. Christmas vacation came at the perfect time for this group -- we needed to be away from each other, and we were too close to 'it.' "

That "it" Bergeron mentioned was a poor start to CCHA play. After winning its opener at Lake Superior State, BG lost 10 of its next 11 in a row in league play. But the Falcons started turning things around with a pair of shootout wins against Ohio State on Jan. 7-8.

"We were down a goal against Ohio State and we scored late to tie it, then won the shootout," Bergeron said. "With the exception of game three of [the first playoff series] at Northern Michigan, we've been coming from behind. I don't want to say we're used to that, because I don't want our guys to get used to falling behind, but we are used to that situation -- and not giving up in that situation."

But even that couldn't have prepared the Falcons for their biggest obstacle this season: Trailing Ferris State, the second-ranked team in the country, by a 3-0 score after the first period of the deciding Game 3 of their second-round series Sunday.

"I could lie to you and say I came up with this [great speech]," Bergeron said. "But what was said was this: These guys had not given up on themselves or their teammates to that point all season, so the message was to not quit now. They deserved better, and deserved better than to quit after one bad period because they would regret it if they did."

There were no regrets for the Falcons, who held Ferris State scoreless the rest of the way and managed to tie the contest with four minutes left, then win the game with an overtime goal by freshman Dan DeSalvo -- his first hat trick of the playoffs and his 10th goal in six playoff games.

While Bergeron said the back-to-back playoff series wins are rewarding, it is more rewarding to have a positive outcome after the negatives of the early season.

"The toughest part of the first half of the season was to see these guys' faces, knowing they were giving you everything they had, and having no results to show for it," Bergeron said. "It was rewarding to see their faces Sunday night in the dressing room."

So Bowling Green makes its first appearance at Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA playoffs since 2001, and Bergeron said his team now is very different than it was early in the season -- and most of the difference is mental.

"We're obviously a much more confident bunch," Bergeron said. "I definitely believe our guys believe they can beat anybody. ... Part of what we're trying to do here is to create a belief and expectation here, and we believe more now than we did coming into the playoffs. And we expect more now than we did coming into the playoffs."

Michigan coach Red Berenson, whose team split a pair of games at the BG Ice Arena in late February, has noticed the improvement in the Falcons.

"I thought after that weekend [we played them], that they were a much better team than their record," Berenson said of BG. "When they hired Chris Bergeron, that was a great hire. It was just a matter of time before that team would take a step, and obviously they’ve taken that step."

BG football -- 2012 spring schedule

The Bowling Green football team will begin spring practice on Thursday, March 15 and will complete its 14 allowable practices with a Spring Game to be played on Friday, April 13 at Doyt Perry Stadium starting at 7 p.m.

Admission to scrimmages (which will be held at the Stadium or Perry Field House, based on weather conditions) and the spring game is free to all. Other practices are CLOSED to the public.

Here is the compete practice schedule (which is subject to change):

• Thursday, March 15 ... 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Friday, March 16 ... 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday, March 17 ... 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 20 ... 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, March 22 ... 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday, March 24 ... 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 27 ... 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, March 29 ... 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday, March 31 ... 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (scrimmage)
• Tuesday, April 3 ... 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, April 5 ... 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday, April 7 ... 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (scrimmage)
• Tuesday, April 10 ... 9 to 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, April 13 ... 7 p.m. (Spring Game)

BiG look at men's Oakland loss

The BG men's basketball team saw its season come to an end with an 86-69 loss at Oakland in the first round of the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament Wednesday. The Falcons stayed close to the Golden Grizzlies for a time, but eventually the Golden Grizzlies buried BG in a flurry of points over a span of possessions in the second half. Here is a closer look at the loss. ...

BiG TWITTER POST: Falcons allow CIT record 39-point outburst to Oakland's Reggie Hamilton, suffer 86-69 loss to Golden Grizz in 1st round of tourney Wednesday

BiG GAME STORY: The Falcons scored the game's first four points, but never led by a greater margin in the contest, which saw the lead bounce back and forth -- there were three ties and five lead changes in the first half. Oakland's biggest lead was a 25-19 advantage with 5:29 left in the half, but BG scored the next five points to shave that lead to one with 3:36 to play. The last tie of the first half was at 31-31 with 1:03 left, and the Golden Grizzlies scored the final five points of the period to lead 36-31. Bowling Green scored on its first six possessions of the second half to build a 42-38 lead with 17:06 to play. BG still led 44-42 with 15:30 left before Oakland put together an impressive offensive display, scoring on 15 of its next 17 possessions -- and getting 34 points, or a mind-blowing 2.0 points per possession -- to take a 79-61 lead with 4:26 to play. The Falcons came no closer than 13 points after that, and the Golden Grizzles led by as many as 20 before settling on the final margin.

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons were led in scoring by Jordon Crawford, who finished with 21 points and also had five assists. A'uston Calhoun scored 15 points and added a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Scott Thomas finished with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, while fellow senior Dee Brown had 10 points and three rebounds. Cameron Black had five points but also added four blocked shots and three steals; the blocks total was a career high, and the steals tied his career high.

BiG PLAY: The Falcons had watched Oakland score on five straight possessions midway through the second half, but the Golden Grizzlies led just 58-54 with 9:30 to play. Oakland's Reggie Hamilton then hit a contested 3-pointer with 9:13 left, starting a string of seven (!!!) consecutive possessions where the Golden Grizzlies scored three points. Hamilton had a hand in five of those possessions, giving Oakland a 79-61 lead with 4:26 to play.

BiG PLAYER OF THE GAME: Junior Jordon Crawford led the Falcons with 21 points and also had five assists. Crawford was 7-for-13 from the field but 1-for-5 on 3-pointers. He also made 6-of-7 free-throw attempts. Crawford had 11 points in the first half (on 4-of-7 shooting) as well as three assists. For the game Crawford finished with two rebounds, five assists (compared to three turnovers) and one steal. Crawford finished the season with 153 assists, the ninth-highest single-season total in school history.

BiG NUMBERS: The Golden Grizzlies' Reggie Hamilton was too much for the Falcons Wednesday, scoring 39 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field (62.5 percent) and 5-of-6 on 3-pointers (83.3 percent) while making 14-of-15 free throws (93.3 percent). Hamilton was especially unstoppable in the second half, scoring 28 points on 7-of-9 from the field (77.8 percent), 4-of-4 3's and 10-of-11 free throws (90.9 percent). Hamilton also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the game in the most impressive performance by a single player against the Falcons this season.

BiG NOTE: It was hard to think that the Falcons would shoot 3-pointers worse than they did in the MAC tournament loss to Central Michigan ... and yet they did. BG made just 3-of-20 3-pointers (15 percent) at Oakland, which is in stark contrast to the 12-for-24 3-point shooting by the Golden Grizzlies. Scott Thomas was 1-for-6 from behind the arc, while Dee Brown and Jordon Crawford both were 1-for-5. Four of those misses came in the final 2:32 when the Falcons are trying to shoot their way back into the contest, but 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) just isn't going to cut it.

BiG THOUGHT: Several people have wondered why Bowling Green stayed in its zone for most of the game (coach Louis Orr's answer is in the game story, so click on it below if you wish to read it), but that didn't bother me as much as the Falcons' struggles on offense. I thought late in the season BG became overly reliant on jump shooting to get its points, which hurts a team in two ways. First is the obvious way: If you're not hitting your shots, it's tough to score. Second is the less-obvious lack of free-throw shooting. BG had just 14 free throws against Oakland, and the Golden Grizzlies had 21. That's not an indictment of the officiating: it shows that Oakland also was taking the ball to the basket and drawing fouls. It's hard to draw fouls on jump shots.

 

BiG QUESTION: What is the next step for the Bowling Green men's basketball team? Two of BG's leading scorers, Dee Brown and Scott Thomas, are lost to graduation, as is the first big man off the bench, Torian Oglesby. There is talent returning, but at this point it's unproven talent. The return of Luke Kraus from his season-ending foot injury will help at guard, but he and freshman guards Jehvon Clarke and Anthony Henderson need to take a big step forward next season. The same holds true for James Erger and Chauncey Orr in replacing Thomas, and Craig Sealey needs to take the flashes of brilliance he showed this season and apply them consistently. And BG will need another big man to help fill the hole left by Oglesby's departure.

MORE INFO: Click here to read the game story from the contest.