A simple yet effectivechange on defense proved to be the difference in the Bowling Green men’s basketball
season opener.
With Division II school Wayne State trailing by four points with less than six minutes in the first half,
BG coach Louis Orr made the switch from man-to-man to his 2-3 zone defense.
That switch, along with a slimmed-down but still physically imposing Otis Polk, was all the Falcons
needed to put the Warriors away in their 67-45 victory at Anderson Arena Saturday afternoon.
“On the defensive end we got into what’s a staple for us,” said Orr of the 2-3 zone. “Our guys have a lot
confidence in our (zone defense). Really, that was the difference in the game.”
BG went on a 13-0 run to finish the first half after Orr called a timeout and switched to the zone. BG
then pushed its lead to 27 points midway through the second half.
“We had to make our run at the end of the first half and after five minutes of the second half, our
defense was the difference I thought,” Orr said.
BG held Wayne State to a 36.2 percent field goal percentage for the game including 1-of-10 from beyond
the three-point line.
“Clearly their zone bothered us and I’ll take credit for that because we hadn’t practiced against zone,”
said Wayne State coach David Greer, who played for the Falcons from 1980-83. “Tomorrow maybe will be a
good time to get started.”
Polk, who is listed at 6-foot-9, 285 pounds, was a force inside with his superior size and improved
athleticism.
“He’s worked hard and got himself in better shape. He’s getting there. It’s a process,” Orr said of the
senior center.
Polk scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the first half and finished with 14 points and a team-high
six rebounds for a BG offense looking to replace its three leading scorers from last year’s Mid-American
Conference regular season championship team.
“My biggest thing is to just do whatever I can do to help my team win,” Polk said. “If my team needs me
to score points, that’s what I’ll do. If they need me to play defense or rebound, that’s what I’ll do. I
just want to win.”
“Otis has improved tremendously out there,” Greer said. “He’s gotten himself in great shape and he
actually is going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Sophomore forward Scott Thomas led BG with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting including 4-of-5 from
three-point range.
“I thought Scott Thomas played with a lot of poise out there today,” Orr said.
Offensively the Falcons played well as a team. BG shot 51 percent from the field (26-of-51) and 44
percent from beyond the arc, making 7 of 16 three-pointers.
Starters, point guard Joe Jakubowski and post Marc Larson, each had six points with Jakubowski pulling
down five rebounds and adding three assists.
Three-year letterman, forward Erik Marschall, had seven points in a starting role and San Jose State
transfer Darion Goins scored seven points off the bench.
A total of 10 players scored for BG, as a host of new faces saw action in the season opener. Five
freshmen saw playing time for BG, with 6-8 forward Danny McElroy leading the way with five points and
three rebounds in 12 minutes played.
“The first game, you kind of get over the unknown a little bit to a degree because you’ve got so many new
faces,” Orr said. “As a coach, you don’t know totally how your team will respond when they’re playing in
front of a crowd in the first game.”
“We wanted to be able to get our freshmen some minutes and some experience,” he added. “It was definitely
a positive step overall.”
It was another homecoming for Greer, who still holds the BGSU record for most career assists with 768 and
ranks seventh with an 81.2 career free-throw percentage. The Falcons also beat Wayne State at home last
season, 80-48.
“It’s always good to come back here,” Greer said. “Louis has the program heading in the right direction.

“It’s always good to come back because you see some of the same people that were here when I played and
they really support the program.”
The game counted as an exhibition for Wayne State due to Division II regulations which do not permit a
regular-season contest until Nov. 15 (Sunday).
“It is a little weird,” Greer said. “I had some freshmen that I was trying to get some playing time with
and obviously (BG) is playing it like a real game.
“We played it like a real game it’s just that we still wanted to get some players in there and get them
some experience.”
Prior to the opening tip a ring ceremony for last year’s MAC championship team was held as well as the
unveiling of a banner recognizing the team’s qualification for the National Invitational Tournament.