After struggling for over a month, Bowling
Green’s men’s basketball team has been playing better of late and the
result has been four victories in the last five games, including the
first road win of the season.
The
Falcons, 5-9 overall, have played better defense and had much better
execution at the offensive end in the last three weeks. BG had shot over
50 percent in each of its four recent victories, after shooting less
than 45 percent from the floor in the first nine games of the season.
"The
last couple of games (wins over Texas-San Antonio and St. Louis) have
been our best all-around games of the year at both ends of the court,"
BG head coach Louis Orr said. "The biggest improvement has been in our
game plan. We have done a good job in executing the game plan.
The Falcons hope those trends continue at Buffalo on Saturday in the start of Mid-American Conference
play. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
Dee Brown is BG’s leading scorer, averaging 11.2 points a game, the only Falcon in double figures.
THOMAS: BG junior Scott Thomas did not score in BG’s 67-61 win over St. Louis, and his scoring average
dropped to 9.6 ppg.
However,
Thomas was a major factor in the game, playing 30 minutes with
game-highs of eight rebounds and four steals. He is BG’s leading
rebounder at 6.9 per game, and he has 32 steals, third in the MAC.
"He makes an impact on the game in a lot of areas," Orr said. "Whether or not he scores,
he’s helping our team win."
SCOUTING BUFFALO: The Bulls are 8-4 overall after beating Cornell, 78-66 Monday.
Buffalo
is one of the top defensive teams in the MAC, allowing opponents to
shoot only 38.7 percent from the field for the season.
Zach Filzen, a 6-foot-3 redshirt junior, who played one season at Northern Arizona, is averaging 16.0
ppg.
Byron
Mulkey, a 6-0 redshirt senior, is coming off a 16 point, eight rebound,
six assist performance against Cornell. He is averaging 14.5 points and
5.3 assists per game.
Kevin Heck, a former standout at Rossford High School, is in his sixth season as an assistant coach at
Buffalo.
Buffalo hosts Kent State’s women before the men’s game Saturday.
NEXT: BG plays at Kent State next Tuesday at 7 p.m.