The Bowling Green Falcons (16-13, 7-9) welcome the UMass Minutemen (15-14, 6-10) to the Stroh Center for Senior Day. Both teams are in the middle of losing streaks, with the Falcons dropping three straight and the Minutemen losing five straight.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Artie Abrego will have the live radio broadcast of the action starting at 1:45 for the pregame and 2 p.m. for tip-off on Falcon Radio, streaming on bgfalconmedia.com.
Matchup History
There is only one matchup between these two teams, with the Falcons pulling off a 101-100 overtime win over UMass in Amherst, Massachusetts, earlier this season.
Scouting UMass
The Minutemen enter this matchup off a tough 74-73 overtime loss to Ball State.
Offensively, UMass is led by Leonardo Bettiol and his 17.6 points per game. The big man does almost all of his work in the paint, and will look to set the tempo early for the Minutemen with paint touches.
Bettiol’s 17.6 points per game lands him in sixth place in all the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in scoring. He is also a highly efficient scorer, as his 59.5% shooting from the field also ranks sixth in the MAC.
Bringing four players who score more than 10 points per game, the UMass offense can put up plenty of points.
Defensively, sophomore guard Jayden Ndjigue is the team leader in steals with 37 and second on the team in blocked shots with 14.
The Minutemen are currently sixth in MAC scoring per game with 80.6 points per game and third in offensive rebounds per game with 12.2
Scouting Bowling Green
Coming off a tough 88-79 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos, the Falcons look to turn their season around late as they prepare for the MAC Tournament.
Led offensively by Javontae Campbell with 18.6 points per game, the Falcons rely heavily on Campbell to get the offense flowing. Attacking the paint often is key for Campbell as he does a majority of his work finishing through contact and getting to the line.
Campbell is also the leader in assists per game for the Falcons with 5.1.
Third in the MAC for points scored per game and fifth for assists per game, Campbell is instrumental in the Orange and Brown’s offensive success.
Troy Glover II anchors the paint defense with 43 blocks on the season, tying him for second in MAC blocked shots.
Glover is not just highly adept at blocking shots but is one of four Falcons with more than 25 steals and 10 blocks.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Josiah Shackelford (Bowling Green No. 4)
Having limited playing time in his last two outings due to foul trouble, Shackelford staying on the court is key to the Falcons’ success.
Sam Towns (Bowling Green No. 14)
The veteran presence on the Bowling Green roster, Towns is the leading rebounder and has started to find a groove from behind the arc.
Marcus Banks Jr. (UMass No. 24)
The guard is the second leading scorer for the Minutemen and is a steady presence for them, as he averages 32.8 minutes played per game.
Dwayne Wimbley Jr. (UMass No. 2)
The freshman has seen an increase in minutes over his last seven outings and does a little bit of everything on the court.
