Zips on the Road to Bowling Green for Thursday MACtion

Zips on the Road to Bowling Green for Thursday MACtion
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Game 16 Notes: Akron at Bowling Green

Akron Zips (10-5, 3-2 MAC) vs Bowling Green (9-8, 2-4MAC)
Thursday, Jan. 20 • Stroh Center • Bowling Green, OH • 7 PM • ESPN3

Akron Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 262-186 (14th Season)
Record at Akron: 80-54 (5th Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 43-34 (5th Season)
Overall MAC Record: 77-64 (at Ohio and Akron)

Bowling Green Head Coach
Michael Huger (BGSU '94)
Overall Record: 112-94 (7th Season)
Record at BGSU: 112-94 (7th Season)
MAC Record: 55-59 (7th Season)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 42-28 - Groce vs. Bowling Green: 5-3 (8-9 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 74, BGSU 67 at MAC Tournament Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse March 11, 2022
First Meeting: Akron 52, BGSU 29 in Akron 1937-38 season
MAC Tournament: 3-2

Broadcast
TV: ESPN3 –
Radio: Akron Sports Network - Dave Skoczen (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst) WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats

What's Ahead
The Zips are beck in action for a second time this week, after an 11-0 run and jumper with 5.4 seconds left in the game by Ali Ali, Akron is scheduled to travel to Bowling Green on Thursday, Jan. 20 for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPN3. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron Sports Network WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen and Joe Dunn calling the action. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at iHeart Radio. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.

The Akron-Bowling Green Series
Thursday's game marks the 71st meeting in series history between Akron and Bowling Green, and 19th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 42-28 series advantage while Groce is 9-9 against BGSU and 6-3 at Akron. The Zips have won 31 of the last 36 games as Akron won 2-of-3 games last season. The Zips ended the Falcons 2021 MAC Tournament run with a 74-67 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The two teams split the season series with the Zips posting a 69-57 win at the Stroh Center, but Bowling Green won the rematch 83-71 at the JAR, snapping the Zips 14-game winning streak and 9-0 record in 2021.

The two teams split the 2019-20 season's series with a 78-60 setback at the Stroh Center and a 74-59 win at the JAR. Both teams protected home court and split the 2018-19 series . Akron dropped the last season's series opener at the Stroh Center (73-69) and bounced back with a lopsided 91-67 triumph. Akron swept 2017-18 season's series with an 80-78 win at Rhodes Arena (1/13/18) and an 81-79 win at the Stroh Center (2/20/18). Both games came down to the final possession.

In 2016-17, the two teams split the season series. The Zips opened Mid-American Conference play with an 89-84 win over BGSU at the JAR (1/3/17). BGSU picked up the win in the closing seconds at the Stroh Center, 66-65, snapping the Zips' 17-game winning streak against the Falcons. It was Akron's first loss to BGSU since March 1, 2009, a 50-46 loss at Rhodes Arena.

In addition, Akron posted three wins in the 2015-16 season, including an 80-66 win during the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament. The Zips have met the Falcons four times in the MAC Tournament with the series being tied at two games apiece. In addition, the 2017 MAC opener was the third time in series history that Akron and Bowling Green have met to open the MAC schedule. Akron holds a 3-0 advantage in conference openers, posting a 53-51 win in 1992-93, 71-45 victory during the 2009-10 season, and an 89-84 win in 2016-17 – all at Rhodes Arena.

Scouting the Falcons
Bowling Green is 2-4 in MAC play and coming off a 92-83 win at NIU to snap a two-game losing skid. The Falcons also defeated Miami 87-83 in overtime. BGSU is 9-8 overall, 6-2 at home, 2-5 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site games. The Falcons average a league-best 83.9 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting from the floor and 35.8 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 9.3 triples a game. In addition, the Falcons shoot 76.0 percent from the free throw line with 15.1 FT made per game.

BGSU has one player scoring in double figures as Daeqwon Plowden leads the Falcons in scoring with 16.1 points per game, rebounds with 7.2 reb/g, 123 total boards and blocked shots with 1.4 blk/g, 24 total blocked shots. He shoots 43.3 percent from the floor and leads the squad at the free throw line with 68 made bonus buckets at a 82.9 percent clip. Plowden also owns a second-best 24 made 3-pointers while shooting 38.1 percent from deep.

Joe Reece and Trey Diggs follow with 11.7 and 10.1 points per game, respectively. Reece is the squad's second-best rebounder (6.1 rebs/g, 91 rebs) and fourth isn steals (14), while Diggs is the top 3-point marksman with 44 made trifectas and second-best in steals (16).

Myron Gordon and Samari Curtis add 9.1 and 8.5 points per game, respectively. Gordon buried 10 triples with a team-best 17 steals and second-best 42 assists – Kaden Metheny also has 17 steals. Curtis buried a third-best 19 triples and owns a team-high 49 assists with 15 steals.

Defensively, Bowling Green allows its opponents to score 77.5 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor and 35.8 percent from 3-point range, allowing 9.3 long distance strikes per night. The Falcons caused 242 turnovers (14.2 to/g) with 136 steals (12.5 stl/g). BGSU outrebounds the opponent by a +3.2 margin as the opponent grabbed 646 total boards (38.0 rebs/g) compared to the 700 total rebounds (41.2 rebs/g) secured.

On the Road
Akron is 1-2 on the road this season, dropping the season opening game to Ohio State (67-66) as time expired and defeating Wright State by a decisive 18 points (66-48). The Zips second road setback came against Kent State (67-55) in the first installment of the 2021-22 Wagon Wheel series.

Home Sweet Home
The Zips own a 438-132 (.766) all-time record at Rhodes Arena. In the last 16 seasons, Akron has posted a 233-36 (.866) record at the JAR. Under coach Groce Akron is 53-12 (.839) at home. Akron went 12-4 at Rhodes Arena in Groce's first year as head coach and followed with a 14-3 effort. The Zips went 15-2 at home in 2019-20 en route to the regular season MAC Championship. Last season the Zips posted a 9-2 mark at the JAR. Groce became the third Akron coach since 1940 to win his first six home games in the first season as head coach. The Zips rattled off seven straight wins at the JAR before falling in the MAC home opener to Buffalo. The Zips set the all-time longest home winning streak record at Rhodes Arena with 30 consecutive wins during the 2015-17 seasons, replacing the 26-game run the Zips made during the 1985-87 seasons under head coach Bob Huggins. The streak ranked No. 2 in the NCAA. The Zips are 8-1 at The JAR this season.

UP NEXT
Akron is slated to play its third MACtion of the week and back at James A. Rhodes Arena as the Zips host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. on ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (analyst) or live stats on GoZips.com.

Zips on the Road to Bowling Green for Thursday MACtion

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Players Mentioned

Ali Ali

The University of Akron Athletics