Men’s basketball to take on Bowling Green

By Brian Earle

Men’s basketball will look to close out its three-game home stand on a positive note when it takes on Bowling Green today.

The Huskies (5-15, 3-5 MAC) have gone 1-1 during their home stand, earning an exciting victory over Kent State, 67-65, and losing a hard-fought battle against Toledo, 69-64.

Sophomore wing Abdel Nader has been a bright spot for the Huskies recently, as he was named the MAC West Player of the Week for his strong play of late. He has recorded two straight double-doubles, averaging 22.5 points and 11 rebounds in those two games.

“Last week he showed more consistency,” said coach Mark Montgomery. “He had the first two double-doubles of his career and his leadership role is picking up. I always say that when you are the biggest target for opposing teams that you have to be ready for that challenge and, as of late, he has been stepping up.”

As for Bowling Green (8-13, 3-5 MAC), it is coming off a 70-59 win in its most recent game against Ball State. This will provide an interesting matchup, as the two teams resemble one another in that they are both good defensive teams but struggle to put points on the board.

Bowling Green is fourth in the MAC in defensive scoring, allowing 63.3 points per game while being 10th in the MAC in scoring offense, averaging 62 points per game.

The Falcons are led offensively by a pair of seniors in guard Jordon Crawford, who leads the team with 16 points per game, and forward A’uston Calhoun, who averages 15.5 points per game.

“They have an unbelievable scoring tandem with [Jordon] Crawford and [A’uston] Calhoun,” Montgomery said. “One is averaging 16 points and the other is averaging 15.5, so that gives them an inside-outside threat. Crawford is probably one of the quickest point guards in the conference and Calhoun is one of the most versatile forwards.”

Crawford and Calhoun have the ability to shoot the ball from the 3-point line, but, along with the rest of the team, they prefer to get the ball inside.

As a whole, the Falcons are not a strong shooting team as they shoot 41 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc.

In order for the Huskies to finish the homestand the way they want, they will need another scoring option to step up and help Nader share the scoring load.

“For us to be a good team it can’t just be one guy in double figures,” Montgomery said. “We need a second, third and fourth scoring option. I think our offense is starting to catch up to our defense and we are getting a better flow. Our ball movement and passing has been better of late.”