Poor starts hurting Falcons on the road

Bowling Green played well for the most part through the first nine games of the season. The Falcons had an impressive win over Temple (67-64); a loss at Georgia (63-54); a tough defeat at Valparaiso (83-79); and a bad loss at Western Kentucky (60-53).The Falcons had a bad trend in their last two road losses, falling behind big against Valparaiso and Western Kentucky before rallying to make it close. BG had a chance to win both games, but could not close things out.As of Dec. 11, the Falcons are 5-4 overall and 0-3 on the road. The remaining four games before Mid-American Conference play starts on Jan. 7, are all on the road.With veterans at four of the starting spots, Bowling Green is still in position to improve on last season's 14-19 overall record and 8-8 mark in the MAC East. The big thing for the Falcons will be to finish strong with its veteran team. BG started 7-3 in the MAC last season, but faltered and had to win the regular-season finale to finish .500 in the league.It could be a make-or-break season for head coach Louis Orr, who is in his fifth year with the Falcons. He is 65-70 with the Falcons, with only one winning season in his first four years. Orr's teams are 32-32 in conference play, with only one season above .500.NOTES, QUOTES--Bowling Green has moved in a new arena, the Stroh Center, this season and is looking to capture the homecourt advantage it had in Anderson Arena over the last 51 years. BG has played six of its first nine games of the season in the Stroh Center, going 5-1, but the average attendance has been only 1,730. The biggest crowd was 3,476 in the arena's first game against Howard on Nov. 11.--The MAC has revised its post-season tournament format. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have a bye into the semifinal round and the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive a bye to the quarterfinal round. The seeding will be determined by winning percentage, regardless of division.--Bowling Green is just one of eight NCAA Division I programs with games on New Year's Day in both 2011 and 2012. BG is at Texas-San Antonio to start 2012.PLAYER TO WATCH: PG Jordon Crawford -- The 5-foot-6 junior is a high energy player, who can be a pest at both ends of the floor. He sometimes can get out of control, but if he maintains consistent play he is the engine that can drive the team. He is coming off a career-high 22 points in an 83-79 loss to Valparaiso on Dec. 10. So far this season Crawford is averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 assists per game and is second on the team with 16 steals.KEY CONFERENCE GAME: Jan. 14 at Kent State -- Kent State returns 10 letter winners, including four starters, from a team which won the 2010-11 MAC regular season title and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals. This season the Golden Flashes are off to a 7-1 start, including a win at West Virginia. This contest will provide a good measuring stick for Bowling Green.QUOTE TO NOTE: "We shared the ball. Our perimeter guys played inside-out, and sometimes guys can stop sharing the ball when you get a little bit of a lead. But I thought our guys continued to play unselfishly and shared the basketball ... That's something we want to build on." -- Bowling Green head coach Louis Orr after an 87-44 win over Malone University on Dec. 7.STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL2010-11 CONFERENCE RECORD: 8-8, fifth place tie in MAC East.LINEUP BREAKDOWN: F Scott Thomas provides a solid foundation for the Falcons. Through the first nine games this season, the 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and leads the team with 30 assists and 18 steals. Thomas has improved his overall game, especially with his 3-point shooting (41.7 percent) and free throws (77.8 percent), two areas that he shot poorly in last season. F A'uston Calhoun is still learning shot selection, but he is developing into a proven scorer. The 6-7 redshirt junior came on strong at the end of last season to average 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in conference play while ranking in the top 15 in the MAC in scoring, rebounding and blocks. If 6-10 sophomore Cameron Black provides productive minutes at both ends of the floor, he can help the Falcons be a threat in the MAC East. PG Jordon Crawford is the catalyst for the team on both offense and defense. As long as he plays under control, he will be a factor.ROSTER REPORT--F A'uston Calhoun set the school record for field-goal percentage, going 9-for-9 from the floor in BG's lopsided 87-44 win over Malone University on Dec. 7.--As of Dec. 11, F Scott Thomas needs 38 points and six steals to become the first player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 3-pointers and 150 steals in a career. He also needs four assists to reach 250.--Freshman CF Desmond Rorie is the only scholarship player not to see action so far this season. BG has gone with a four-player rotation at the two inside spots and the 6-foot-9 Rorie appears headed to a redshirt season.