The final seconds of the BGSU men’s basketball Mid-American Conference home opener last Saturday were reminiscent of the recent ball drop in Times Square. Luckily for the Falcons, the ball didn’t drop this time.
BG narrowly defeated Ohio 52-49 after the Bobcats missed two potential game-tying shots in the final seconds.
Junior Nate Miller led the way for the Falcons with 13 points and 10 rebounds – his second double-double in the past three games.
“Today was a fresh start for us,” Miller said. “We were 5-7 after the non-conference season, but we had a 0-0 record in the MAC. We wanted to come out, try to get this win and make a statement to the MAC.”
Ohio’s Bubba Walther made it interesting after making two three-pointers in the final minute to help claw away at the deficit.
Walther hit his first three-pointer with 54.4 seconds remaining to cut BG’s lead to two. His second three-pointer went through the net with 14.7 seconds left trimming the lead down to three for the Falcons.
After two missed free throws by the Falcons with 13.3 seconds left, the Bobcats went down the court and Walther missed two potential game-tying shots.
Redshirt freshman Chris Knight had 11 points while juniors Darryl Clements and Brian Moten each had 10.
Leon Williams led the Bobcats, who won at Maryland earlier in the season, with 14 points and nine boards, while Walther contributed 13 points.
The Falcons pulled off the victory despite shooting 30.2 percent from the field, but they shot 13 more free-throws and forced Ohio into 20 turnovers including 12 in the second-half.
“We just tried to play solid defense,” freshman Joe Jakubowski said. “We had pretty good ball pressure because we didn’t want them to get it into the post, and we got our hands in the passing lanes and got some turnovers.”
Coach Louis Orr feels more success will come for the team as long as they believe.
“We’ve just got to believe in ourselves and in what we are trying to do, and we took a big step forward today,” Orr said. “The more success you have, the more that young people believe in what you are trying to do.”
“Whether it is a pretty win or an ugly win, a win is a win, and we’ll take it,” Orr said.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 6-7 overall.
BG plays next at Kent State on Saturday with tip-off at 7 p.m.
Other Hoops Action From Over the Break
Other than the Falcons’ win over the Bobcats, their only other win was a 52-48 victory over Eastern Illinois on Dec. 29.
Miller’s double-double – 17 points and 14 rebounds – paved the way for the Falcons. Jakubowski also almost had a double-double recording nine points and 10 boards.
BG shot a season-low 29.1 percent but outrebounded the Panthers by 15.
The rest of break didn’t bode as well for the team as BG lost its first three games.
The first loss came in overtime at Northern Colorado on Dec. 6. The Bears came from eight down in the second-half to eventually beat BG, 64-60, in overtime.
The Falcons committed a season-high 24 turnovers.
Senior Ryne Hamblet, who is no longer with the team after being declared academically ineligible, led the team with 23 points.
BG’s second loss came at home against Illinois State on Dec. 16.
The Falcons came back from a 16-point second-half deficit, but eventually fell to the Redbirds, 69-58.
Clements led the way with a career-high 18 points, while Knight contributed 14.
Only 659 were in attendance due to bad weather that moved through the area the night before.
The Falcons’ third loss came at Indiana State on Dec. 22 as the Sycamores defeated the Falcons, 62-57.
Clements led the team with 12 points, while Knight, Miller and Jakubowski each had 10.
The beginning of the new year wasn’t too kind to the Falcons as they lost their first game of 2008 to Duquesne, 96-78.
Duquesne forced the Falcons into 24 turnovers, which led to 29 points for the Dukes.
Sophomore Otis Polk had a career-high 17 points and a career-tying 7 boards.
Knight had a double-double – 14 points and 14 rebounds.