The Bowling Green versus UNC-Wilmington game felt like a heavyweight bout on the verge of going into the 105th round. Both teams traded vicious blows back and forth, pummeling each other, but neither would fall. Just when it look like BG’s quivering knees were about to give in, the Falcons threw the deadliest punch of all – a crooked, fallaway blow.
BG guard Keith McLeod drained an off-balance three-point shot with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to propel the Falcons to an 84-83 win last night at Anderson Arena. Now 7-1 overall, BG is off to its best start in 12 years.
“I just want to see one game, other than a Division III team, that doesn’t come down to a final shot,” said a relieved and joyful BG coach Dan Dakich. “I thought we were down and then we would come up…. I thought we were down again all the way until McLeod hit that shot. Then we almost went down again on that final play by them. This is the best team we have played all year.”
The game featured 23 lead changes and 16 ties. Neither team would lead the game by more than six points. Senior center Len Matela led the Falcons with 18 points and six rebounds. McLeod finished with 16 points on 4 for 9 shooting.
“UNC played us harder than anybody we’ve played all year,” McLeod said. “It just felt good to get the win.”
Unlike previous games like Michigan and Marist, BG didn’t have the late second half run where they went up for good and ground the rest of the game out.
McLeod hit a three-pointer with 15:33 left to go in the second half. It would be the last lead the Falcons would see until the 3:18 mark. BG tied the game six times between that point, but never took the lead. The Seahawk?s Brett Blizzard scored 11 of his game-high 22 points during this stretch.
“Tonight I never felt like we were in a situation where I felt like we could guard these people,” Dakich said. “I felt like everybody else we’ve played we’ve been able to guard. When that happens you are very lucky to win. You have to throw in a 20-footer off-balance three with four seconds to go to win a basketball game.”
The Falcons finally regained the lead at 68-67 on a pair of free throws by Matela. UNC-Wilmington center Craig Callahan answered right back with a jumper to put the Seahawks up again. BG guard Brandon Pardon nailed a three-pointer to put the Falcons up by two with 2:05 left in the second half.
BG found itself in familiar territory once again tied at 73 with 42 seconds left. BG had an opportunity to win the game with one second left, but Pardon’s full court in0bounds pass to junior Cory Ryan ended with a shot just long off the iron.
BG jumped out to a 26-22 lead in the first half. They led 37-35 at half-time.
The Falcons finished off the overtime session with a lay-up by Matela and three three-point shots by freshman Erik Crawford, Pardon and McLeod. The Falcons will rest for five days and head on the road to Evansville for an 8:05 p.m. match-up with the Purple Aces Saturday.
