The Falcons mens basketball team lost to Kent State on Tuesday in the team’s last home game of the regular season. The game was also Senior Day for the team, which signifies the last home game of the regular season for three members of the squad.
Seniors Wes Alcegaire, Zack Denny and Ismali Ali were all honored at the contest, and the trio also led the team in scoring on the night. Ali led the team with 14 points and dictated the Falcon offense; also leading the team with four assists. Denny was right behind with 13, and Alcegaire finished with 12 by the final buzzer.
The Falcons stayed close to the Golden Flashes the whole game and were down only by a point in the final minute. The two teams changed leads a total of five times, but the Falcons were unable to score in the last 1:22 of the game.
Alcegaire had a chance, with 15 seconds left down three, with a drive to the basket and made contact with a Golden Flash defender. There was no call and the senior turned the ball over. Head coach Michael Huger felt a foul should have been called.
“It’s always frustrating when you don’t get the call and you see it,” Huger said. “But it’s basketball. Referees are human. They call it as they see it and they beat us.”
Kent forced Bowling Green into a must foul situation and hit clutch free throws in the final stretch. The Falcons dropped the game 74 to 67.
The loss drops the chances of the Falcons having a first-round home game in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. Their next matchup will come against Buffalo: a team that the Falcons lost to earlier this season 74-88. To have any hope of a first-round home game, they will need to beat the Bulls, who currently sit at 16-14 overall and 10-7 in the MAC.
“We are confident going into the tournament, so that’s not an issue against Buffalo,” Coach Huger said. “We just have to go out and play the same game. We have to execute the game plan, and we have to give this energy and give ourselves a chance to win the game. Kent State hit some tough shots and that’s what it is. We have to do the same against Buffalo to have a chance to win the game.”
The team will tip off their last regular season game this Friday at 7 p.m. in New York. The MAC tournament is set to begin next Monday.
