BG dominates paint in win against UT

Toledo’s men’s basketball team has lost 12 straight games and only has three wins this season.

But those records were irrelevant last night as BG never trailed in beating their archrivals 58-47 in Anderson Arena.

“You can throw records out the window in games like this,” said BG coach Louis Orr. “These types of games can make a team’s season. This is a dangerous game because of the rivalry.”

Getting the win was important for more reasons than beating the school north on Interstate-75 though, as the Falcons were looking to bounce back after Saturday’s 64-52 loss to Central Michigan.

BG’s win also keeps the Falcons (11-9, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) two games out of first place in the MAC East Division, after Kent State pushed their record to 6-2 with a win against Northern Illinois last night.

“[We] always need a win,” said sophomore Scott Thomas, who had a game-high 14 points. “The MAC’s so close that no matter who you play you need a win.”

The Falcons had first-hand experience with that philosophy last season, as they ended the season tied with Buffalo for the MAC’s best record.

To continue winning this season, Orr looks to his team to start games well, and last night was no exception, as BG opened a 10-1 lead five minutes into the game behind scores from four different players ­– Thomas, along with seniors Otis Polk and Erik Marschall and sophomore Dee Brown.

“This was a game where it was important for us to get off to a good start and play with a lot of intensity and emotion,” Orr said.

His philosophy proved true, as the Rockets slowly chipped away, closing the gap to one point three minutes later.

The Falcons didn’t lose confidence though, outscoring Toledo 14-9 in the last 12 minutes to hold a 26-20 advantage at halftime on the strength of sharp shooting and stifling defense, which held Toledo to 7-of-20 shooting (35 percent).

BG’s offense was 11-of-18 (61.1 percent) from the floor, but they did not make any 3-pointers. Eighteen of their first-half points were scored in the paint.

The Falcons started the second half on a 13-6 run, aided by the first three Falcon 3-pointers of the game, which pushed their lead to 11 points.

“The first four minutes was probably the key to the game,” said Toledo coach Gene Cross. “We were never able to recover from there.”

Thomas had eight of those 13 points, including two 3-pointers that brought the home crowd of 2,042 to their feet. He has shown the ability to hit shots in clutch situations during his brief year and a half career, and that is why Orr is excited to have him around two and a half more seasons.

“He’s a guy you see growing up before your eyes,” Orr said. “He wants to be a great player.”

But even great players can’t do it all, and that showed after senior forward Erik Marschall hit a jumper with 15:14 left in the game because the Falcon offense was stalled for the next five minutes.

The Rockets (3-19, 0-8 MAC) did not take advantage though, scoring just four points during BG’s drought. Toledo continued to struggle throughout the second half, scoring 27 points on 12-of-25 shooting (48 percent).

Toledo has scored fewer than 50 points in six of their eight conference games, and their output last night was their fourth-worst of the season, which has seen them average a MAC-worst 55.5 points per game.

It was BG’s third best defensive scoring effort of the season. They allow 63.7 points per game, which is fourth best in the MAC.

The Falcons will travel to Ball State on Thursday at 7 p.m. to face the MAC’s No. 1 defense (60.5 points allowed per game).

Notes:Thomas sparks scoring run

The Falcons did not make a 3-point shot in the first half against Toledo last night.

Otis Polk and Erik Marschall helped the team score 18 points in the paint during the first half, so BG wasn’t worried about making 3-pointers.

But at the onset of the second half, the Falcons scored three quick 3-pointers during an 11-4 run, which effectively sealed the 58-47 win for BG.

Sophomore Scott Thomas scored eight points during the half’s first 3:06, helping BG mount a 13-point lead.

“If you can score, hit threes and get stops at the other end, that’s where you get separation,” said BG coach Louis Orr. “And I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Thomas would only score two more points the rest of the game, but what he brought during that run was just what Orr wanted.

“Coach talked about coming out with energy,” Thomas said.

The Rockets came out with the opposite and a flabbergasted Toledo coach Gene Cross said he didn’t know why his team came out so flat despite what was at stake in the rivalry game.

Toledo trailed by six at the half even though they only shot 35 percent from the field in the first half, which should have served as motivation for his squad.

“I have no idea why,” Cross said. “We talked about what we were doing wrong. I have no idea why we came out.”

Protection

The Falcons did a good job of protecting the ball in last night’s game, only losing a season-low eight turnovers, which led to just three Toledo points.

BG starters also kept themselves protected, as the team committed a season-low seven fouls in the game, allowing Orr to keep those players on the court longer than expected.

BracketBusters

The Falcons will host Valparaiso for an ESPN BracketBusters game on Feb. 20.

The BracketBusters are a series of games in late February that allow schools in mid-major conferences to be showcased nationally before the NCAA Tournament in March. BG is 4-3 all-time in BracketBuster games.

Valparaiso is 11-12 on the season and 5-6 in Horizon League play. The Crusaders faced teams ranked in the top six three times during their non-conference schedule.

To fill their obligation to the BracketBuster series, the Falcons will play at Valparaiso during the 2010-11 season. BG has gone 6-1 in BracketBuster return games.

Final time

Last night’s game likely marked the final time the Falcons and Rockets face off in Anderson Arena.

Because the teams only meet once per year and rotate host sites, the Rockets won’t return to Bowling Green until 2012, by which time the Stroh Center is scheduled to be open.

The Claw

BG football coach Dave Clawson was spotted in the Falcon Club area among several football season ticket holders during last night’s game.

At halftime, Clawson and the majority of the football team were on hand to honor and thank those ticket holders.