Kevin Netter and Cory Ryan scored 19 points apiece, and three other Falcons scored in double figures to lead BG to a dominating 91-57 win over visiting Tiffin Saturday.
John Reimold had 16, while Germain Fitch scored 11 and Ron Lewis chipped in 10 for BG, now 1-1 on the season.
Tiffin did keep the game close through much of the first half, but a 23-4 run to close the half put the Falcons ahead for good. Kenny Salway had 12 for the visitors, and Lucius Sullivan had 10. Bowling Green was able to force 29 turnovers in the game.
BG Coach Dan Dakich said he wasn’t sure if the Tiffin game helped get his team ready for a stretch of games in which the Falcons will face Buffalo, Northwestern, Michigan and Alabama.
“I thought we didn’t get out to a huge lead,” Dakich said. “We had to play through not playing well, we had to play through exhaustion from the week we had and we had to play through with only eight guys. They pressed some, so we had to deal with that.
“The Detroit game told me what we needed to work on, and the Tiffin game told me we were better at those things,” Dakich said.
Dakich spoke much after the Falcons’ season-opening loss to Detroit-Mercy about the pace at which the Titans played, and said he was happier with his team’s pace during the Tiffin game.
“I thought our pace was much better,” Dakich said. “When you go at a faster pace, though, you have to execute. We missed 13 layups that we counted on tape, which are shots that as a college basketball player, you have to make. A lot of the reason for that is because we were going really fast. We’re trying to get going at one pace in practice and games.”
Due to an injury to forward Josh Almanson and freshman Raheem Moss’ not dressing due to violation of team rules, the Falcons only played with eight players, including walk-on Patrick Phillips. Dakich said Almanson, who has been battling an ankle/foot injury through much of the preseason and into the regular season, will likely play tomorrow night in BG’s conference opener against Buffalo.
“We’re going to have him do some things in half court, and today he will do some spot stuff in practice, but he’s going to play [tomorrow],” Dakich said. “He’s got a bunch of garbage in his ankle, and there’s a tendon that goes along all that stuff and it’s painful. … We’re hoping that from the treatments he’s had every day and the immobilization that we’ve got a handle on it.”
Due to a peculiar schedule, the Falcons are now ready for the Buffalo Bulls, the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. The Bulls enter the game at 2-2, including just a one-point loss to Detroit, a team that beat BG 75-61.
“This is a big game for us,” Dakich said. “The season is determined by how you do in the MAC, so this is a pretty big game.”
