The Bowling Green men’s basketball team (8-3) won their sixth straight game against Hampton (4-7) at the Stroh Center on Tuesday, 75-65. The Falcons trailed by 14 points early in the second half before completing the 24-point comeback.
The six-game winning streak for the Falcons is the longest for BG since they won eight in a row in the 2019-2020 season. The win also moves BG into a tie with Ball State for first place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
FIRST HALF
BG started slow, falling behind 7-1 just over two minutes into the game.
However, senior guard Trey Thomas scored five straight points, cutting Hampton’s early lead to 7-6.
About five minutes into the contest, senior guard Rashaun Agee made a layup, giving him three points in the game and 1,000 career collegiate points.
Following some back-and-forth action, the Falcons held the Pirates scoreless for over four minutes, as junior guard Marcus Hill hit two free throws to give BG the 12-11 lead halfway through the first half.
However, Hampton would take back the lead on the next possession.
Following some more back-and-forth action, senior center Jason Spurgin hit a three-pointer, putting BG ahead 16-15.
After this, the Falcons hit a cold streak, going scoreless for nearly five minutes. Hampton took advantage, scoring five unanswered points and jumping out to a four-point lead with four minutes remaining in the half.
Following a media timeout, Hampton scored five more unanswered points, extending their lead to 25-16 and forcing BGSU head coach Todd Simon to take a timeout.
With 1:46 remaining in the half, Agee hit two free throws, ending a scoreless stretch that lasted over seven minutes.
Hampton finished the half on a 16-5 run, making six of their last seven shots from the field and holding a 10-point advantage over the Falcons after 20 minutes of action, 31-21.
Meanwhile, BG ended the half cold, making just one of their final 13 shots from the field.
In the first half, the Falcons shot just 21.4% (6-28) from the field and 23.1% (3-13) on three-pointers, committing 11 turnovers.
On the other side, the Pirates shot 50% (14-28) from the field and 33.3% (3-9) from beyond the arc, committing nine turnovers.
SECOND HALF
The Pirates made their first two shots of the second half, extending their lead to a game-high 14 points, 35-21.
However, the Falcons went on a 5-0 run, cutting the deficit to nine points, trailing Hampton 40-31 with 15 minutes remaining.
With just over 12 minutes remaining, Hill made his first shot from the field, cutting Hampton’s lead to 46-42.
But the Pirates answered with a bucket, leading 48-42 at the media timeout with 11:38 left in the contest.
Following more back-and-forth action, Thomas hit his sixth three-pointer of the contest, cutting Hampton’s lead to 55-51 with just over eight minutes remaining.
A minute later, Hill hit back-to-back layups, tying the game at 55 and forcing the Pirates to take a timeout.
There were four more lead changes before Agee and Hill scored five straight for the Falcons, putting them ahead 63-59 and forcing Hampton to take a timeout with 4:11 remaining in the contest.
With just over a minute remaining, Hill made a layup to put the Falcons up by nine points, 70-61.
With 55 seconds remaining, the Pirates fouled Thomas, who hit both free throws to extend BG’s lead to 72-63.
Sophomore guard P.J. Edwards was fouled on the next two BG offensive possessions, hitting three out of four at the line, securing the 10-point victory for the Falcons.
REVIEW OF THE GAME
The contest marked the largest comeback for the Falcons this season, as they completed a 24-point comeback in the second half. BG outscored Hampton in the second half by 20 points, 54 to 34.
In the final 20 minutes of play, BG shot 62.1% (18-29) from the field and 50% (4-8) from beyond the arc, while Hampton shot just 34.1% (14-41) from the field and 11.1% (1-9) on three-pointers.
Overall, the Orange and Brown shot 42.1% (24-57) from the field, 33.3% (7-21) from beyond the arc and 76.9% (20-26) from the charity stripe.
On the other side, Hampton shot 40.6% (28-69) from the field, 22.2% (4-18) from three-point range and 62.5% (5-8) from the free-throw line.
While the Falcons committed 13 turnovers compared to Hampton’s nine, BG committed just 11 fouls compared to the Pirate’s 18. BGSU also won the rebounding battle 42-34.
Thomas led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, shooting 7-17 from the field and 6-11 on three-pointers.
Agee registered his third consecutive double-double, tallying 21 points and tying his career-high with 12 rebounds. The Chicago, Illinois, native shot 7-10 from the field and 7-10 from the free-throw line.
Although he only shot 5-15 from the field, Hill finished with 14 points, hitting multiple big baskets for the Falcons down the stretch.
NEXT UP
The Falcons will wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule against Siena Heights at the Stroh Center on Friday, Dec. 22, with tip off set for 2 p.m.
Then, the Orange and Brown will wrap up their five-game homestand and begin MAC play against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
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