Following an overtime loss against Kent State (10-11, 3-6 MAC) at the Stroh Center on Tuesday, Jan. 23, the Bowling Green men’s basketball team (15-6, 6-3 MAC) split a two-game road trip this past week.  

On Saturday, the Falcons traveled 30 minutes north on I-75 to battle Toledo. After being tied at 31 apiece at halftime, the Rockets launched off in the second half, defeating the Falcons in the Battle of I-75 for the fifth consecutive time, 88-72.  

Although BG shot 47.5% (29-61) from the field and 34.8% (8-23) on three-pointers, Toledo shot 55.9% (33-59) from the field and 42.3% (11-26) from beyond the arc. In the second half, UT could not miss, shooting a ridiculous 69% (20-29) from the field and 64.3% (9-14) on three-pointers.  

All five starters scored double-digit points for the third time this season and the second time in conference play.  

Although the Falcons did not record a bench point for the first time this season, senior forward Sam Towns appeared in his first contest since getting injured against Southern Indiana on Dec. 2. Towns logged a rebound, block, steal and three fouls in 13 minutes off the bench.  

After dropping two consecutive games for just the second time this season, BG bounced back with a nine-point victory against Ball State, defeating the Cardinals 81-72 in Muncie, Indiana, on Tuesday night.  

With the victory, the Falcons have the most wins in a season since they won 21 games during the 2019-2020 campaign and the most Mid-American Conference (MAC) wins in a season since the 2021-2022 campaign.  

The Falcons had an efficient performance, shooting 51.8% (29-56) from the field, 50% (8-16) on three-pointers and 75% (15-20) on free throws. The performance marked the fourth time the Orange and Brown have shot at least 50% from the field this season.  

BG also dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Cardinals 33-26. 

Junior guard Marcus Hill was the story of the night, which has become a common trend this season.  

After leading the team with 25 points and three assists against UT, Hill again led the Falcons with 28 points on 13-18 shooting from the field and 2-2 on three-pointers. After missing his first shot of the game. Hill made his next 12 field goal attempts.  

The Rockford, Illinois, native’s performance marks his sixth straight game scoring at least 20 points, which he has done 12 times this season.  

After leading the National Junior College Athletic Association in points scored last season, Hill now leads the MAC with 446 points scored and 21.2 points per game in his first season at the Division I level.  

Senior forward Rashaun Agee had a somewhat quiet performance against Toledo, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists on Saturday. However, the Chicago, Illinois, native rebounded with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards, against the Cardinals on Tuesday, his ninth double-double in the past 13 games.  

Agee leads the MAC with a 59.3% field goal percentage and 72 offensive rebounds. During MAC play, Agee has averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, ranking second in the conference and trailing only Akron’s Enrique Freeman, who leads the country in rebounding.  

After scoring 12 points and recording just three rebounds against UT, senior center Jason Spurgin finished with 17 points and seven rebounds against Ball State. During MAC play, the Toowoomba, Australia, native has shot 44.8% (13-29) on three-pointers, the seventh-best mark in the conference.  

Following BG’s back-to-back losses against the Golden Flashes and Rockets, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the Orange and Brown’s lack of wins against quality opponents.  

Out of BG’s 15 wins this season, just four have been against teams with winning records: Lipscomb, Ohio, Miami (OH) and Ball State. In contrast, four of their six losses have come against teams with winning records: Oakland, Western Kentucky, Akron and Toledo.  

According to ESPN, the Falcons have the 10th weakest strength of schedule in the country this season.  

However, they also have the third-best strength of record in the MAC this season, trailing only Akron and Toledo.  

To say that Bowling Green cannot beat “good teams” is not true. However, at the same time, you can argue the team has not done enough yet to prove that statement completely wrong. 

A significant reason for BG’s lack of success against teams with winning records can be attributed to the Orange and Brown’s lack of depth due to injury.  

“We looked a little tired. Maybe all these injuries piling up, and we’re playing guys 30, 35 minutes in high-possession games,” head coach Todd Simon said postgame after the Toledo loss. “We’re going to have to get more from our depth and, preemptively, get guys on the floor when some of that fatigue sets in.”   

Since summer practices, Simon and the Falcons have dealt with a myriad of injuries.  

“We’ve had four fractured ankles since summer and a torn ACL,” Simon said. “We’re in it right now.”  

Senior guard Trey Thomas missed the first four games and six of the first seven contests of the season with an injury.   

Towns returned to action against Toledo on Saturday for the first time since early December, only to exit the game after 13 minutes and sit out the contests against Ball State, leaving his status unknown for the rest of the season.  

“[Towns] battled to come back, and he tried to go tonight, but obviously, he was a little bit limited. He played a good stretch, and then he had to call it. We’ll see what the response is,” Simon said. “Credit to him; he’s a warrior. He’s trying to play, he’s trying to get better.”  

Meanwhile, redshirt freshman forward Jamai Felt is out for the season with an injury. On top of that, junior guard DJ Smith, who last played against Southern Indiana on Dec. 2, is likely out for the season, while sophomore guard Anthony McComb III, who last played against Siena Heights on Dec. 22, may be at risk of missing the rest of the season.  

While the Falcons have struggled against the top teams in the MAC while dealing with the injury bug, Simon still believes the team is in the process of getting better.  

“We have to clean things up in order to enter the upper echelon of the league,” Simon said. “We’re at that phase right now where we’ve been struggling for years, we bring in 10 new bodies, and we’re probably a little ahead of schedule of what the expectations were externally. But we’re still in the process of getting better.”  

While the Orange and Brown have been banged up and shorthanded recently, they will have to continue to find ways to win with their available players.  

Seven of BG’s 10 remaining opponents currently have winning records. As the Falcons head towards the home stretch of the regular season, their depth and ability to fight through adversity will be tested more in the final 10 games than they have all season.  

Next up, Bowling Green, sitting in fourth place in the MAC standings, will return to the Stroh Center for a two-game homestand, starting with a battle against Central Michigan, who is in third place in the MAC, on Saturday, Feb. 3. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Artie Abrego and Austin Roose will have the call of the contest on Falcon Radio starting at 4:45 for pregame and 5 p.m. for tip-off.