Following a two-game homestand that saw the Bowling Green men’s basketball team (16-8, 7-4 MAC) fall to Central Michigan in double overtime and pick up a 14-point victory against Buffalo, the Falcons traveled down to Lafayette, Louisiana, for a matchup against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in the second round of the Mid-American Conference (MAC)-Sun Belt Conference Challenge on Sunday.
The Falcons controlled most of the first 10 minutes of the game. However, the Ragin’ Cajuns controlled most of the remainder of the contest, defeating the Orange and Brown by 26 points, 86-60.
While BG shot 43.6% (24-55) from the field, they struggled mightily on three-pointers and free throws, shooting just 19% (4-21) and 57.1% (8-14) from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe, respectively.
The Falcons also struggled on the defensive end. Louisiana shot 56.9% (33-58) from the field and 50% (9-18) on three-pointers.
Junior guard Marcus Hill scored a team-high 22 points on 10-17 shooting from the field. Hill, the reigning MAC Co-Player of the Week, has scored at least 20 points in nine consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation this season.
Senior forward Rashaun Agee was the only other Falcon to score double-digit points against the Ragin’ Cajuns, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Although Hill and Agee shot a combined 62.5% (15-24) from the field, the rest of the team combined shot just 29% (9-31).
The loss against Louisiana highlighted a major problem the Falcons have had since the calendar turned over to 2024 at the start of conference play: defensive struggles.
During non-conference play, the Falcons were one of the most dominant defenses in the MAC. However, it has been a completely different story during conference play.
BGSU allows MAC opponents to shoot 39.5% on three-pointers, score 79.5 points per game and shoot 48.4% from the field, ranking last, second and third-worst in the conference, respectively.
For comparison, during non-conference play, the Falcons held opponents to just 40.5% shooting from the field, 32.2% on three-pointers and 65.1 points per game.
Throughout the non-conference schedule, the Falcons allowed opponents to score 70 or more points just five times. However, opponents have scored at least 70 points in all 12 games since conference play started.
The loss against the Ragin’ Cajuns also highlighted BG’s three-point shooting struggles, which have been front and center all season.
The Falcons are shooting just 30.8% on three-pointers this season, the third-worst mark in the conference.
Three-point shooting has been one of the major deciding factors between wins and losses for BG this season.
When the Falcons win, they shoot 34.3% from beyond the arc. However, when they lose, they shoot just 24.9% on triples.
While these recent trends are concerning, it is a little extreme to start pressing the panic button.
Although they have lost four of their past six contests, Bowling Green is still in fourth place in the MAC standings and is in a good position to return to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.
The Falcons also have seven more games to play in the regular season. If this team has shown anything this season, it has been their ability to battle through adversity and find a way to win.
The final seven games will show whether the Orange and Brown can work out their problems before postseason play or if the issues will be the Achilles’ heel for the team.
Next up, the Falcons will continue their three-game road trip by traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to battle Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Tip-off between the Falcons and Eagles at George Gervin Game Above Center is set for 3:30 p.m.
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