The Bowling Green men’s basketball team (17-12, 8-8 MAC) started a two-game road trip with a nationally televised matchup against Ohio (17-12, 11-5 MAC) in Athens on Friday night, falling to the Bobcats 66-59.
The Falcons have now lost five of their last six and eight of their past 11 games.
With the loss, BG drops to sixth place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), still seeking their first MAC Tournament berth since the 2020-2021 season.
FIRST HALF
After Bowling Green scored the game’s first points, the teams were tied at five apiece at the first media timeout.
Following a scoreless drought that stretched nearly five minutes for BG, senior guard Trey Thomas made two free throws, and junior guard Marcus Hill converted a layup, putting BG ahead 9-5 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half.
Senior forward Sam Towns was charged with a technical foul with just under nine-and-a-half minutes remaining. After the foul, Ohio went on an 8-0 run, jumping ahead 15-13.
A few minutes later, Bowling Green responded with a 10-0 run, holding a 26-19 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the half.
The Bobcats closed out the half on a 7-0 run, capped off by back-to-back three-pointers, tying the game at 28 apiece heading into the locker rooms.
Bowling Green shot 40% (10-25) from the field, 42.9% (3-7) on three-pointers and 71.4 (5-7) on free throws in the first half, while OU shot 38.5% (10-26) from the field, 33.3% (5-15) from beyond the arc and 75% (3-4) from the charity stripe.
However, both teams struggled with turnovers, combining to give the ball away 17 times in the first 20 minutes of the contest.
SECOND HALF
The second half started as a back-and-forth battle, with the Bobcats leading by one point at the first media timeout, 35-34.
After more seesaw action, Ohio went on a 6-0 run, jumping ahead 43-38 with just under 13 minutes remaining.
A few minutes later, Thomas made three free throws to tie the game at 51 points apiece with just over eight minutes remaining in the contest.
Following a three-minute Bowling Green scoreless drought, senior center Jason Spurgin made a second-chance layup, cutting OU’s lead to two points with just under five minutes remaining, 55-53.
The Bobcats pushed their lead to 57-53 at the media timeout with three minutes left. However, Ohio head coach Jeff Boals was assigned a technical foul during the break.
Senior forward Rashaun Agee converted two free throws, tying the contest at 57 apiece. But Ohio’s Jaylin Hunter immediately responded with a three-pointer, his first made field goal of the game, giving OU the three-point advantage.
The score stayed the same until Ohio drained another three-pointer with 30.1 seconds remaining, pushing the Bobcat’s lead to six points, 63-57.
Hill made a layup on the next possession, cutting OU’s lead to 63-59 with 19.5 seconds left in the contest.
Hunter made one of two free throws with 12.6 seconds remaining, extending the Bobcat’s lead to five points, 64-59.
After senior guard DaJion Humphrey missed a three-pointer, Ohio made two more free throws, securing the 66-59 victory.
REVIEW OF THE GAME
While the Falcons shot 42.9% (9-21) from the field in the second half, they missed all four three-point attempts during the final 20 minutes.
Overall, Bowling Green shot 41.3% (19-46) from the field, 27.3 (3-11) on three-pointers and 90% (18-20) on free throws, while OU shot 42.3% (22-52) from the field, 29.6% (8-27) from beyond the arc and 87.5% (14-16) from the charity stripe.
The 46 attempted field goals are the fewest by the Falcons in a game this season.
BG outrebounded Ohio 31-24, scoring two more second-chance and bench points than the Bobcats.
However, BGSU committed 21 turnovers compared to OU’s 14. The Bobcats also tallied 18 points off turnovers compared to Bowling Green’s seven.
Agee tallied his fourth consecutive and 15th double-double of the season, leading the Falcons with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Thomas finished with 15 points, while Hill rounded out BG’s double-digit scorers, finishing with 12 points.
NEXT UP
The Orange and Brown will wrap up a two-game road trip in Kalamazoo, Michigan, against Western Michigan on Tuesday night. Tip-off between the Falcons and Broncos is set for 7 p.m.
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