56-76.
No, that was not the final score, nor was it what Bowling Green shot from the field in their 76- 68 victory against Niagara. The number 56 is the number of points scored by three players: Marcus Johnson, Sam Towns and Derrick Butler.
Those three players combined for 56 out of BG’s 76 total points and 40 of the Orange and Brown’s 43 second-half points.
Head coach Todd Simon was extremely impressed by the chemistry shown out on the court.
“You’re seeing maturity, I mean, for a group that’s so many new faces,” Simon said. “You’re seeing maturity in terms of the ball movement and guys getting used to, you know, where guys like to catch the ball, when guys are cutting, whose popping and where guys are in transition.”
Each player seemed to affect the game in a different way.
Marcus Johnson
The 6-7 senior forward finished the night with 24 points and five rebounds, with an ultra-efficient 10-11 from the field.
Johnson went 2-2 from three and dished out three assists in the win over Niagara.
Johnson once again led Bowling Green in scoring and seemed to bounce back after a 1/11 three-point shooting performance vs Michigan State.
“Last game, I was 1 for 11 from three, that’s not usually myself,” Johnson said postgame. “that’s not using myself, but you know, just staying locked in and going to the next game. Making sure, you know, just keep things simple and just keep staying confident in my shot.”
Sam Towns
After fouling out for the third time in four games vs Michigan State, Sam Towns came in against Niagara with a fire lit under him.
Towns made an impact in almost all statistical categories vs the Purple Eagles. The 6-9 senior forward finished with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Towns has been called one of the leaders of this year’s team, along with senior guard Trey Thomas.
“Sam really responds, and I lean on him as one of our leaders and hold him accountable for mistakes that maybe are not always his,” Simon said. “Because as a leader, this is his team.”
Derrick Butler
Butler transferred from Central Michigan during the offseason. Against Niagara, Butler went on a stretch in the second half where he scored 10 straight buckets, single-handily putting BG up with a double-digit lead.
Butler got his step back after the past week when he was under the weather.
“He was a little under the weather last week and he’s a guy who likes the gym, so, you know, he wasn’t probably truly himself,” Simon said. “Trying to get his wind back, and today it was, you know, I could tell with his preparation in these last two days, and I said, this is the day.”
It was indeed the day for Butler, who finished with 16 points on 6-7 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
“He’s such a spectacular person and a coachable kid, 16 on seven shots is breeding efficient,” Simon said.
The Falcons won’t have to wait long until they can see these three on the court again, their next contest on Nov. 23 vs Bellarmine, with tip-off at 3:00 p.m.
