On Saturday afternoon, Bowling Green men’s basketball finally picked up their first win outside of the Stroh Center in the 2024-25 season with a 61-60 victory over New Mexico State.
The win also marks head coach Todd Simon’s 150th victory in his coaching career.
First Half
Bowling Green jumped to a 5-0 lead to start things off vs the Aggies, with a three by senior forward Marcus Johnson and a driving layup by senior guard Derrick Butler. The Aggies got on the board with two free throws by graduate student forward Peter Filipovity.
Later, with BG trailing 13-11 with 6:14 left to play in the first half, Johnson hit another three to gain the Orange and Brown’s first lead since the 10:45 mark in the half. After Bowling Green forced a Filipovity turnover, Johnson made a two-point jump shot to put BG ahead 16-13.
Johnson could not be stopped in the scoring department, scoring six more points before halftime. Redshirt freshman Jamai Felt hit two free throws to put the Orange and Brown ahead 26-23 to end the first half.
Johnson had 16 of BG’s 26 points heading into the second half.
Second Half
Bowling Green opened the second with another trip to the free throw line, junior guard Javontae Campbell going 2/2 at the line to put BG up 28-23. New Mexico’s Christian Cook hit a three, putting the Aggies within three points.
Later at the 15-minute mark, the Aggies regained the lead for the first time since the first half with a three-point shot by Jaden Harris, taking a 31-30 advantage,
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Falcons regained the lead with three straight points by Campbell, putting the Orange and Brown up 43-41. Both teams began trading leads and momentum as time ticked away in the game.
With 1:14 remaining on the clock and Bowling Green down 60-56, Johnson started the Falcons comeback with a layup and trip to the free throw line for more.
Campbell took a trip to the line with 12 seconds left to put the Orange and Brown ahead 61-60.
With one last chance for a win, the Aggies drove down the court and attempted the game-winning shot- only to be rejected by Butler- the Falcons escaping with a 61-60 victory in the third-place game of the Arizona Tip-Off.
Johnson finished the game with 23 points on 7-13 shooting. Butler also scored 15 points.
Redshirt freshman Jamai Felt led the Falcons with 12 rebounds and added two rejections.
Bowling Green will end their three-game road trip and return to the Stroh Center to take on Morgan State on Dec. 7, with tip-off at 1 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Artie Abrego and Carter Leonard will be on the call, with pregame starting at 12:45 p.m.
