BGSU men’s basketball (5-7) closed out the year 2024 with an 87-62 victory over the Aquinas Saints (6-7) to improve to 5-7 on the season.
Senior guard Javontae Campbell finished the night with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists- he becomes the first Falcon since 2007 to record a triple-double. Johnson finished the day with 20 points on 8/10 shooting and Felt grabbed 11 rebounds.
The 20+ point victory was a much-needed rebound after a 93-68 loss to St Thomas on Saturday.
Here’s how it went down:
Opening the first half, a major slam by senior guard Derrick Butler set Bowling Green up with a 14-6 lead to start things off.
Aquinas rallied getting the game back to a 5-point BG lead after two free throws by Caden Pokorzynski made it 23-18 with the Orange and Brown up.
Bowling Green continued to control the pace of the game as time ticked away in the first half, a three via senior forward Marcus Johnson extended the Orange and Brown’s lead to double digits, up 30-20 with 6:42 left on the clock.
Sophomore forward Wilguens Jr Exacte hit a layup with 23 seconds left in the half to send Bowling Green to halftime up 43-25, an 18-point lead.
Johnson had 15 points at the end of the half. Campbell had all sixes at the half: 6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists with 3 steals.
Starting the second half, redshirt freshman forward Jamai Felt scored four straight points: two points on a dunk off an assist by senior guard Trey Thomas and two points on a tipped shot into the bottom of the net.
Bowling Green continued to dominate the second half, until with 5:22 left on the clock, Aquinas pulled within single digits after a three-point shot by Jadakiss Lewis, down only nine points with Bowling Green up 71-62.
Just after that ray of hope shone on Aquinas, Bowling Green played the heartbreaker on the underdog team and went on a 26-1 scoring run, finishing the night with a dominating score of 87-62- a 25-point win for the Orange and Brown.
Bowling Green finishes their non-conference schedule with a record of 5-7.
The Falcons will resume next year, with the Orange and Brown taking on the Akron Zips to begin Mid-American Conference (MAC) play on Jan. 3, with tip-off at 6:00 p.m.
