BGSU men’s basketball led for over 90% (36:04) of their Mid-American Conference (MAC) opener against Akron, the defending conference tournament champions.
While the Zips were ahead on the scoreboard for just 70 seconds, it was enough to secure the 71-68 win at the Stroh Center.
“We have a lead for 36 minutes, and to give it away kind of right there at the end is a good learning lesson for us,” BGSU head coach Todd Simon said.
Bowling Green led by as many as 13 points and held a nine-point advantage with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the contest.
However, the Zips had more quality possessions down the stretch, outscoring the Falcons 19-7 in the final six minutes.
“I played in the MAC last year, and the MAC simply comes down to possession by possession in late games. But we played hard for 36 minutes, and I’m just proud of our teammates,” senior guard Derrick Butler said. “We just couldn’t do the little things to finish the game, but I’m very proud of my teammates.”
Akron put pressure on the Falcons from beyond the arc the entire 40 minutes, jacking up 42 three-pointers. However, Akron head coach John Groce and the Blue and Gold switched their offensive strategy down the stretch, aiming for more points in transition, which created struggles for the Orange and Brown defense.
“They were getting out in transition. When you miss a layup at the rim, or you turn the ball over, it puts you in scrambles. When we were able to set our defense, we were kind of dictating the shots that we wanted them to get,” Simon said. “We had a couple too many breakdowns in that last six minutes…When you go in transition, and you miss at the rim, that’s 94 feet that you’re probably not sorted out, and that’s what got us in trouble.”
However, mistakes on the offensive side of the ball also contributed to BGSU faltering late in the game.
The Falcons committed 15 turnovers, including nine in the second half. The Zips did not waste opportunities, scoring 22 points off the Bowling Green errors.
“In this one, we had a stretch of missing shots around the rim and kind of some key turnovers that were kind of the difference because those turned into points,” Simon said. “That’s what good teams do, like Akron; they penalize you for your mistakes. They had 22 points off turnovers, which is the difference in the game.”
Although BGSU did not come out with a victory to begin conference play, they believe this game showed that they can hang with the best in the conference.
“This was a big game for us. We showed that we can play with Akron, who’s one of the best teams in the MAC this year,” senior guard Trey Thomas said. “So, we showed that we can play with them, we showed that we could beat them and just got to do the little things down the stretch to do that.”
Next, BGSU will head to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the Western Michigan Broncos on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.
