BGSU men’s basketball senior forward Marcus Johnson has carried the scoring burden for the Falcons for much of this season.
However, leading up to the Buffalo game on Tuesday, which the Falcons won 79-61, Johnson hit his roughest stretch of the season.
Over the first three games of Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, Johnson averaged 33 minutes and 13 points per game while shooting just 37.8% from the field, 25% on three-pointers and 1-5 on free throws.
“I’ve really never been in a slump that long before,” Johnson said.
Johnson returned to form in a major way against the Bulls, scoring 21 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor, 3-7 from beyond the arc and 6-6 at the charity stripe.
After struggling against Akron, Western Michigan and Ball State to begin 2025, Johnson broke out of the slump and looked closer to the player that garnered comparisons to Magic Johnson, Popeye Jones and Nikola Jokic from Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
“You knew that wasn’t going to stick too long,” head coach Todd Simon said. “He’s too talented, and we felt like that some of those looks were good.”
The Akron, Ohio, native also dominated on the glass, grabbing a season-high nine rebounds, falling just one board short of his first double-double as a Falcon.
“Most importantly, to get nine defensive rebounds, I thought was really big, that’s really big as he continues to evolve and get better,” Simon said. “We’re excited where his game is going to go because he’s still improving.”
Johnson came out of the gates on fire, scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds in the first six minutes of the contest.
“It definitely felt good,” Johnson said. “Starting off the game strong, just trying to get to the line more, get myself going.”
The 6-foot-7-inch, 265-pound forward also started the second half strong, scoring eight of BG’s first 10 points in the first four-and-a-half minutes.
With the Falcons being thin due to injuries, especially at the forward rotation, there has been even more asked of Johnson recently.
“Staying aggressive but with the seven-man rotation, just knowing that you’ve got to stay in shape, that’s a big part of it.”
Johnson currently ranks second in the MAC with 16.7 points per game, third with 87% on free throws and sixth with 37 three-pointers.
Next, Johnson and the Falcons will stay home to battle the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Saturday, Jan. 18. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Artie Abrego and Andrew Smith will have the call on Falcon Radio, beginning at 1:45 for pregame and 2 p.m. for tip-off.
