BGSU men’s basketball traveled north to take on the No. 22-ranked Michigan State Spartans in a late October exhibition game on Thursday night, falling to the Spartans 75-66 in a hard-fought contest.
“Being able to play these games in October is absolutely invaluable, and we are very grateful that coach Izzo allowed us this opportunity,” head coach Todd Simon said.
The Falcons opened the game up and the beginning of the season with a Sam Towns three-pointer.
A Coen Carr triple got the crowd into the game, and Carson Cooper riled up the Spartan faithful with a block on the following defensive possession.
As both teams start to settle into the game, they begin to trade three-point buckets, making the score 18-17.
A pair of Jaxon Kohler free throws spurred the Spartans on a quick eight-point run that was broken up by a three-pointer from Towns to make it 35-30 MSU.
With a pair of free throws from Mayar Wol to end the first half of play, the Falcons cut the lead to nine at 48-39.
In the first half, Carr made his presence felt on both the offensive and defensive ends, finishing the first half with 11 points on 5-9 from the field and four blocks.
“Once he gets in the air, it’s foul our hope he misses, and he puts so much pressure on you, but then the weak side blocks, he’s a nontraditional player that covers so much ground,” Simon said about Carr.
For the Orange and Brown, it would be Towns who took control of the first half of play, going a perfect 6-6 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range, tallying 15 total points and leading all scorers.
Out of the halftime break, both teams struggled to find a consistent offense, and through the first four minutes, there were only three baskets.
Behind a Troy Glover II completed and-one opportunity, the Falcons went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to four at 54-50.
Towns went on a quick five-point run on his own to tie the game up at 57.
MSU answered that run with an 8-2-point run that was only slowed by a Javontae Campbell layup.
Down the line, the Spartans turned up the heat on the Falcons, going on a 10-3 run to extend the lead to 11 at 75-64.
Michigan State ended the game strong, securing a nine-point victory.
“We went through a lot of growing pains during the game, but I was surprised that a lot of them were able to work through a lot of the pains and not get too frustrated within the game,” stated Towns.
“I’ve never played in an atmosphere like that, so my adrenaline was up; it was very fun,” Josiah Shackelford said after the game.
The Falcons are back in action on Monday, as they travel to Dayton to take on the Flyers with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
