BGSU men’s basketball deployed dazzling defense in their 120-65 win over Bethany College on Thursday night, breaking a program record in the process.
The Falcons recorded 27 steals against the Bison, shattering the previous single-game program record of 22, set against Earlham on Nov. 9, 2013.
“We were competitive. We talked, we were aggressive, we were just out there having fun on defense,” senior guard Javontae Campbell said postgame.
Campbell was as lethal as ever defensively for Bowling Green, finishing with a team-high five steals.
The 6-foot-2 guard now has nine steals through the team’s first two games after breaking the single-season program record with 90 last season.
However, the performance was a full team effort, with 10 players recording a steal, including eight who had multiple steals.
Mayar Wol finished with four steals, Justin Thomas, Jason Kimbrough Jr., Javon Ruffin and Aiden Goins each had three and Troy Glover II and Makhi Leach each had two, while Christian Dedivanaj and Camden Karel had one apiece.
Bowling Green utilized their size from the first possession, bullying the Bison.
Bethany’s tallest player, Josh Coffield, is only 6-foot-7, which would be tied for the seventh-tallest player on the Falcons’ roster.
“We just have crazy length, so we’re out there getting steals, really pressuring the ball,” Karel said. “That was one thing that we really wanted to do off the rip, so that’s really what we focused on. That’s what we got.”
The Orange and Brown also tested out a full-court press.
“We really want to get deflections and stops and kills,” Karel said. “So, with the press, you know, just all the deflections and just how our length is. It’s just, it’s really smart with what our plan is.”
The Falcons did not use the press in their two exhibitions or season opener before deploying the play against the Division III Bison.
“We got to work on a lot of stuff here with a lot of different guys and really work on our press, which is something we really want to use because of our depth, length and activity on the ball. We think that’s something that we can be good at. So, we wanted to get a little bit of in-game reps, and it was pretty good today,” head coach Todd Simon said postgame. “Hats off to our guys.
They’re just such a good group of guys. We love coaching them.”
Bowling Green forced 33 Bethany turnovers, resulting in 45 points off turnovers for the Falcons, helping propel the team to 120 points for just the fifth time in program history.
BGSU’s 38 steals through the first two games of the season lead the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and paces the country.
“Our calling card is going to be our defensive side of the ball and turning defense into offense because we’re going to be a really good rebounding team,” Simon said. “So, you know, the rest of the scoreboard is just the byproduct of every possession stacking up and doing the right things.”
Next, Bowling Green will stay at the Stroh Center to battle Le Moyne on Sunday at 2 p.m.
