BGSU men’s basketball (8-3) continued its strong start to the season with a dominant 76-55 win over Chicago State (2-10) on Tuesday night at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons set the tone immediately, scoring on their first two possessions as Troy Glover II finished back-to-back dunks to force an early Chicago State timeout and give Bowling Green a 6-0 lead. Despite the Cougars applying full-court pressure throughout the opening minutes, the Falcons handled it well and consistently turned defense into offense, eventually finishing the game with only 10 turnovers.
“They’re really physical on the ball. They’re really well coached,” head coach Todd Simon said. “You’ll take 10 turnovers all day, especially in a game with as many possessions as we played.”
Bowling Green pushed its lead to 18-7 midway through the first half behind transition buckets and strong ball movement, highlighted by a Justin Thomas to Sam Towns alley-oop and a Mayar Wol transition three. Defense proved to be the difference early, as the Cougars struggled to convert turnovers into points and shot just 25.8 percent from the field in the first half.
Chicago State briefly cut the deficit to one late in the half (27-26), but Bowling Green responded with timely perimeter shooting. Javon Ruffin knocked down a corner three before Towns and Josiah Shackelford added triples to close the half on a run, sending the Falcons into the locker room up 40-28.
Bowling Green carried that momentum into the second half, opening with a lob dunk to Towns and holding the Cougars scoreless for over six minutes of game time. A quick 8-3 run extended the lead to 50-31 at the 14-minute mark, and Chicago State was never able to seriously threaten from there.
The Cougars continued to attack the rim and get to the free-throw line, but inefficient shooting and Bowling Green’s defensive pressure prevented any sustained comeback. The Falcons sealed the win late as Towns and Ruffin hit back-to-back threes in the final two minutes.
Despite a physical, defense-heavy contest, Bowling Green limited Chicago State to just 29.3 percent shooting from the field and consistently forced the Cougars into tough, contested looks.
“I’m proud of these guys and their consistency on the defensive end,” Simon said. “Holding anybody under 30 percent is a significant accomplishment.”
Towns led the Falcons with 19 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8-of-11 from the field.
“Obviously, you can’t say enough about Sam,” Simon said. “Sam’s a leader…and he’s kind of a real key piece of this whole thing because of his versatility.”
Glover II also added a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks, while Javon Ruffin added 15 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
“I think that was the best Troy Glover’s played, and we forget that’s his 11th Division I game,” Simon said. “He’s really figuring things out and becoming the player we know he can be.”
The Falcons return to action Saturday, Dec. 20, at 4:00 pm, when they open Mid-American Conference (MAC) play on the road against Ohio at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
Listen to the call of the game from Foster Roesti and Kevin Hutchinson on Falcon Radio, and find additional coverage and postgame content at bgfalconmedia.com.
