BGSU men’s basketball (10-3, 1-0) returned to non-conference play against Siena Heights (4-8, 1-6) on Monday, winning 125-66 in a rout of their 10th win of the season.
The Falcons shot 58.8% from the field, 36.7% from three, and 77.8% from the line. BG scored a whopping 50 points off turnovers, with 26 second-chance points. The team snagged 16 offensive rebounds, while the Siena Heights Saints got just four.
Remarkably, the Orange and Brown had five players score in double digits.
Sophomore guard Josiah Shackelford scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds, all on defense. He made five three-point shots and was 2-2 from the charity stripe.
“It felt great,” Shackelford said after the game. “This season I haven’t been shooting great, but my coaches believe in me a lot, and my teammates believe in me, and they just keep telling me to shoot.”
Freshman guard Makhi Leach had 15 points, four rebounds, and a steal, shooting 75% from the floor.
“Working out before the game got me in a groove to come off the bench and help my team,” Leach said. “I feel like our momentum is good, we’re on a very good pace, and we just have to keep winning.”
Senior guard Justin Thomas had 12 points, nine assists, two rebounds, and a steal. Senior forward Troy Glover II went 6-8 shooting for 13 points and five steals, while senior guard Javon Ruffin came away with 11 points, three assists, three boards, and three steals.
Senior guard Javontae Campbell scored just seven points, but led the team with six steals. The Falcons recorded 21 total steals as a team.
“He impacts the game far more than just scoring,” head coach Todd Simon said postgame. “He dominated the game with his on-ball pressure…he does whatever is needed, and you can count on him every game.”
Siena Heights struggled to maintain possession without turning the ball over, committing 30 turnovers, and took just 49 shots compared to 85 for BG. Their junior guard, Joshua Wilson, had a solid game, scoring 18 points and going 2-4 from beyond the arc.
BG controlled the paint, with 78 paint points compared to just 24 for the Saints.
“Really happy with their performance,” head coach Simon said. “I thought our energy and our effort level was 100%, and they shared the ball a lot, with 27 assists.”
The Falcons led the Saints wire to wire, and in a show of Siena’s rebounding struggles, the team failed to score a single second-chance bucket.
“We gotta continue to be the most physical team on the floor, we’re never satisfied defensively. We want that to be our calling card.” Simon said.
For BG, the game was a fitting tune-up before a weeklong Christmas break, and will end 2025 with a home conference game against undefeated Miami (13-0, 1-0) on Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m. Coverage can be found at bgfalconmedia.com, and Falcon Media Sports Network’s Foster Roesti and Dawson Pelter will have the call on Falcon Radio.
