BGSU men’s basketball (11-5, 2-2) fell short of snapping a 12-game losing streak against Kent State (12-3, 3-0) in a 96-93 loss at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio, on Tuesday night. The Golden Flashes have now taken 13 straight victories against the Falcons, with the streak dating back to March 1, 2019.
Both Bowling Green and Kent State were in the top half of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings to begin conference play heading into their matchup.
The Falcons came into the game following an electrifying 101-100 overtime road victory against UMass on Saturday, with BGSU senior guard Javonte Campbell posting a career-high 47 points.
Campbell continued an impressive start to 2026 with a 28-point performance against the Golden Flashes. He added nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals.
“He’s just a special player, he’s very difficult to guard on ball screens, he’s a great transition player, and he’s just tremendous at the end of the day,” BGSU head coach Todd Simon said.
Kent State senior forward Delrecco Gillespie led the game in scoring with 32 points, along with 10 rebounds to add to his nation-leading 13 double-doubles.
The Falcons and Golden Flashes were nearly even throughout the entirety of the game, including being knotted up 45-45 at halftime. Neither team was able to get a double-digit advantage, with the largest margin being a nine-point lead for Kent State.
The final minutes of the matchup were similar to the rest of the game, with both teams trading baskets and runs. The Falcons found themselves on a five-point run within the final two minutes, with the Golden Flashes finishing the contest on a six-point run.
The Orange and Brown put their fate in the hands of junior forward Mayar Wol twice in the final 10 seconds, with Wol coming up short on a layup and a three-point attempt.
“We had Wol behind the defense, and he was kind of back there alone; we figured that Javontae would find him. Obviously, he had a six-footer; he’ll make that shot eight out of 10 times. It just came up short, but it was a good look,” Simon said.
The Falcons head back to the Stroh Center, for the first time in 2026, to take on the Akron Zips on Friday, Jan. 9, with tip-off at 8:00 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Networks’ Tyler Kavalecz and Artie Abrego will have the call on Falcon Radio starting at 7:45 p.m.
