BGSU men’s basketball (11-6, 2-3) fell to the Akron Zips (12-4, 3-1) in a near comeback, losing 77-67 Friday night at the Stroh Center.
Bowling Green dug itself into an early hole and spent the rest of the night fighting back, cutting a 20-point deficit to as few as three in the second half before Akron closed the game at the free-throw line.
The Falcons won the opening tip but immediately turned the ball over, part of a slow start that allowed the Zips to take control. After multiple Bowling Green turnovers and cold shooting, the Zips used a large run to build a 19-2 lead early on. Bowling Green managed just two points over the first five minutes while shooting 11% from the field.
“You wish you had the first eight minutes back when you get down 20,” head coach Todd Simon said. “We came out, and we just missed some bunnies, we missed some shots…we looked kind of lethargic.”
The Falcons shifted to a zone defense in an effort to slow Akron, but scoring remained difficult. Bowling Green went scoreless for nearly six minutes without a field goal before Troy Glover II ended the drought. Akron continued to capitalize, pushing the lead to 27-7 midway through the half and taking a 43-27 advantage into halftime after closing the period with two three-pointers.
The Falcons opened the second half with renewed energy, largely behind Mayar Wol. Wol scored Bowling Green’s first 17 points of the half, attacking off the dribble, knocking down threes, and nailing baseline jumpers.
During this time, Wol carried the offense, at one point having an 8-0 run on his own and forcing multiple Akron timeouts. Bowling Green stayed within striking distance down the stretch, eventually cutting the lead to three at 64-61 with 4 minutes remaining.
“He’s a fantastic scorer. I mean, we got a whole set of I think I ran 20 plays for him,” Simon said. “When he gets going, there’s nothing you can do. It doesn’t matter who’s in front of him. He doesn’t see anybody.”
Akron responded with timely free throws and capitalized on late Bowling Green mistakes, scoring eight of the next 10 points to regain control. Bowling Green continued to battle, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
The Falcons outscored the Zips 40-34 in the second half, but the first-half deficit proved too much to overcome.
“We just didn’t quite get over the hump in winning time,” Simon said. “I thought we secured a rebound there. We didn’t have a great possession. There were a couple of things that we just had to clean up.”
Wol led all scorers with 32 points, including 24 in the second half. Senior guard Javontae Campbell added five assists and four steals, while Glover pulled down nine rebounds.
Up next, Bowling Green will remain at home on Saturday, Jan. 17, to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles at 1 p.m.
