At halftime of BGSU men’s basketball’s 85-79 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday at the Stroh Center, senior guard Javontae Campbell—who leads the Falcons and ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 17.9 points per game—had scored only four points with three assists.
When the final whistle blew after 20 more minutes of action, Campbell was hailed as a late-game hero in the victory.
The five-time MAC Player of the Week ended the victory with 18 points, five assists, two rebounds and two steals, while shooting 7-for-12 from the field, 3-of-4 on free throws and draining his only attempted 3-pointer.
Paired with the team’s defense, Campbell’s elite shiftiness and shot-making showed in crunch time, as he scored seven straight points in a span of 84 seconds within the final three minutes of the game.
Before Campbell took over, the Falcons were trailing for the first time in the game. A minute-and-a-half later, the Falcons had a lead they never lost.
“Javontae’s so crafty that he can score in a phone booth; he doesn’t need much space,” head coach Todd Simon said. “So, when it’s winning time, we’ll always put the ball in his hands, and something good happens.”
Campbell also came up with a huge steal in the final minutes, his second of the game, which led to his game-leading fast break layup.
“He’s leading in steals, and he’s a big part of our defense, because he’s very active and he’s very high IQ on the defensive end. So, we know that when he gets to that mode and to that defensive mode, he’s going to get some stops,” Troy Glover II said. “When we need stops, he’s going to get some steals and stops; he’s always going to have our back on defense.”
Campbell and Glover combined to set the tone on defense, both on the perimeter and in the paint, respectively. Glover tallied four blocks and two steals, while recording a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double—his second of the season.
The Falcon’s defense did not allow a made shot on the final eight Eastern Michigan possessions, forcing three turnovers and giving up just one made free throw.
“We practice for these positions all the time, and we know who we are,” Glover said. “We just had to get back to our defensive principles and rebound, and that’s what was really killing us, so we were dialed in and ready to get stops, and that’s what got us back into it.”
Campbell, who currently leads the MAC with 59 steals, is on pace for 101 steals in the regular season, which would shatter his program record of 90, set last season, and fall just short of the conference record of 103, set by Ball State’s Bonzi Wells in the 1997-98 season.
