BG (16-12, 7-8) looked to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to Kent State (20-7, 11-3) against the Redhawks of Miami (27-0). The matchup ended with the Falcons suffering another loss and Miami (OH), 91-77, keeping their undefeated record alive.
To start the game, Bowling Green stuck with the RedHawks heading into the first media timeout, going shot for shot with the Redhawks to keep it a one-score game at 13-11 in favor of Miami.
With just under 11-and-a-half minutes left in the first, the Falcons kept things competitive, hitting their shots and playing very aggressive defense. The Redhawks maintained a slim lead thanks to some great shots and isolation plays.
BG was unable to keep its momentum, however, and Miami took advantage, taking a five-point lead with eight minutes left in the half, 26-21. They would extend their lead to 29-21 a few moments later.
The RedHawks were playing solid defense on the other end of the floor, along with their impressive offense, forcing the Falcons to play faster than their usual pace and preventing easy shots.
Heading into the next timeout, Miami had expanded its lead largely from hitting the three-ball and getting to the free-throw line with ease. The Falcons were simply unable to keep up with the Redhawks’ offensive output, which led 45-30 with a minute and a half left in the first.
“We had a couple mental collapses in the first half,” said BGSU senior guard Javontae Campbell. “We dug ourselves a hole, but I feel like we fought, you know, we made the right plays, we just got to get stops.”
Miami carried this lead into halftime, leaving the Falcons searching for an answer on offense. In the back part of the first half, the only way to score seemed to be with Campbell, who had a team-leading nine points at the break.
The leading scorer in the first half for the Redhawks was sophomore guard Luke Skaljac, with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and hitting 3-of-5 from deep.
The second half started much like how the first half closed out, with Miami hitting deep threes and distancing itself further from the Falcons. Although the Orange and Brown did hit a few shots of their own to stay competitive, with sophomore guard Josiah Shackelford burying two from distance.
In a repeat of the last game, the Falcons again got into early foul trouble, forcing them to switch to their zone, which did not hold for long before Miami started hitting three-pointers from every spot around the arc.
With 15 minutes left to go in the game, the Red and Black led 56-42, sitting comfortably and looking to take their 27th straight win at home on their senior night.
The Falcons brought things back to within single digits at 60-51, but the Redhawks quickly responded with a three to bring the score to 63-51 with under 10 minutes to go.
Bowling Green was now going shot-for-shot and possession-for-possession with Miami, but the lead in the first had been built up too much for the Falcons to chip away as the time ran down. With six minutes left, the Orange and Brown were down 72-59.
The Falcons’ score did not improve for the rest of the game. Every time the Falcons seemed to tighten the gap, Miami would close the door, and the Redhawks held on and win their 27th straight game and their 30th straight at home, tied with Duke for the longest streak in the country.
Statistically, the Falcons played a very close game with Miami, shooting 43.8% from the field and 40% from three, compared to 51.7% and 43.3% for MU.
Campbell and Skaljac both dropped a game, leading 24 points on 50% shooting from the field, with Skaljac hitting five threes and Campbell dishing out six assists.
All game long, the large crowd and packed student section made everything a little harder for the Falcons, and encouraged the Redhawks to keep up their momentum
“It makes it harder to communicate more than anything,” said Simon. “Fantastic job [Miami] is doing filling the arena and getting the hype going and all that good stuff.”
Despite now dropping two straight games, there is some good news for the Falcons. Campbell has reached 1,000 points while wearing the Orange and Brown, and he tied his single-season mark of 90 steals from last year.
“He’s going to be a legend here.” stated Simon. “Hopefully everybody appreciates the fact that a guy like that comes back for a second year is unheard of now.”
“I’m blessed to do it here at BG. You know I love BG,” said Campbell. “It’s just fun to do that here, and I’m just grateful to keep playing basketball.”
Next up on the schedule for Bowling Green is the Western Michigan Broncos (9-17, 3-10) in a return game to the Stroh Center, where the Falcons will hope to jump back into the win column.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have a broadcast for that game on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. on Falcon Radio, streaming on bgfalconmedia.com, with a studio pregame show starting at 6:45 p.m.
