The BG men’s basketball team lost their second Mid-American Conference game in a row against the Eastern Michigan Eagles 69-57.
The Falcons had three players score double digits. but were outrebounded 45-36, giving up 18 offensive rebounds to the Eagles as well.
“It doesn’t have to be pretty you have to be able to grind,” head basketball coach Louis Orr said. “Dick Vitale said rebounding in college basketball is a lost art and we are guilty of that.”
It was also another tough game for the Falcons in the turnover department as they turned the ball over 17 times and the Eagles turned those turnovers into 24 points.
“You can’t hurt yourself with turnovers,” Orr said. “You have to compete every possession.”
Craig Sealey, Chanucey Orr and Zack Denny were out again for the Falcons.
“We are short on bodies,” Orr said. “We got guys playing a lot of minutes, it is a lot to ask of them to not get fatigued.”
Eagles forward Glenn Bryant scored a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. Twenty-one of his 26 points came in the first half.
“Brian was exceptional today and we allowed him to be exceptional,” Orr said. “I don’t think we put a body on him the whole game.”
Junior Richaun Holmes had yet another 20 point game and combined that with nine rebounds and two blocks. Junior Anthony Henderson scored 12 points while sophomore Spencer Parker chipped in 10 points.
The Falcons went into halftime down 39-29. It was only 10 thanks to a three pointer by Henderson.
They began the second half the same way they ended it with a three pointer but this time from Holmes. That three sparked a 13-8 run that cut the Eagles lead to 47-42.
The Falcons went on a 7:30 minute scoring drought that was ended by Jehvon Clarke’s three pointer. They were then able to cut the lead down to nine points three different times over a two minute stretch.
The Eagles followed a Holmes layup with a dunk to put their lead back up to 10 points. The Falcons would not get close again after that. Bowling Green’s bench was outscored 28-2 by the Eagles, with 26 of those points for Eastern Michigan coming from Bryant, and 14-5 in fast break points.
Bowling Green shot 35.2 percent from the floor overall and was 34.8 percent from behind the three-point line where the Falcons were forced to take shots due to the Eastern Michigan zone.
The Falcons record dropped to 9-11 and 3-4 in the MAC. They will return home to host Buffalo on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. in the Stroh Center.
“We will learn and we will do,” Orr said. “We have guys who are competitors who want to win and we will get things going.”
