The Bowling Green men’s basketball team seemed to have momentum after an 11-0 run to take the lead 50-39 midway through the second half.

From then the result was simply “disappointing,” head coach Chris Jans said.

The Flyers fought back ending the game on a 17-2 run that gave them the 56-52 win at UD Arena Tuesday night.

“They ramped up their defense and we knew they would,” Jans said. “At the same time we had some good looks at the basket with some of our better players and we didn’t knock them down.”

The Falcons struggled to keep the Flyers’ players out of the paint as they allowed them to shoot 16 free throws in the final ten minutes of the contest.

“We wanted to keep them in front of us as best as possible and keep them away from the free throw line,” Jans said. “That’s what they do, we weren’t surprised. They wore us down a little bit and kind of imposed their will on us. That was kind of disappointing.”

That coupled with the Falcons inability to score hurt them, but the Falcons never panicked Jans said.

“I thought they stuck together and stayed with the game plan,” Jans said. “That was a good sign, but at this level of college basketball, it’s about results.”

This marks the Falcons’ second loss this season and second straight on the road.

Zack Denny led all Falcons with 16 points, but Richaun Holmes was the only other Falcon in double digits with 11 points.

Denny started the game strong, scoring nine of the Falcons first eleven points and assisted on the other basket.

Denny and the Falcons carried that the rest of the first half as they had good control of the game leading 32-24. They won the battle on the boards holding a 21-13 advantage and held the Flyers to 39 percent shooting in the half.

“We came out strong and with energy,” Denny said. “We just had a good start overall.”

The second half on the other hand was a different story as the Flyers slowly worked their way back into the game.

The Flyers started the half shooting 3-4 from the field and would eventually tie the game at 39-39. The Falcons responded with an 11-0 run and went up 50-39 with 10 minutes to go.

“We knew they weren’t going to go away,” Jans said. “They are a program coming off of an elite eight run and have an established culture. That lead evaporated quickly and then it became a dog fight.”

The Falcons did indeed fight to keep the lead for most of the second half, but the Flyers would eventually take a 53-52 lead with 2:14 left in the game.

The Flyers added two free throws before the Falcons had a chance to tie the game. With seven seconds left to play Spencer Parker missed the game-tying three point shot and the Flyers got the rebound, ending the Falcons chances.

“This is a good learning experience, playing against a good team in a hostile crowd and being able to fight to the end,” Denny said. “We learned some things.”

With this loss the Falcons fall to 5-2 on the season and will host Cleveland State University on Saturday.

“I’m disappointed,” Jans said. “I thought we should have won this game, we just didn’t make the plays down the stretch.”