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Falcons Shake Off Early Season Struggles, Top Taylor 107-43 For First Win

Ziggyville Population: 214
Mon, Nov 11, 2024

Ziggyville Population: 214
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team tallied their first win of the 2024-25 season in electric fashion, besting Taylor University, 107-43, Monday night (Nov. 11) at the Stroh Center. The Falcons recorded an early 15-0 run to jump out to a lead and finished off the first half with a 21-0 run, taking a 36-point lead into the half. The Falcons kept the pressure on in the second half, eclipsing the 100-point mark for the first time during the Simon Era. In total, 13 different players saw the floor for the Falcons with 12 scoring and 10 hitting at least one three-pointer. As a team, the Falcons hit 16 threes, just one shy of tying the program record. Bowling Green will now transition their attention to Saturday's (Nov. 16) game against Michigan State on the Big Ten Network. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Taylor began the game with a layup, but the Falcons quickly jumped in front, producing an 11-0 run to the first media timeout. The first BGSU points came from a Youssef Khayat three, swinging it around the arc to him for the shot.
  • The next time down defensively, BGSU nearly forced a shot clock violation that turned into a fast break the other way for a 4-2 lead after a foul and made free throw from Sam Towns.
  • Marcus Johnson added a hook shot the next time down before hitting a transition three for a 5-0 run on his own, giving the 11-2 score.
  • Out of the timeout, Towns added two more free throws while Khayat made a layup for a 15-0 run and 15-2 lead before the next Taylor basket.
  • Derrick Butler immediately kept the scoring going for the Falcons, hitting a three for an 18-4 advantage. Taylor put together a burst, creating a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 18-11 for Bowling Green at the under-12 media break.
  • Out of the break, Braelon Green ended the Taylor run, spinning for the step back in the paint. Trey Thomas kept it going with an up-and-under the next trip down. 
  • Johnson kept the momentum rolling with back-to-back pick-and-pop threes off Thomas assists, followed by another three from Johnson in transition for a 9-0 run on his own, a 31-14 lead and a Taylor timeout.
  • Out of the timeout, Green added a layup to push the run to 11-0. Taylor answered back with a 6-0 run to trim the lead to 33-20 going into the under-8 media timeout.
  • After the media break, Towns ended the Taylor run with a pair of free throws. Campbell later hit a three after a Taylor bucket for a 38-22 tally.
  • The Trojans hit a free throw followed by another Campbell three, stretching the BGSU lead to 41-23 at the under-4 media timeout.
  • Out of the timeout, DaJion Humphrey forced a turnover, breaking away for a layup and a 20-point BGSU lead at 43-23.
  • The Falcons kept the pressure on with a four-play from Thomas. Towns added a coast-to-coast layup off a rebound followed by two Johnson free throws, making it a 13-0 run with a 51-23 lead.
  • Butler joined the four-point play parade, converting one around a Taylor timeout, pushing the run to 17-0 with a 55-23 advantage.
  • The run continued for BGSU with an alley oop from Towns to Jamai Felt slamming it down on the other end, his first points as a Falcon. Humphrey added another fast break layup, this time off a Green steal, stretching the lead to 59-23 and closing out the half with a 21-0 run.
  • Taylor tallied the first points in the first half before a Johnson triple put BGSU on the second half board. Khayat added two free throws to start a 5-0 burst. 
  • The run continued for the Falcons with Johnson finding Khayat in the lane for a layup. Campbell added a layup the next time down and then again off a steal. Khayat slammed it home for a 13-0 run and 72-25 lead at the first media timeout of the second half.
  • The run ended with a pair of Taylor free throws before Green put the Falcons back in the scoring column with a layup. Preston Squire continued the run with a three followed by a Butler layup and fast break score for Green, spelling a 9-0 Falcon run and an 81-27 advantage.
  • The Trojans added four points to their total with a Wilguens Jr. Exacte three breaking the run. A tip in from Squire and lay up from Green made it a 7-0 BGSU burst. Taylor added a three before the under-8 media break with the score at 88-34 Bowling Green.
  • Taylor added two free throws. Butler added a layup followed by threes from Green and Felt, interrupted by a free throw to make the score 96-39.
  • Green cleaned the boards with a put back for the next BGSU score. Humphrey pushed the Falcons past the 100-point mark with a fast break dunk.
  • Jaxon Pardon followed with a triple and then a fast break slam for a 105-39 score. Exacte added a layup to stretch the Bowling Green lead late for the 107-43 final. 

STAT LEADERS

FALCON STAT FACTS

  • The 107 points mark the first 100-point game of the Todd Simon Era at Bowling Green. The last 100-point game for the Falcons was a 102-65 win over Ohio Dominican on Dec. 29, 2022. 
  • As a team, the Falcons hit 16 three-pointers, one shy of tying the program record. Bowling Green has hit 17 threes in a game twice, doing so against Carlow on Dec. 21, 2021 and against Siena on Dec. 4, 1989 which stand as the two highest-scoring games in program history.
  • Bowling Green held Taylor to 43 points, the first time keeping an opponent under 50 since Dec. 10, 2023 against Ohio Dominican. The total is the lowest for a BGSU opponent since a 68-42 win over Northern Illinois on January 2, 2021. 
  • Marcus Johnson led the Falcons in points with 19, reaching the total for the second straight game. Johnson hit five threes for the second consecutive game as well, giving BGSU a player with five threes in each of the first three games this season after Trey Thomas had five in the season opener. 
  • Javontae Campbell totaled 12 points in the contest, joining Johnson as the only Falcons with double-digit points in all three games so far this season. Campbell added two steals to his stat line, giving him 10 through the first three games.
  • Braelon Green logged a career-high 15 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field over a team-high 21 minutes of action. Green also led the team in assists with four while stuffing the stat sheet with four rebounds and a steal.
  • Derrick Butler and Youssef Khayat rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Falcons, each with 11. Butler added three rebounds and a steal while Khayat did a bit of everything, logging four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. 
  • Jamai Felt tallied his first points as a Falcon, slamming down an alley oop in the first half and hitting a three in the second half. Felt tied Sam Towns for the team lead in rebounds, hauling in eight, including three on the offensive end. 
  • DaJion Humphrey was a menace on the defensive side of the ball, forcing five turnovers. His career-high five steals are the most by a Falcon this season with the last five-steal game by a Falcon belonging to Marcus Hill on March 8, 2024 against Ball State. 
  • Jaxon Pardon made his BGSU debut and made the most of his six minutes of action. Pardon tallied five points, hitting a three and slamming home a dunk, in addition to two rebounds, an assist and a steal. 
  • Preston Squire registered his first BGSU points, recording five in the contest while adding three rebounds and an assist. Wilguens Jr. Exacte contributed to the effort with five points, four rebounds and an assist over 15 minutes of action. Greg Spurgin rounded out the players to see the floor, playing nine minutes with a rebound.
  • The win marks the first over Taylor in program history, giving the Falcons wins over 265 different opponents over the course of the program's 110 season history.

QUOTE FROM COACH SIMON
"Felt good to put 40 full minutes together. We've seen spurts in these first two games and we wanted to show some consistency of effort, some consistency of focus and communication. I thought we did a good job of that and getting stops because of that turned into points. This team can certainly score in bunches. With our focus on the defensive end and rebounding, that part of the game will get even better."

UP NEXT
The Falcons will head on the road for their next contest, traveling to Michigan State to take on the Spartans Saturday (Nov. 16). BGSU and MSU are scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip on Big Ten Network. Bowling Green's next home game will be Tuesday, Nov. 19, hosting Niagara at 7 p.m. 

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