Falcons Hit The Road For First Away MAC Contest, Set To Face WMU Tuesday
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will take to the road for the first time since Dec. 14, heading to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a game against the Western Michigan Broncos Tuesday night (Jan. 7). Bowling Green and Western Michigan are set for a 7 p.m. tip inside Read Fieldhouse. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ with Tood Walker having the radio call on WFRO Eagle 99 for the Falcons.
Opening Tip
The Falcons and Broncos will be meeting for the 129th time in program history with the Falcons holding the all-time advantage, 77-51. BGSU won both meetings between the two programs last season, including a 73-65 final in Kalamazoo on March 5, 2024. The game will mark the first road conference game of the season for the Falcons and the first of two straight, heading to Ball State on Saturday (Jan. 11).
A Bowling Green Win Would…
- Mark the first true road win for Bowling Green this season with their lone win away from the Stroh Center being at a neutral site.
- Push Bowling Green back to .500 in the MAC through the first two games of the conference schedule.
- Give BGSU three-straight wins over Western Michigan for the first time since winning four-straight from Feb. 13, 2018 until Jan. 14, 2020.
Scouting The Broncos
Western Michigan heads into the game against the Falcons with a 3-10 record on the season. The wins for the Broncos have come against Davenport, Canisius and Youngstown State. Western Michigan opened the MAC schedule at home against Toledo on Saturday (Jan. 4), coming up short to the Rockets, 76-70. Senior forward Owen Lobsinger posted a double-double for WMU in the game while junior guard Chansey Willis Jr. scored a team-high 21 points in just his fifth game this season, making his season debut on Dec. 13.
BGSU vs. Western Michigan, All-Time
The Falcons and Broncos will be meeting for the 129th time in program history with Bowling Green holding the all-time advantage with a record of 77-51 against WMU. Last year, BGSU won both meetings between the two programs, including a 73-65 final in Kalamazoo on March 5, 2024. Over the last 10 games, the Falcons hold a 7-3 record over the Broncos. Bowling Green has also won four of the last five meetings in Kalamazoo between the two, evening the all-time standing to 32-32 when at WMU.
Campbell Among Nation's Best
Javontae Campbell remains one of the nation's best in the steals department. Campbell has amassed 44 steals this season and is averaging 3.38 steals per game for the Falcons. His average is currently the second-best mark in the country and his total comes in third. He trails UC San Diego's Hayden Gray in both categories. Gray has 56 total steals with 3.73 steals per game. As for total steals, Maine's Kellen Tynes ranks second with 50 steals. The current BGSU single-season steals record is set at 82 by DeMar Moore in 1996-97. As for the MAC steals record, it's held by Ball State's Bonzi Wells with 103 during the 1997-98 campaign.
Falcons Shooting Free Throws
This season Bowling Green is shooting 78.9-percent at the free throw line, leading the MAC and ranking 13th in the nation. As a team, BGSU has shot 90-percent or better in a game three times and has shot 80-percent or better six times at the line. Leading the Falcons is Marcus Johnson, shooting 89.2-percent at the line with just four misses in 37 attempts. Johnson is second in the MAC behind only Buffalo's Ryan Sabol who is 41-of-45, also with four misses, compared to Johnson's 33-of-37.
Crashing The Boards
Bowling Green has been on a hot streak rebounding. Against Aquinas the Falcons hauled in a season-high 49 rebounds, but followed it up with 50 against Akron in the MAC opener. Before the two games BGSU had posted more than 37 rebounds in a game just once this year with 45 against Taylor. Leading the charge on the boards for BGSU has been Jamai Felt. Felt has posted at least six rebounds in six of the last seven games, including 11 against Aquinas and 10 against Akron. Despite averaging just 15.1 minutes per game, Felt is already up to 13th in the MAC for rebounds per game (5.6).
Johnson Topping MAC Scoring List
So far this season, Marcus Johnson has been one of the most consistent scorers in the MAC. Through 13 games, Johnson has posted double-digit points in 11 contests for the Falcons, including a team-high five 20-point games. In total, Johnson is averaging a MAC-leading 17.0 points per game. He is currently in the midst of a six-game stretch of scoring double-digit points, posting three 20-point games during the stretch. His season-high 24 points came against Niagara on Nov. 19 after posting 23 against Michigan State.
Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' men's basketball team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMBB
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsumhoops'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'
Latest Men's Basketball News
- Falcons Overcome First Half Deficit For First MAC Win In Road Victory Over WMUKALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team picked up their first MAC win, and first true road win, of the season, with an 83-79 victory over Western Michigan Tuesday night (Jan. 7) in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Falcons fell behind by as many as 14 in the first half, but an 11-1 stretch to close the first half pulled Bowling Green within four, 42-38. The Falcons continued to press forward in the second half, capturing the 83-79 final down the stretch. Bowling Green overcame a 14-point deficit in the win, the largest comeback win of the season so far for the Orange and Brown. The win puts the Falcons at 1-1 in the early going of the MAC schedule.
- Coaches Show Returns For First Show Of 2025, Featuring Todd Simon, Curtis CarrBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The weekly Falcons Nest Coaches Show presented by Fricker's, returns Monday night (Jan. 6) on Falcon Sports Radio Network stations. Bowling Green head men's basketball coach Todd Simon will join the "Voice of the Falcons" Todd Walker with a previously recorded segment at 6 p.m. due to men's basketball travel. The show will continue in-person with Kevin Piel being joined by assistant men's ice hockey coach Curtis Carr at 6:30 p.m. at Fricker's. Fans can watch the show live at the Bowling Green Fricker's.
- Falcons Take Reigning MAC Champs Akron Down To The Wire In MAC OpenerBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team opened the MAC slate of the 2024-25 schedule Friday night (Jan. 3) at the Stroh Center and on national TV. Hosting Akron in the MAC opener on CBS Sports Network, the Falcons took the reigning MAC Champions down to the wire, leading for over 36 minutes of game time. However, a late surge by the Zips pushed Akron ahead in the final minute to claim a close 71-68 final.
- Falcons, Zips Set For National TV Showdown In MAC Opener Friday NightBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will open the MAC men's basketball conference schedule Friday night (Jan. 3) inside the Stroh Center, hosting the Akron Zips in a 6 p.m. tip on CBS Sports Network. The game will conclude a three-game homestand for the Falcons and will be BGSU's first time on CBS Sports Network this season. In addition to the national TV broadcast, Todd Walker will have the radio call on WFRO Eagle 99.
- Javontae Campbell Named MAC Player Of The WeekCLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the men's basketball MAC Player of the Week Monday afternoon (Dec. 30). This week's lone recipient was Bowling Green's Javontae Campbell, a junior guard from Muskogee, Okla. This marks the first award of Campbell's BGSU career. He is the second Falcon to receive the honor this season, joining Derrick Butler who was a Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 9.
- Campbell Logs BGSU’s First Triple-Double Since 2007 As Falcons Top AquinasBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team closed out the 2024 calendar on Monday (Dec. 23) with an 87-62 win over Aquinas College inside the Stroh Center. The Falcons led wire-to-wire in the game with Marcus Johnson hitting a three for the first basket of the contest and not looking back. Johnson led all scorers with 20 points while shooting 80-percent from the field. Javontae Campbell stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the first BGSU triple-double since 2007. Jamai Felt added 13 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double while Derrick Butler added 18 points of his own in the win. For the Falcons, the team will now transition to MAC play, beginning at home against Akron on Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. with a national TV broadcast on CBS Sports Network.