KENT, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team took on the Kent State Golden Flashes on Tuesday night (Jan. 28) at the M.A.C. Center. Bowling Green matched Kent State in the second half, each scoring 34 points, but a first half deficit of 41-23 made the difference in the 75-57 outcome. For Bowling Green, Marcus Johnson recorded 21 points and six rebounds, both team leads in the game. Javontae Campbell added 16 points, including an 11-of-12 night at the free throw line, and four steals. The Falcons move to 7-13 on the season while being 2-6 within the MAC. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kent State took the opening tip, hitting a three on their first possession for the first points of the game. Another basket the next time down put the Golden Flashes in front early 5-0. 
• The first Bowling Green points of the game came off a Trey Thomas floater in the paint. Thomas later hit a three to tie the game up at 5-5, but Kent State reclaimed the lead with a jumper for a 7-5 score at the first media timeout.
• Coming out of the break, the two teams went back-and-forth with BGSU layups coming from Thomas and Javontae Campbell, moving the score to 11-9 Kent State.
• Another layup increased the Golden Flash lead to 13-9, but a Marcus Johnson triple pulled the Falcons back within one with a 13-12 score at the under-12 media break.
• Out of the timeout, Kent State tallied a 7-0 run to push their lead to 20-12. Johnson ended the run with a stepback three, but the Golden Flashes answered with a triple of their own on the other end. Another three for KSU made the score 26-15 with a BGSU timeout, bringing about the under-8 media timeout with it.
• Johnson kept his three-point barrage going after the timeout, hitting his third-straight BGSU basket. Another Bowling Green three, this time from Wilguens Jr. Exacte, moved the score to 26-21 with a 6-0 BGSU burst.
• The next points for Kent State came at the free throw line, making three of four attempts. The Golden Flashes added a three, stretching their lead back to 32-21 at the final media timeout of the half. 
• Campbell sank two at the line after the timeout to cut the deficit back down to single digits, but Kent State put together a 9-0 run to rebuild their advantage to 41-23 with a BGSU timeout with the score carrying to the halftime whistle.
• The first points of the second half came off a Kent State dunk. Across the half, the Golden Flash run stretched to 11-0 with a 43-23 lead. Bowling Green ended the run with Johnson going to the line, hitting two. 
• Exacte later tallied a second-chance layup, but a pair of Kent State layups followed for a 47-27 score at the first media timeout of the half. 
• Campbell swiped his second steal of the game, turning it into four free throws at the other end. Exacte followed with a layup for the Falcons. KSU added a layup and called a timeout with the score at 49-31. 
• After the timeout, Campbell made two more at the line for BGSU with a Kent State fadeaway jumper matching the total for a 51-33 score at the under-12 media timeout.
• Coming out of the break, Kent State registered a 7-0 run to push their lead to 58-33. Johnson ended the run with a three before two KSU free throws. Johnson added a hook shot for BGSU, making it a 60-38 score at under-8 break.
• Following the media break, Kent State hit a three followed by a Derrick Butler free throw and a Johnson hook shot. Campbell added two more at the line for a 5-0 BGSU burst.
• Kent State ended the run with a three with Thomas getting a layup to go on the offensive end for the Falcons. An and-one for Johnson tallied another 5-0 BGSU run, making it a 10-3 stretch in favor of the Orange and Brown.
• The Golden Flashes sank two at the line to push their lead back to 68-48 at the final media timeout of regulation. Out of the break, Campbell made three at the line for BGSU.
• Two Kent State layups were interrupted by a Campbell three. Butler added an and-one, but a KSU three matched the points for the 75-57 final score. 

STAT LEADERS

• Marcus Johnson: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block
• Javontae Campbell: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block
• Trey Thomas: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Wilguens Jr. Exacte: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

FALCON STAT FACTS

• Javontae Campbell recorded four steals in the game for the Falcons, bringing his season total to 63. The mark moves Campbell into the Top 10 in program history for steals in a single season, now up to eighth on the list. 
• Marcus Johnson tallied a team-high 21 points in the game, his 13th-straight with double-digit points. Johnson now has a team-leading eight 20-point games. 
• Johnson added a team-high six rebounds in the game, his sixth time leading the Falcons in rebounds this season. 
• Campbell joined Johnson in the double-digit point feat, finishing with 16. Campbell went 11-of-12 at the free throw line, matching his career-high in attempts and setting a new career-high in free throws made. 
• Bowling Green utilized a new starting lineup for the first time since the Morgan State game on Dec. 7 with DaJion Humphrey making his first start of the season. 

UP NEXT
Bowling Green will stay on the road for their next contest, heading to Central Michigan on Saturday (Feb. 1) for a 7 p.m. tip against the Chippewas. From there, the Falcons will be back at home for three-straight games, beginning with Northern Illinois on Feb. 4. 

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