Ziggyville Population: 106
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team took on the St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday (Dec. 21) at the Stroh. Derrick Butler tallied 15 points for the Falcons, hitting the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career, ending the game with 1,009. Javontae Campbell led BGSU scorers with 18 while adding four steals. Marcus Johnson rounded out the double-digit point totals for BGSU with 16. St. Thomas claimed the 93-68 final. Bowling Green will be back at home on Monday (Dec. 23) against Aquinas College for a 3 p.m. tip, concluding the 2024 calendar for BGSU basketball. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Thomas won the opening tip and started the game with a 5-0 run. Javontae Campbell put the first BGSU points on the board with a layup, but a Tommie answer made it a 7-2 score at the first media timeout.
• Out of the timeout, Wilguens Jr. Exacte made a free throw for the Falcons, but a 9-0 St. Thomas run followed for a 16-3 score.
• Exacte ended the run with a layup and a jumper to put the Falcons back in the scoring column with a 4-0 run on his own, cutting the score down to 16-7 at the second media timeout.
• Two Tommie free throws came after the timeout followed by a three for Derrick Butler. The back and forth continued with a layup for each, seeing Campbell score BGSU's for a 20-12 score.
• St. Thomas added a 5-0 run going into the under-8 media break for a 25-12 score. The Tommies added two after the timeout for a 7-0 run.
• Braelon Green joined the scoring with a layup to pause the run, but four St. Thomas points followed. Marcus Johnson added two at the line with Green later hitting a free throw for a 36-18 score at the under-4 timeout.
• St. Thomas answered with a 10-0 run out of the timeout. Trey Thomas hit a layup for the Falcons before the break, heading to halftime with a 46-20 score.
• Butler added a jumper to start the second half scoring. St. Thomas added two, but Johnson matched it at the line for BGSU. 
• The back-and-forth continued with the Tommies adding three before a Johnson triple. Two at the line from Campbell and a layup made it a 7-0 BGSU run. St. Thomas hit a three before the first media timeout for a 54-31 score.
• The run for the Tommies stretched to 10-0 in the game, expanding the lead to 61-31 before a Campbell steal and score ended the run.
• St. Thomas added a layup before a three from Johnson to make it a 63-36 score at the under-12 media timeout.
• Each team tallied a bucket before the next stoppage with BGSU's coming on a Campbell steal and score for a 65-38 score with 10:30 left in regulation.
• The Tommies added to their advantage before a Johnson three and a Thomas layup cut into the deficit, making it a 71-43 tally at the under-8 break.
• The two teams went back-and-forth to the next stoppage with Campbell scoring the BGSU points between breaks, moving to a 76-47 score.
• Bowling Green went on a 7-0 run to cut the score to 76-52 before a St. Thomas three. Butler added an and-one for a 79-55 score.
• St. Thomas hit another three, but the Falcons resumed their scoring with four free throws before a fast break layup from Butler, cutting it down to 82-61. The Tommies answered with an 8-0 run to rebuild their lead to 90-61.
• A three from Johnson ended the St. Thomas run. Back-and-forth points came next with a Thomas and-one for the Falcons plus a Preston Squire free throw, leading to the 93-68 final.

STAT LEADERS

• Javontae Campbell: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals
• Marcus Johnson: 16 points, 5 rebounds
• Derrick Butler: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Trey Thomas: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
• Wilguens Jr. Exacte: 7 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound

FALCON STAT FACTS

• As a team, the Falcons finished the game 18-of-20 at the free throw line, the third time this season shooting 90-percent or better at the line.
• Entering the game with 994 career points, Derrick Butler recorded 15 in the contest to push past the 1,000-career point mark for his collegiate tenure. 
• Javontae Campbell led the Falcons with 18 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with six. Campbell concluded the game with four steals, bringing his season total to 36 through 11 games. 
• Marcus Johnson rounded out the double-digit scorers for BGSU, finishing with 16 points. Johnson sank a team-high four threes in the game while going 4-for-4 at the free throw line, now 34-of-36 on the season at the line.
• Wilguens Jr. Exacte contributed a season-high seven points for the Falcons while recording a season-high and team-leading two assists. 
• Jamai Felt tallied the first steals of his collegiate career, ending the game with two. He added six rebounds to his stat line, tying for the team lead in the game.

UP NEXT
The Falcons will be back home in less than 48 hours, returning to the Stroh Center on Monday (Dec. 23) to host Aquinas College. The Falcons and Saints are scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip. The game against Aquinas will have $3 tickets for fans and free parking. Santa will be at the Stroh! Fans can meet Santa on the main concourse before the game. There will also be a special video board presentation for the holidays.  

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'