Men’s Hoops Returns Home To Host Davidson Friday At Stroh
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will return home to the Stroh Center on Friday (Nov. 8) for this season's home opener, hosting Davidson for a 7 p.m. tip. The Falcons are coming off a loss to Southern Miss in the season opener, but have won six consecutive home openers at the Stroh Center. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ with a radio feed from Kevin Piel on WFRO Eagle 99.
Opening Tip
The Falcons and Wildcats will be meeting for the third time in program history and the first time since 1987. So far, the all-time series is split 1-1. Bowling Green hosting Davidson will mark the first of 14 home games for the Falcons this season and the first of two consecutive, hosting Taylor University on Monday (Nov. 11). The Ziggyville theme for the game will be Beach Night with the first 500 students receiving an orange bucket hat.
A Bowling Green Win Would…
- Give Coach Simon a 1-0 home start in each of his first two seasons, becoming the first coach to do so since Louis Orr (2007-08, 2008-09) and the ninth all-time, joining Orr, Dan Dakich, Jim Larranaga, John Weinert, Pat Haley, Bob Conibear, Harold Anderson and Paul Landis.
- Grant Bowling Green a 1-0 home start for the seventh consecutive season as well as a 1-0 home start in 31 of the last 33 seasons.
- Swing the all-time series against Davidson to Bowling Green's favor, 2-1.
Scouting The Wildcats
Davidson opened up the 2024-25 season on Monday (Nov. 4) with a home win over William Peace, 88-47. In total, Davidson had four players tally double-digit points, led by Connor Kochera's 19. Bobby Durkin followed with 15 along with 13 from Zach Laput and 11 from Reed Bailey. As a team, the Wildcats are coming off a 15-17 season a year ago, having faced two MAC opponents, Miami (OH) and Ohio. Davidson hosted the RedHawks, capturing a 79-61 win. The game against Ohio was a neutral site in Cleveland, winning 72-69.
BGSU v. Davidson, All-Time
This will be the third meeting all-time between Bowling Green and Davidson and the first since 1987. The Falcons and Wildcats squared off in Bowling Green in 1986 and at Davidson in 1987 with the home team coming out victorious in both matchups. The first meeting, taking place in Bowling Green, went into overtime with the Falcons edging ahead for the 75-71 final score. The following year, Davidson took the final score at home, claiming a 76-70 final tally.
Trey For Trey
In the season opener, Trey Thomas paced the Falcons with 17 points, tying Derrick Butler for the team lead. Thomas erupted for five three pointers in the game, the most by a Falcon since he did so last season on Dec. 12 against Siena Heights. As a team, the Falcons tallied 10 three-pointers with Thomas accounting for half. The total marks the most threes for BGSU since making 12 against Ohio on Jan. 9 of last season. For Thomas, the outing marked his 19th double-digit scoring game as a Falcon. Currently, Thomas is tied for fourth in the MAC for scoring and tied for first in three-pointers made.
Campbell Stuffs The Stat Sheet
Javontae Campbell made the most of his Bowling Green debut, contributing in multiple ways for the Falcons. For starters, Campbell tallied 14 points in the game, being one of four Falcons with double-digit points. On top of his scoring output, Campbell led Bowling Green in both assists and steals, recording four of each. Only three players in the MAC tallied at least four assists and four steals in the first game of the season with Campbell being joined by Central Michigan's Anthony Pritchard and Miami's Mekhi Cooper. Of the three, Campbell is the only one to score 14 or more points.
Towns On The Boards
Sam Towns crashed the boards early and often for the Falcons in the first game of the season, hauling in a team-high 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds for Towns marked his fifth game as a Falcon with double-digit rebounds. He did so twice last season, registering 11 rebounds both times, and twice in 2022-23, logging 10 both times. With nine of Towns' rebounds coming on the defensive end, he's now tied for first in the MAC and 20th in the nation for defensive rebounds. Towns was one of four players in the MAC to tally double-digit rebounds in the first game of the season.
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
- Bahamas National Team To Welcome Lourawls Nairn Jr. As Head Coach At FIBA AmeriCupNASSAU, Bahamas - The Bahamas National Team has announced that current BGSU Men's Basketball Associate Head Coach Lourawls Nairn Jr. will serve as the Senior Men's National Team Head Coach at the FIBA AmeriCup. The Cup will take place later this month in Nicaragua, scheduled for August 22-31. The Bahamas will be part of Group A, joined by the United States, Brazil and Uruguay. The first game for the Bahamas will be against the United States on August 23. Following completion of the tournament, Nairn is set to return to Bowling Green and resume his duties as associate head coach.
- Men’s Hoops Earns NABC Academic Excellence AwardKANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced the recipients of the 2024-25 NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards and NABC Honors Court on Thursday (July 17). The awards represent achievement in the classroom by men's college basketball teams and individual players. This year, Bowling Green received the Team Academic Excellence Award with six players being named to the Honors Court. For BGSU, the five players include Javontae Campbell, Wilguens Jr. Exacte, DaJion Humphrey, Mohamed Maxamud, Greg Spurgin and Preston Squire.
- BGSU Athletics Announces 2025 Hall of Fame ClassThe Bowling Green State University Athletics Department has announced the latest class of inductees into the Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2025. The induction ceremony and related events will take place on the weekend of Oct. 10-11, 2025, with the induction ceremony set for Friday evening, Oct. 10, and the inductees recognized at the football game vs. Toledo on Saturday, Oct. 11.
- BGSU Athletics Partners with Vet Tix to Provide Complimentary Tickets to Veterans, Military Personnel, First Responders and Their FamiliesBOWLING GREEN, Ohio— Bowling Green State University Athletics has announced a new partnership with the Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) and 1st Tix, offering complimentary tickets to Falcon Football, Volleyball, Ice Hockey, Men's and Women's Basketball and Gymnastics home events during the 2025-26 season.
- Basketball Matchups Announced For First Games Of 2025-26 MAC-SBC ChallengeCLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) announced the first matchups in the third installment of the MAC-SBC Challenge Tuesday afternoon (July 1). The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance in the sports of men's and women's basketball and will be played during the opening week of the 2025-26 season with 12 MAC men's basketball programs hosting 12 SBC teams, while the 12 MAC women's basketball programs will visit 12 SBC teams.
- BGSU Signs Florida State Transfer Guard Justin ThomasBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Justin Thomas on Wednesday (May 7). Thomas, a 6-foot-7 guard, will join the Falcons after spending the 2024-25 season with Florida State. A native of Baton Rouge, La., Thomas played in 32 games for the Seminoles last season, including five starts while averaging 22.1 minutes per game.
