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
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Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSUMBB
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Latest Men's Basketball News
- Falcons Add Colorado Transfer Guard Javon RuffinBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Javon Ruffin on Friday (May 2). Ruffin, a 6-foot-5 guard, will join the Falcons after spending the last four seasons at Colorado, including a redshirt season in 2021-22. A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Ruffin played in 75 games over three seasons for the Buffaloes, including making 12 starts with 10 being during the 2024-25 campaign.
- BGSU Inks NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention Jason Kimbrough Jr.BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Jason Kimbrough Jr. on Thursday (April 24). Kimbrough, a 6-foot guard, will join the Falcons after spending the 2024-25 campaign with Highland Community College in Illinois. A native of Maricopa, Ariz., Kimbrough was named an NJCAA Division I All-America Honorable Mention as well as All-Region Honors this past season in the NJCAA's Region 4.
- Bowling Green Adds GLVC Defensive Player Of The Year Troy Glover IIBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Troy Glover II on Thursday (April 24). Glover, a 6-foot-10 forward, will join the Falcons after spending the last two seasons with the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A native of Wheaton, Ill., Glover was named the 2024-25 Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Defensive honors from the conference as well.
- Falcons Sign PBC Freshman Of The Year Josiah ShackelfordBOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program and head coach Todd Simon announced the signing of Josiah Shackelford on Thursday (April 24). Shackelford, a 6-foot-4 guard, will join the Falcons after playing the 2024-25 season at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. A native of Sanford, Fla., Shackelford was named the 2024-25 Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference Third-Team honors as well.
- Felt, Humphrey Named Academic All-MACCLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced Friday afternoon (April 4) the 2024-25 Men's Basketball Academic All-MAC Team. A total of 29 student-athletes were named across the conference with Bowling Green totaling two with Jamai Felt and DaJion Humphrey being named. Western Michigan led the way in the MAC with five, followed closely by Toledo's four.
- Falcons Late Season Surge Comes To Close In MAC QuarterfinalsCLEVELAND, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team kicked off the 2024-25 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament in Cleveland on Thursday (March 13) inside Rocket Arena. Bowling Green took on the top-seeded Akron Zips in the first game of the tournament on the men's side. For the Falcons, Marcus Johnson led the way with 23 points, including five three-pointers, while Jamai Felt added 12 points and Javontae Campbell tallied 10 points and swiped four steals for the Orange and Brown. Despite the efforts, Akron came away with a 96-67 final. For Bowling Green, the loss closes out a stretch to end the year that included wins in seven of their last 11 contests.