BOWLING GREEN -- Wednesday night the challenges kept coming at the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team like waves battering the beach during a storm.
All game long the Falcons would give themselves a little breathing room, only to have visiting Ball State mount another charge.
In the end BG was able to weather all the storms as different players hit big shots in big moments to lead the Falcons to a 65-64 win at Anderson Arena.
"I thought we responded to the challenge late in the game," Falcon coach Louis Orr said. "Our guys stepped up and hit some big baskets.
"A'uston [Calhoun] hit a couple of big baskets, Scott [Thomas] hit a big basket, and Jordon [Crawford] hit a big 3-pointer. That's what it takes [to win games]. … A lot of our guys can make big shots and big plays."
Calhoun finished with 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Crawford had 10 points as Bowling Green improved to 12-12 overall and 7-3 in the Mid-American Conference.
Jarrod Jones led Ball State (14-9, 6-4 MAC) with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Tyrae Robinson had 12 points and Malik Perry finished with 10 points and 11 boards.
The first storm hit the Falcons in the game's opening moments as the Cardinals hit their first six shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, to jump out to a 15-6 lead.
But Ball State made just 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) the rest of the half, allowing BG to get back into the game. The Falcons used a 10-4 finish to take a 31-25 halftime lead.
"We started to fall in love with jump shots because we were making jump shots," BSU coach Billy Taylor said. "It also hurt us that Jarrod picked up two fouls -- our best interior scorer was on the bench with two fouls.
"That led us to being a more perimeter-based, jump-shooting team."
Bowling Green maintained control through most of the second half, but there were some scares. The first came when the Cardinals cut BG's lead to 43-40 with 9:14 left.
The Falcons responded with a quick seven-point spurt, keyed by Thomas. He made a steal, scored and was fouled, then made the free throw. Dee Brown had the other four points in that run to make it 50-40 Bowling Green with 8:15 left.
The biggest challenge came with 2:36 left in the game as Ball State's Robinson made a pair of free throws that sliced BG's lead to 57-56. The Falcons got the ball to Calhoun in the low block on their next two possessions and the sophomore scored both times.
"The first time I got the ball in the post I picked up a charging foul, so that's the way I figured they would play me the whole game," Calhoun said. "I tried to be more relaxed and see how much space [the defender] would give me.
"When I received the ball in the post from Scott, [the defender] didn't come up on me -- he gave me the space to take the shot, so I took the shot."
Crawford added a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left that gave BG a seemingly insurmountable 64-56 lead. But Ball State made one final charge, making a free throw with six seconds left that cut the Falcons' lead to 65-62.
Jones missed the second free throw and the Cardinals had several touches around the basket, finally scoring at the buzzer. The problem? BSU needed a 3-pointer to tie the game instead of the two points they got.
"You've got to have time and score recognition," Taylor said. "With five seconds left, you have to get an opportunity at a 3-point shot.
"We didn't -- we had all shots in the paint. We had to at least get a look at a 3 to tie the game up."
NOTES: The Falcons inserted Brown into the starting lineup for Luke Kraus. That switch gave BG its tenth lineup in 24 games this season. … Bowling Green continues to wear its throw-back jerseys for home games and is 4-1 wearing them this season. … Thomas finished with nine points, marking the first conference game he did not reach double figures.
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com or 419-724-6481.
First Published February 10, 2011, 7:16 a.m.
