BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team has proven it can compete with the top teams in the Mid-American Conference.
With the 2022-23 league schedule near the halfway point, can the Falcons find another gear to turn their tough losses into wins?
BGSU went toe to toe with league-leading Akron and nearly pulled out a win over the defending MAC tournament champions on Jan. 10. The Falcons gave Toledo a battle early on and turned a 20-point second-half deficit to eight Saturday before costly turnovers and the Rockets’ high-powered offense sent BGSU home from Savage Arena with a 91-77 loss.
BGSU (10-11), which is tied for fifth in the league with a 4-4 record, is still in the hunt to return to the MAC tournament after a one-year absence. But the Falcons, who were picked to finish ninth in the conference in a preseason poll, will likely have to find a way to pull off some upsets.
Especially with a gauntlet of a schedule coming up over the next two weeks.
“We are able to keep up with top MAC teams,” senior guard/forward Chandler Turner said. “For us to be able to be in it, I feel like we’re in a good position.
“We’ve just got to be able to finish out more games and continue to climb our way to the top.”
The Falcons are in a nearly similar situation as they were last season. BGSU went 3-5 in its first eight MAC games, including a 91-78 loss to Toledo.
After a win over Eastern Michigan made BGSU 4-5 in the MAC, the Falcons lost nine of their past 11 games. A 40-point loss at Toledo capped off the regular season.
BGSU’s start against Toledo on Saturday was solid, with the two teams playing to nine ties in a back-and-forth game in the opening 13 minutes. The Rockets outscored the Falcons 43-23 over the next 15 minutes, but BGSU clawed its way back to within eight with six minutes left.
“We came out and fought hard, but the results didn’t go our way — simple as that,” said BGSU senior forward Gabe O’Neal, who had all nine of his points in the second half.
Said BGSU coach Michael Huger: “I thought we fought from start to finish. I thought the guys did a good job of executing at certain points, and the negative for me is the turnovers. We had way too many turnovers.”
BGSU’s offense, which is third in the MAC at 78.1 points per game, has been fueled by a strong balance of efficient starters and strong bench players. Two of its top three scorers — Samari Curtis (12.1 points per game) and Rashaun Agee (11.0) — have transitioned into providing sparks off the bench, while Duquesne transfer Leon Ayers III has thrived in a starting role. He is third in the MAC in scoring (18.8 points per game) and has surpassed 20 points in five straight games.
“Honestly, I think we can score as a team with the best of them and I don’t think offense is really our problem,” said Turner, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds against Toledo. “I think we just need to cancel the turnovers and take better shots, and I feel like we’ll be even more efficient than we are right now.”
The Falcons’ schedule doesn’t get any easier going forward. Five of BGSU’s next six games are against teams in the top half of the MAC.
The Falcons host Ball State (14-7, 5-3) on Tuesday before hitting the road to face the Cardinals on Feb. 11. BGSU hosts Northern Illinois (8-13, 4-4) on Saturday.
A trip to Kent State (17-4, 7-1) is in store on Feb. 7, and after hosting Central Michigan (8-13, 3-5) on Feb. 14, the Falcons will get a shot at avenging their loss to the Rockets (15-6, 6-2) four days later.
“One game at a time. Next up is Ball State. This game is over, we can’t get it back,” Huger said Saturday. “We get another chance to play them down in BG, but it’s on to Ball State.
“No one cares what goes on in BG except for BG. Ball State doesn’t care, they’re going to come in and try to win the game, as well.”
First Published January 29, 2023, 5:07 p.m.
