BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team was in a hurry on Tuesday night, no matter what situation the Falcons were in when they got the ball.
It helped lead to one of their best offensive performances of the season.
Whether it was off of defensive rebounds or turnovers, and even made shots from Buffalo or inbounds plays out of timeouts, BGSU’s guards darted up the court with the ball to quickly set up the offense — more so than usual this season. Rarely did the Falcons have to use up the entire shot clock to get a good look at the basket.
Playing at a fast pace proved to be critical as the Falcons’ offense was clicking all night in an 87-73 Mid-American Conference win at the Stroh Center.
“I thought we responded very well in some things that we challenged our team,” BGSU coach Todd Simon said. “We played much faster, we shared the ball obviously, 19 assists.
“We attacked the paint, we didn’t settle for shots the defense wanted to give us. We wanted to really dictate the terms of what shot we were going to get, and I thought that showed a little bit. … Things are looking a little more cleaned up from the last couple times out.”
BGSU (16-7, 7-4 MAC) put up some of its best offensive statistics of the season — albeit against a 2-20 Buffalo team that has one of the worst defenses in the country in allowing 80 points per game (338th out of 350 teams) — as the Falcons bounced back from Saturday’s 77-76 double-overtime home loss to Central Michigan.
BGSU made 54.1 percent of its shots (33 of 61) from the floor, including 63 percent (29 of 46) from 2-point range. The Falcons’ field goal percentage and made field goals were both the second highest of the season.
BGSU sank a season-best 89.5 percent (17 of 19) of its free throws, and the 19 assists were its second highest. The Falcons shot a blistering 70.4 percent (19 of 27) from the floor and made all 13 free throws in a 53-point second half.
“Us pushing the ball is what really gets us that open look,” BGSU senior guard Trey Thomas said. “When we push the ball, the floor opens up, we have shooters running, and we’ve got our bigs running to the paint. So I feel like just pushing the ball really opens up our whole offense.”
BGSU’s offensive performance on Tuesday was a stark contrast to Saturday’s loss when the Falcons shot 32.9 percent (24 of 73), including just 21.2 percent (7 of 33) from 3-point range.
Instead of settling for shots against Buffalo, BGSU oftentimes got high-percentage looks that resulted in easy scores. The Falcons had 56 points in the paint and a 17-9 advantage in fast break points.
“I feel like we were thinking we were playing fast, but we were going back to the drawing board and seeing we really weren’t playing fast,” BGSU junior Marcus Hill said. “So we tried to really pick it up today.”
The Falcons’ 87 points were their third highest of the campaign and most since a 92-90 overtime win over Eastern Michigan to begin MAC play in early January. The Falcons’ 80.6 points per game in league games leads the conference, but the way Simon sees it, his team needs to torch the nets even more.
“We were averaging 80 points in the league, and that’s not acceptable to me. We need to be 87 to 85 to 100 on a night in, night out basis in terms of the number of possessions we were creating,” Simon said. “It’s a taxing way to play to get that many trips, but that’s how we need to play.”
A pair of BGSU standouts continued their remarkable stretches with big performances.
Hill, a 6-foot-4 guard, scored a game-high 27 points (11 of 16 shooting) in eclipsing 20 points for the eighth straight game. According to BGSU athletics, that streak is tied for the longest in the country this season with North Carolina’s R.J. Davis and Northern Colorado’s Saint Thomas. Hill’s is the only streak that is currently active.
“It feels good, but I give all accomplishments to my team because without them, I couldn’t do anything,” Hill said.
Meanwhile, Rashaun Agee tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive) for his 11th double-double in the past 15 games. He entered Tuesday night second in the MAC behind Akron’s Enrique Freeman and tied for 16th in the nation in double-doubles.
“He’s got a relentless motor, and he does it without fouling,” Simon said. “He’s very smart.
“Offensive rebounding’s so much more than just going after every ball, which is very hard to do when the other team’s not trying to let you get them. But he’s very smart in his ability to get his hands on rebounds. We need every one of those possessions; it creates a ton of pressure on the opposing team.”
First Published February 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m.
