BOWLING GREEN — The result may have been a loss, but Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team showed some impressive abilities in Friday’s 91-85 defeat to Davidson in its home opener at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons can flip the switch and turn it on in a hurry.
A disastrous first half turned into a remarkably thrilling second half where BGSU scored 54 points. The Falcons came up just short of turning a 20-point deficit late in the first half into a win, but a squad with 10 newcomers and a lot of players seeing their first significant NCAA Division I minutes showed what they are capable of.
“We’ve got the ability to be very explosive. But we have to be an execution team,” second-year BGSU coach Todd Simon said. “In the second half, we executed stuff, and we talked to each other and didn’t get caught up in [the moment], this is the first or second game for a lot of guys at the Division I level that are playing in this game.
“So you calm down after that and realize ‘OK, I’ve just got to do the simple things great and not have to get caught up in all the rest of that.’”
BGSU looked like a completely different team after halftime after falling behind 43-23 with 2:55 left in the first half. The Falcons trimmed a 16-point halftime deficit to seven less than two minutes into the second half and five with 16:04 left.
Davidson led the entire way, but BGSU nearly took the lead in the final minute when the Falcons pulled within 86-83. BGSU forced four turnovers with its full-court press down the stretch, and if one or two shots fell their way, the Falcons could have been looking at a different result on the scoreboard.
“Since I got here, I’ve seen, this team, we can score the ball,” BGSU senior forward Marcus Johnson said. “We just have to come out every night and start from the tip.
“Last two games, we started off slow, and we came back. So we’re showing spurts, but we know we’ve got to do it for the whole 40 [minutes].”
BGSU fell to 0-2 for the first time since the 2016-17 season, but Simon and his squad aren’t in any sort of panic mode yet. The Falcons have lost by single digits to a pair of quality opponents, including Southern Mississippi 77-68 on the road on Monday night.
“You get a tough draw in a game down in Hattiesburg [Miss.] where they’re 27-3 at home the last couple years. They’re very good,” Simon said. “Davidson, obviously, the toughest nonconference opponent in the last seven years here, so we knew what we got ourselves into.
“Two very distinct styles; one very attacking and spreads you out, and Davidson runs as good of stuff as you’ll find and a lot of shooting, misdirection, and back cuts. Both of those challenge a team that needs to continue to find its cohesion, so it’s part of our process.”
Simon’s ability to find impact players in the transfer portal from any level that can fit his style showed up again on Friday.
Javontae Campbell, a 6-foot-2 junior guard who was a junior college all-American at Northern Oklahoma last season, scored 15 of his game-high 30 points in the final four minutes. Six of his points down the stretch came on drives to the basket, seven came from the free-throw line, and two came off his steal in the backcourt for a layup.
Campbell was 10 of 13 from the floor and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line in a highly efficient shooting performance.
“Going into the huddle, coach, he called a play out for me. He’s got the most confidence in me, and my teammates, they just tell me ‘Keep going, keep going,’” Campbell said. “They’ve got more confidence than I have in myself sometimes.”
Meanwhile, Johnson’s 3-point shooting ability helped BGSU get back in the game early in the second half. The transfer from NCAA Division II Wheeling University had 11 of his 19 points in the first nine minutes of the second half, including three 3-pointers.
Overall, Johnson was 5 of 10 from beyond the arc and 6 of 14 shooting overall.
“Going into the second half, coaches and teammates just told me to keep shooting and don’t hesitate off the pick and pop,” Johnson said. “I know a lot of teams are going to try to stunt and recover, but when the space is open, just shoot it, and that’s what I did. I was just confident with every ball that went up.”
Simon said he is expecting the duo, as well as the other newcomers to the team, to continue to get better as they grow more comfortable at the Division I level.
“The two of them combined for 49 points on 27 shots, which is fantastic. But for us, it’s about evaluating to our system,” Simon said. “These guys may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we find unique talents that fit within what we do, and we don’t really try to deviate from that.
“Both Marcus and Javontae were significant gets for us that maybe a lot of other folks undervalued, and we’re certainly glad they’re here. They’ll continue to blossom as they get into their third D-I game ever. So we see bright futures.”
First Published November 9, 2024, 4:27 a.m.
