Success breeds confidence.
Just ask the Bowling Green Falcon men’s basketball team.
After going 19-of-25 (76 percent) from the field and scoring 48 points in the second
half of a 72-48 win over Western Michigan on Wednesday, the Falcons were
15-of-25 (60 percent) from the floor on the way to a 41-point first half against
Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Bowling Green went on to beat NIU, 65-40. It was the first time BG had won two
straight games since Nov. 21-22, 2011.
“It was a good win (over Western). We’re on a roll. We got our confidence. We came in
here and we were fired up early,” said BG senior Scott Thomas.
The Falcons jumped to an 18-1 lead against the Huskies and never really looked back
with Thomas scoring nine of the 18 points.
“I had a lot of good looks, drive and kicks. I was able to kind of get it going
early,” said Thomas, who finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists,
one turnover, one block, and two steals. “I wanted to be a little more
aggressive. Sometimes I think I get kind of passive.
“I was able to get a couple of shots to fall early and kind of got my momentum
going.”
“He was great. He established the game,” BG head coach Louis Orr said about Thomas.
“He came out aggressive … He’s just a guy at the end of the day helps you win
in a lot of different ways.”
The quick start helped the Falcons hold a 41-16 lead at the half.
“We played well in the first half. We shared the ball. We got out and ran the floor
and got a couple of dunks,” Thomas said.
Bowling Green slowed down in the second half as each team scored 24 points.
“We need to stay focused and finish things off,” Thomas said. “We got those leads, we
need to step on their throats. That’s something we didn’t do.”
The Falcons were able to maintain their lead as Jordon Crawford scored nine of his
game-high 15 points in the second half, making several baskets as the shot clock
was winding down. Crawford also had six assists, with one turnover, two steals
and a rebound.
“In the second half, we maintained, but I was pleased that Jordon made some big shots
… late shot clock and that’s the time that we need him to be able to create
great opportunities,” Orr said.
Orr was pleased with BG’s defensive effort as NIU shot 29.2 percent from the field.
It’s the fourth straight game the Falcons have held their opponent to less than
40 percent shooting from the field.
“The defense was the difference,” Orr said.
Thomas said that the Falcons are playing better because of harder and more
competitive practices.
“I definitely think that’s (been) a big part of our success recently … Guys are
challenging each other,’’ Thomas said.
NOTES: BG is now 11-11 overall and 5-4 in the Mid-American Conference, having won
three of its last four games … NIU is 2-19, 1-8 … It’s the first time the
Falcons have defeated Division I opponents by 20 or more points in back-to-back
games since Feb. 9, 2002 (83-60 over Marshall) and Feb. 13, 2002 (82-61 over
Eastern Michigan) … No NIU player scored in double figures … Crawford is now
10th on BG’s career list with 287 assists and Thomas is right behind at 284 …
Thomas moved into 31st on BG’s career scoring list with 1,127 points … BG
scored 20 points in the paint, 14 points off turnovers, and held an 11-0 edge in
fast-break points … Anthony Stacey, BG’s career leading scorer (1,938 points)
was in the crowd Saturday night.
BOWLING GREEN 65, N. ILLINOIS 40
N. ILLINOIS (2-19)
Kev. Gray 1-3 0-3 2, Kei. Gray 0-5 3-4 3, Nader 3-10 2-3 8, Berg 3-6 0-0 9, Bolin 3-5
2-2 9, Grady 0-2 0-0 0, Christian 1-7 1-2 3, Ford 2-4 0-1 4, Nixon 1-4 0-0 2,
Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Storm 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-48 8-15 40.
BOWLING GREEN (11-11)
Thomas 5-8 2-2 14, Calhoun 0-1 5-6 5, Black 2-2 2-2 6, Crawford 5-9 4-5 15, Brown 2-5
2-3 6, Henderson 1-4 1-2 4, Lyshe 0-0 0-0 0, Erger 0-3 0-2 0, Clarke 0-0 0-0 0,
Orr 0-2 3-4 3, Sealey 2-3 2-7 6, Oglesby 3-4 0-1 6, Ferrell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals
20-41 21-34 65.
Halftime—Bowling Green 41-16. 3-Point Goals—N. Illinois 4-15 (Berg 3-5, Bolin 1-2,
Grady 0-1, Nixon 0-1, Nader 0-2, Christian 0-4), Bowling Green 4-12 (Thomas 2-5,
Henderson 1-3, Crawford 1-3, Erger 0-1). Fouled Out—Kev. Gray, Kei. Gray, Nader.
Rebounds—N. Illinois 33 (Nader 10), Bowling Green 35 (Thomas 9). Assists—N.
Illinois 7 (Christian, Nixon 2), Bowling Green 11 (Crawford 6). Total Fouls—N.
Illinois 27, Bowling Green 13. A—2,144.