Riding a two-game losing streak and its chance at a bye into the MAC tournament quarterfinals dwindling,
pressure was mounting for Bowling Green.
The Falcons responded with a 13-0 first-half run and late-game stops came when they needed them in
sweeping Kent State in the regular season with a 77-72 conference win in the team’s final home game on
senior night.
“We (had) to get back to getting stops. And when we needed those big stops we were able to get ‘em,” BGSU
coach Michael Huger said. “That was really the difference in the game. When we needed a stop, we were
able to get it.”
The Flashes (20-9, 9-7 MAC) scored just two points across the final 1:35, holding the MAC’s leading
scorer Jaylin Walker (26 points) without a field goal including 0 of 3 on 3-point attempts.
BG (20-9, 12-4) split four sets of free throws in that stretch, including a pair of splits by senior
Demajeo Wiggins to hold of KSU and earn its first 20-win season since 2014-15 and the first under Huger.
“That’s not even on our goal list, we just took care of business and those great things happened for us,”
Wiggins said of the 20-win season and the first-round bye.
Wiggins, who’s 28.4 minutes per game sits third on the team, found himself on the bench for 10 of 20
first-half minutes.
BG opened the conference schedule with an 86-64 win over Kent State on Jan. 4.
Fellow senior Jeff Uju — playing more minutes in a game than he has since Jan. 8 — used effort and
defensive communication to help ignite a 13-0 run across a five-minute span.
Micahel Laster found Uju on a dump off pass for a dunk to take an 18-15 lead with 10 minutes to play in
the first half. Uju added a putback slam to stretch the lead to 27-15. Justin Turner chipped i a
crossover pull-up 3 perfected with a glare to the crowd, Marlon Sierra knocked down a one-footed
fadeaway and Antwon Lillard finished the run with a baseline dunk.
“I wasn’t even thinking about it in terms of a break,” Wiggins said. “Jeff, Marlon and Dae(qwon Plowden)
were playing hard. Jeff had a tip dunk, Dae had a block … those guys were just out there and I just got
caught watching them play.”
Huger added, “when (Uju’s) rolling like that it’s kind of difficult to take him out.”
Lillard (14 points) added a layup through contact at the 4:02 mark, motioning for the and-one opportunity
with two fingers, and hit the ensuing free throw to give him 1,001 points for his career. He finished
with 1,010 points and is the 48th BGSU men’s player to surpass 1,000.
Kent State pieced together a 12-5 counter run to end the half and later claimed a 55-54 lead — using a
41-30 rebounding advantage including 20 offensive boards — with 9:27 to play in the game.
Jaylin Walker, who took a game-high 28 shots, sparked the Flashes when trailing 48-40. The 6-foot-3
explosive guard then scored seven of KSU’s next 10 points, including one of his game-high four threes.
The Falcons, though, quickly responded and held Walker to 32 percent shooting.
“We made him take difficult shots. Now he made a lot, but he missed a lot also,” Huger said. “That’s the
norm for him. But when he’s taking 28, that means the other guys aren’t shooting so that’s what we kind
of relied on. When it was time for somebody else to make a play, it’s hard because you’re not in the
flow of the game.
“…He had a really good game, (Antonio) Williams got off, but everybody else was contained. We were able
to keep them under control … and that was the difference.”
Wiggins, Uju, Lillard and fellow senior De’Andre’ Austin were all honored before the game and each drew
the start. Austin’s early-game bucket was his ninth and 10th points of the season.
BG finishes the regular season with a pair of road games. The Falcons travel to Akron for a 7 p.m. game
on Tuesday and end the regular season at first-place Buffalo on Friday.
