ATHENS – Bowling Green’s men’s basketball team rallied for a 83-73 victory over Ohio University Wednesday afternoon.
The Falcons were off to a slow start and trailed 42-32 at the half. But BG out-scored the Bobcats 51-31 in the final 20 minutes to secure the win.
BG head coach Michael Huger said defense was the difference in the second half.
“Our defense triggered our offense,” Huger said. “It’s always the same thing. We have to play great defense in order to have any chance to play great offense.
“And our defense was much better in the second half. We had much more intensity, much more energy. (We) were just ready to go from the start,” he continued. “Our second half defense was what got us going. … The defensive intensity was able to change the game.”
BG’s first lead of the game was 72-70 on two free throws from Trey Diggs with 7:06 remaining to play.
Ohio then got a 74-72 lead, but a basket by Diggs tied the game and then two free throws from Justin Turner with 2:50 left put the Falcons ahead to stay. After the Bobcats took the lead 74-72, the Falcons out-scored the Bobcats 11-1 to finish the game off, including 7-of-8 on free throws.
The Falcons had an impressive 36-of-38 effort at the free-throw line. Turner was 9-of-9 from the line, Daeqwon Plowden was 9-of-10, Kaden Metheny was 6-of-7, and Diggs and Dylan Swingle were both 6-of-6.
“We are getting a lot of the right guys to the line,” Huger said about the free-throw success. “They are making great decisions to get fouled and how to get fouled. That’s the thing that has been helping us.
“We have been knocking down our free throws and that keeps us in every game.”
Diggs led the Falcons with 20 points as the five players who were successful from the free-throw line all scored in double figures. Metheny finished with 16 points, Turner had 15, Swingle scored 14 and Plowden had 11.
NOTES: Bowling Green now plays Saturday at 6 p.m. against Northern Illinois …. With the win the Falcons are 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference … OU falls to 4-4, 0-2 … The Falcons are 3-1 in road games this season … In the past five BG vs. OU games, the Falcons are a +72 in the second half … Dwight Wilson led Ohio with 20 points … Metheny’s 16 points and Swingle’s 14 were both career highs … Ohio was without Jason Preston in the game; he was averaging 18.9 points, 7.4 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game.
BGSU 83, OHIO 73
BGSU
Plowden, 1-9—11; Swingle, 4-6—14; Turner, 3-9—15; Fields, 0-0—0; Metheny, 2-2-6—16; Diggs, 1—4-6—20; Washington, 2-0—4; Fulcher, 0-1-0—3; Young, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 13-7-36—83.
OHIO
Wilson, 9-2—20; Roderick, 2-4-0—16; Vander Plas, 0-3-2—11; McDay, 1-3-0—11; Sears, 2-1-2—9; McMurray, 0-1-0—3; Granger, 1-0—2; Brown, 0-1—1; Brown Jr., 0-0—0. TOTALS: 15-12-7—73.
