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Bowling Green quickly turns double-digit deficit into 91-75 win

Falcons pull away with 10-point possession


ATHENS – Bowling Green had a huge run late in the first half carry into the second half and then a 10-point possession that involved a four-point play and multiple technical fouls allowed the Falcons to turn a 14-point deficit into a 91-75 victory against Ohio on Tuesday night at The Convo.

Trailing 37-23 with less than four minutes to play in the first half, the Falcons scored 10 straight points before a Jaaron Simmons free throw made it 38-33 in favor of the Bobcats at the break. Bowling Green then used an 11-0 run in the first few minutes after halftime to take the lead, and the Bobcats did not lead again.

After falling behind by as many as nine points, Ohio (10-5, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) cut its deficit to 71-66 on a Simmons jumper with 4:35 remaining. But things got out of hand on the ensuing possession, which turned into 10 points for Bowling Green (11-5, 2-1 MAC).

Simmons was called for a foul as he flew at Ismail Ali as he buried a 3-pointer. Both players went to the ground in front of the Falcons’ bench, and Simmons was trapped underneath as Bowling Green players gathered to help up their teammate.

Ohio’s Treg Setty, Khari Harley and Kenny Kaminski all went to help up Simmons, and a scuffle ensued. After a 15-minute delay and review, all three Bobcats were given technical fouls for going to the Falcons’ bench area, and one player on Bowling Green’s bench also was given a technical foul for pushing.

Ali completed the four-point play and then sank three of the four ensuing technical foul free throws. After retaining control of the ball, the Falcons got a three-point play by Zack Denny to make it 81-66.

"It's a war," Ohio guard Jordan Dartis said. "Every game you go into, it's a battle. Everyone wants to win the MAC as much as any other team in the MAC, so I'm just getting used to that. We've just got to be tougher, play harder."

From there, Bowling Green pushed its lead to as many as 20 points with multiple fouls being called in the final three minutes. Ohio coach Saul Phillips picked up a technical foul after leaving the coaching box to argue a blocking call.

Phillips said after the game he always has taught his players to help up teammates who fall down but was not aware they were restricted from doing so in front of the other team’s bench. He also said that had the fracas been ruled a fight in which a punch was thrown, all of Bowling Green’s bench players would have been called for technical fouls for leaving their seats, but that was not the case. He said it is a situation where the rule needs to be reviewed.

Kaminski and Ohio got off to a hot shooting start, and a pair of Antonio Campbell free throws made it 8-0 only 1:08 into the game. Kaminski’s third 3-pointer pushed the advantage to 18-11 only a couple minutes later, as the Bobcats made their first six shots.

"We got off to such a strong start," Phillips said. "The ball was moving; we were scoring off the pass.

The Falcons cut the deficit to 22-15 at the 12:38 mark, but the Bobcats scored seven straight for their biggest lead, 29-15, on a Wadly Mompremier 3-pointer.

Ohio’s lead was 14 again on a Mike Laster free throw with 4:20 left in the half, but Bowling Green quickly got back in it. Antwon Lillard had six points and Denny scored the other four in the 10-0 run.

Campbell had a layup to make it 44-37 two minutes into the second half when a Wesley Alcegaire 3-pointer sparked a Bowling Green run. Spencer Parker scored back-to-back layups, Denny added a basket and Rasheed Worrell added two points to make it 48-44 in favor of the Falcons.

Kaminski finally ended the run with a jumper, but Worrell followed with a trey and then another jumper to push the Falcons’ advantage to seven. An Ali 3-pointer later made it 58-49 with 12:40 remaining. Ohio got as close as 60-56 on a Dartis trey at the 10:48 mark and then again on a Kaminski layup with 9:31 left.

After shooting just 36.7 percent in the first half, the Falcons made 55.6 percent of their shots in the second half and outscored the Bobcats 58-37 after the break. Bowling Green finished 7 of 11 from long range.

Parker had 22 points and eight rebounds, and Ali scored all 19 of his points in the second half. Worrell had 13 points, and Lillard and Denny finished with 12 each. Denny added nine boards.

Campbell was in foul trouble again, finishing with 13 points and three rebounds in just 16 minutes. Simmons had 13 points and four assists and also fouled out, as did Setty. Ohio was playing short-handed to begin with because of a knee injury to Gavin Block.

Bowling Green turned 18 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points and converted 14 Ohio turnovers into 18 more points.

"On the offensive glass, we got pummeled," Phillips said. "We got crushed. That hasn't happened very often to us. I thought they made more hustle plays in the second half against us at a time when we should have been fresh."

Entering the game as the second-leading free-throw shooting team in the nation, Ohio was just 12 of 21 at the foul line. Bowling Green went 22 of 30.

Ohio plays at 7 p.m. Saturday at Kent State.








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