Falcon MBB wins opener

Well, then.  That's a good way to start.  Not that it was a win at Duke but there are no bad road wins and this one certainly builds optimism for the season.  Drexel had a big crowd and the lead 24 minutes into the game and then BG went on a 19-0 run (how often do you see that?) to turn the game and then closed the deal to get the win.

More on that later.  Right now...Justin Turner.

Justin Turner.

He had a historic game last night.  To catch you up, Turner was with the team last year but was red-shirted due to an injury.  Coach Huger talked about him being special and it turns out he was right.  Last next at Drexel, Turner scored 33 points.  That (tied with Spencer Parker) is the most for a BG freshmen since at least 2000 and I assume that total is going to be updated as the people at BG have more time to research.

It's a huge night. He shot 12 of 19, 4 of 7 from 3, 5 of 8 from the line, 4 rebounds and 7 assists (that assist total could also be a freshman record).  The only blemish was 5 turnovers.  He played 39 minutes.  That's a huge night...scoring points efficiently and in buckets.  Man, it is just one game, but this guy appears to be a playmaker.

Demajeo Wiggins also had a big game.  Coach said he wants him to be a 15/10 guy and he was 14/8.  He shot 3 of 6 and 8 of 10 from the line.  That's a solid game, especially with only 27 minutes played.

Returning all-MAC FR team Dylan Frye had 9.  He shot 3 of 8 but 2 of 4 from 3 and added 4 rebounds.  Freshman Daeqwon Plowden also had 9,  shooting 4 of 5 and 1 of 2 and adding 3 rebounds in only 18 minutes.

So, in terms of the game flow, the first half was mostly competitive until there were about 5 minutes left when Drexel went on a 9-0 run to lead by 10 and then 9 at the half.  Six minutes into the second half Drexel still led by 10 when BG went on a remarkable run.  For the next 5 minutes, BG scored 19 and Drexel did not score any, and that completely flipped the field.  BG was up 9 and then they closed the door on the way home, never allowing the Dragons within 1 possession.

BG didn't miss a shot until the end of the run---a 3 that would have made it a 22 point run.  Wiggins had 6 and Frye and 5 during the run and Frye had a steal that led to a Wiggins dunk.  On defense, there were 4 turnovers from Drexel and obviously, no made shots, even after 2-second chance possessions.

So, lastly the numbers.

It was a fast-paced game with 76 possessions.  BG ended up with a slightly below average (by D1 standards) with 1.03 points per possession.  However, they held Drexel to .91 points per possession, which last year they did only a handful of times and even then to teams ranked in the 300+ range.  BG shot the ball really well and defended the shot effectively as well.  (Last year, the national average was 50.5%).  Both teams struggled with turnovers, but that's what is holding BG's offensive numbers down.  Drexel also won the battle of the boards and BG was slightly better at getting to the line in a game with a ton of free throws.  BG only shot 63% from the line, which is a continuing weakness.

But let us not quibble.  This is only the third time this year I have been able to write a post about the Falcons winning, so we will take it.  A road win is a road win, and it was a D1 win.  Let's enjoy and look forward to Monday.