A Great Day to be a Falcon....OU Falls

This is how we do it, do it.

Ooof.  What a team this is.  Man.  Cardiac kids...but winning, not losing close games.  And the beat goes on.

This has been a great season.  A great two seasons, regardless of how this all ends.  This is where we want our program...tough at home, competitive, exciting and winning.  Coming to the Stroh is a thrill every time.

Can't wait for Tuesday.  Can. Not. Wait.

The win locks up BG's 2nd consecutive 20-win season.  Amazingly enough, that hasn't happened in 72 years.  HARRY TRUMAN WAS PRESIDENT.  Harold Anderson was coach.  The Captain of that team was Mac Otten, whose Hall of Fame photo I looked at on the walls of the Ice Arena for my entire childhood.  That team was #9 in the country at one point and beat #3 St. John's and #8 USF at Madison Square Garden before losing to Bradley....historic BG team, for sure.

We've won 20 games 15 times, and twice since last year.

Here's a cool tidbit from BGSU:

Since 2018, Bowling Green has racked up a record of 26-3 at the Stroh Center. That record is good enough for a conference-leading .897 winning percentage. The Falcons are 12-1 at home in 2019-20. BGSU is 52-24 at home in the Michael Huger Era.

Good programs are tough to beat at home.  And we're there.

And what a crowd it was yesterday.  It was especially great because it wasn't for UT or Buffalo...it was for a traditional MAC game but not a rivalry game and the place was packed and rocking.  Love to see the community fall in love with this team and pack that arena.  And thrilled we rewarded them for a win.

It was a great day to be a Falcon.

At halftime, the 2000 team was honored and it was a terrific trip down memory lane.  What days those were, too.  And really, nothing in between.

All I'm saying is...appreciate and enjoy it.  And thank you to the coaches, players, and staff whose hard work has made this possible.  We might make the Big Dance or some kid might sink a half-court shot.  Enjoy.

Yesterday's win was one of those games...I remember back in the Dambrot days you'd play Akron and you might be leading and you might be thinking you were going to win, but they had a way of locking down and doing what they had to in the last 6-8 minutes and you'd look up and they'd won.

This team has had that.

OU was in control for most of the day.  BG led for only a little over two minutes.  The first half was an unmitigated disaster, with BG down 15 with about 8 left and then down by as much as 18 (more than once) and eventually 15 at the break.  OU was hitting open shots without remorse and BG was 1-14 on 2FG attempts.

BG bolted out of the locker room and scored the first 11 points, transforming the storyline.  The 11 points came in 3:08.  OU popped the lead back up to 11 with 11 left.

Then, Michael Laster sparked the game's decisive trend.  Nine minutes left, BG down 9.  Laster gets into the lane and goes all Derrick-Rose and contorts himself but gets the ball off the glass and scores it.  OU comes down and gets a 3, so it's 10.  Laster comes down and Rose's it again to cut it to 8 and then after a trade of stops he picked up a rebound, took it down and dimed Sierra to cut the lead to 6.

This is what depth is.  We needed a spark and there it was.

There was 7:30 left at that point.  The run Laster started ended up with 7 more straight points and a BG lead with 5 minutes left, the first lead since 3-2.  It was, in total, an 11-3 run.

The rest of the way it was on the edge of a knife, two teams in a possession-possession battle.  Great entertainment and agonizing for a fan.

The game was tied at 58 from 2:49 until it was inside one minute.  Vander Plas made an and-one to put OU up 3.

Who puts the cape on?  You know who...

Note:  Justin Turner is shooting 1-11 at this point.  Make a note.

First, he's fouled with :30 left and hits 2 FTs.  BG down 1, has to foul twice to get OU into the one and one.  Roderick finally gets to the line with :19 left.  He's an 80% shooter, but man the 1-1 is some pressure.  He misses and Turner rebounds.

He comes down the floor.  No doubt what's coming, 1-4 alignment and Turner going 1-1.  BG sends Plowden out on a ball screen early in the possession, which OU switched as I assume BG knew they would, putting Vander Plas onto Turner.  Coach said after the game that "we liked that matchup." Having set up the matchup they wanted, Turner went to work, eventually putting Vander Plas onto roller skates and hitting a step back for the win...and his second basket of the game in 12 attempts.

Two seconds left, OU doesn't get a shot off and BG wins by 1. Watch the clip below twice (at least).  Watch Turner the first time.  Watch the defender the second time.

Justin Turner called GAME ❄️❄️@BGSUMHoops | @MACSports pic.twitter.com/QvSDKMk82T

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 23, 2020

So here is how it stacked up. The game was played at a very slow pace...63 possessions.  The only slower one was Norfolk State and the next slowest was the first game against OU.  BG scored .98 per possession and OU .96.  BG is 14-0 under 1.02 points per possession allowed.

The teams ended up even in shooting.  Even at that, it was a tale of two halves.  BG played much better defense in the second half. holding OU to 32% overall and 1-13 from 3FG.  Meanwhile, BG shot 56% overall and 46% from 3FG.

Anyway, BG had to overcome the even shooting and a terrible turnover game.  BG leads the MAC in turnover percentage (the good way) and is 5th in the country.  Their only worse turnover games were Cleveland State and Norfolk State. Meanwhile, OU hardly turned the ball over...BG is last in the MAC and #309 in the country in forcing turnovers.  OU netted 8 possessions on turnovers. 

BG overcame that with a slight edge on the offensive boards and a +8 advantage at the FT line.  BG as 9-11 at the line and OU was only 1-3.

The leading scorer was Trey Diggs.

Oh, it should be noted that Caleb Fields was injured and did not play, as did Lunden McDay, who is one of OU's better defenders.

So Diggs started for Fields.  He was spectacular on offense.  He made 7 of 10 3FGs and ended up with 22 points. Without his scoring, BG does not win.  Turner was largely held down...he scored 12 on 2 of 11 and 0 of 5 shooting,  but 8 of 10 at the line and 7 rebounds.  Plowden had 8 rebounds and Michael Laster had 6 points on 3 of 6 shooting, 5 assists and 1 turnover in 14 minutes. If that works.

Dylan Frye?  Dylan did not start and played about 20 minutes.  He had 5 points...but beyond the stats, he's just a calming presence with the ball and I think everyone settles into a famililar flow when he is out there.  The fans welcomed him back with a standing ovation which he was thankful for on social media.

And on we go.  I'll look at the MAC standings a little bit later, but for now, we're 11-3, tied for first with a showdown game on our floor Tuesday.

BE.
AT.
THE.
STROH.