Falcons MBB Gets Needed Win, Flash Some D

Coach Huger said pre-game and post-game that the team had worked extra hard on its defense, especially how it was going to handle ball screens.  And it worked.  The Falcons put together their best defensive game in MAC play--by a lot--and went home with an easy win.  It will be interesting to see if they can string a few strong performances together, starting with two road games next week.

BG came out strong and motivated and gradually built an 11-point lead 10 minutes into the first half.  It was 14 points with about 5 minutes left.  Things went a little south from a while, as NIU closed on a 14-4 run--sparked by Leonard Hankerson with 4 3FGs--and had the lead down to 4 at the break.

BG was not going to let that stand.  They had the lead to 12 by the first media timeout. Diggs nailed a couple 3FGs in this run.  With about 13 minutes left, NIU had it down to 8 when Diggs nailed a 3FG to put BG up 11 and the game was never closer than 10 again.  It got as high as 25 and ended up at 22, and BG kept the pressure on and extended their lead.  It was a very solid performance against one of the lower-ranked teams in the MAC, but good nonetheless.

BG scored 1.21 points per possession, which was their 2nd best in MAC play, with the first being the previous game against NIU.  Meanwhile, BG allowed NIU .91 points per possession, which is BG's best MAC defensive game by a lot.  In the second half, they only allowed NIU .85 points per possession.

BG shot the ball well--which they have been since the Akron loss. The Falcons were just OK on 2FG (45%) but were really good on 3FG, with 44%.  BG took 37% from 3FG, which is in the range of their sweet spot.  They are very hard to beat when they try 33% of their FGAs from 3FG.

Anyhow, BG took great care of the ball, was good on the offensive boards and did not get to the line, but made 16 of 18.

NIU really struggled.  They had 1.12 points per possession against BG in the last game, so this was way less.  They had an EFG% of 38%, which is the lowest by a MAC opponent against BG this year.  That's 39% on 2FGs and 25% on 3FGs.  They tried 44% of their FGAs from 3FG, making all that worse. They took reasonable care of the ball, were good on the offensive boards and got to the line pretty well, but made 16 of 21.

In the second half, they made 42% on 2FGs and 18% on 3FGs.

Trey Diggs had 18 points in a bounceback game for him.  He made 6 of 9 from 3FG, led the team with 6 rebounds, and added 3 assists and no turnovers.  Joe Reece played only 4 minutes in the first half, but made a real difference in 12 second-half minutes.  Overall, he shot 6 of 8, all from 2FG, added 4 rebounds, and made 5-5 from the line.  He is a real difference maker for this team.  Daeqwon Plowden had 13 points on 3 of 7 and 3 of 5 shooting--so good but not great--added 5 rebounds and 3 assists with no turnovers.  

Samari Curtis had 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Myron Gordon had 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers.

BG moves to 5-7 in MAC play.  They are solid position to make the final 8.  Having said that, they went 4-3 in the soft part of their middle schedule.  The loss to CMU really hurts.  Anyway, the schedule gets tougher.  The question is, can BG string together some strong performances.  They have only won two MAC games in a row once this year and, you know, 3 is the minimum you need if it happens in Cleveland.

The Kent and Miami game will be really interesting.  BG had a really poor defensive performance against Kent in the last one and it will be interesting to see if BG's new energy and approach can translate to a tough road game.