Sadness Accrues (MBB)

The rivalry went down at Savage Hall and so did the Falcons.  It wasn't a huge surprise.  The Rockets were big favorites and came in on a four-game winning streak.  But BG played with them much of the way but just didn't play well enough to beat one of the top teams in the conference, which they are and we are not.

The first half was highly competitive.  There were 9 ties and three lead changes. With 2:30 left in the first half, UT led by 2.  Believe it or not, it was not a one-possession game again.

UT closed the half on an 8-0 run to lead by 10 at the break. They came out and went on an 18-7 run to start the second half and it was over.  The lead got as high as 21. Unlike the closing game last year, BG did continue to battle, eventually cutting the lead back to 8 with 6 minutes left.  UT did what winning teams do...stemmed the tide and went on a 10-2 run to put the game away.

Coming in, we knew that UT was an offensive juggernaut...good shooting and low turnovers.  They even exceeded their MAC average at 1.29 points per possession. They shot the ball well and didn't turn it over.  BG even defended the 3FG well, holding them to 26%.  But they made 72% of their 2FGs, partly aided by easy baskets on BG turnovers.  It's the best 2FG shooting by a BG opponent since a December game vs. Wright State in 2020.

BG had 1.09 points per possession, making 63% and 27% on their FG attempts--only slightly behind UT.  They did well on the offensive boards and were +2 at the line.  However, they gave UT 10 extra possessions with turnovers and that will get you beaten when you play those guys, especially since we don't play for turnovers.

Ayers was BG's leading scorer with 8 of 13 and 1 of 3 shooting. He added six assists and 4 turnovers. Curtis had 14 points on 2 of 5 3FG shooting and 6 of 6 at the line and he added 5 assists and 2 turnovers.  Agee also had 14 on 7 of 9 shooting to go with 6 boards, 4 fouls and 3 turnovers in 18 minutes. Chandler Turner had 12 on 3 of 6 and 1 of 2 shooting and 10 rebounds.

So, BG is back at 4-4 in MAC play.  Two home games next week, starting with a surging Ball State team.