Falcon MBB Moves to 3-0.

The Falcons MBB moved to 3-0 for the first time in 11 years and only the second time since 1999.  That's something we are glad to see.  Good tests and coming up as we continue to learn about our team.

As noted, LeMoyne had played Xavier tough and they battled the Falcons for a good part of the game before BG pulled away.  The first half had 13 lead changes and BG trailed by 3 with 2 minutes left.  The Falcons closed with a +4 run to lead by 1 at the half.

BG came out much like they did against Texas State.  They had the lead to 9 with 17:00 to play, 11 with 15:41 to play and 14 with 12:46 to play.  I looked at the clock and thought, a good team never lets it get close from here.  The Dolphins cut it to 9 briefly, but Campbell scored to make the lead 11 and the game was never inside 10 again, with BG winning 83-60.

BG had 1.18 points per possession, which was the same as the TXST game. They held the Dolphins to .85, a little higher than an opener but a 95% winnable number.

You don't have to be a basketball savant to see the difference in this one.

BG forced 24 turnovers and made only 6.  Those are both, on their own, numbers that usually determine a result.  At the same time?  I can't imagine a team with that kind of turnover disparity has ever lost.  

Other than that, BG had a slight edge in shooting and free throws.  One warning sign is rebounding. We are excellent on the defensive boards but not on the offensive boards.

BG is #3 in the nation in steals per game and #4 in forcing turnovers.  Tempo-free, BG is #5 in turnover% and #7 in steal%.  Javonte Campbell is #1 in steals per game in the nation and #4 in steal%.  He tied the school record with 8 steals last night.  That was the highest in NCAA so far this season.

Campbell is having an extremely good start.  He had 23 points, 7 of 15 from 2 FG, 1 of 3 from 3FG, 6-6 at the line, six rebounds, 4 assists, 8 steals and 4 turnovers.  Every possession runs through him.  He brings the ball up, there's some screening, and it goes from there.  He is a stud.

Josiah Shackelford had 18.  That's 4 of 7 and 2 of 5, and 4-4 at the line.

Ruffin had 11 off the bench, with 1 of 1 and 2 of 3 shooting and 3 of 3 at the line.

BG was 16 of 17 at the line overall.

Sam Towns had 10 points and led the team with 7 rebounds.  Missed some shots, but we really gotta have him.  He is a tough rebounder.

BG went with a pretty tight 7-man rotation, with Wol and Ruffin off the bench.  Aidan Goins played about 5 minutes.

The next one will be a really good test.  Davidson is ranked about where we are, they are good on the road and they can shoot the lights out.  Look forward to seeing our guys take that on.