BG MBB Rallies Late, Beats EMU

 Here's what Coach Simon said after the game...

"We love that we won.  We don't love this win."

One of the things I like about Coach--I have said it before--is that he will say things we can all see.  Other coaches do not.  Clearly, that's not 100% what you want.

But in MAC play, there's a significant difference between a win and a loss.  We needed a win on home court, and we got it.  

As Urban Meyer has said, "We don't apologize for winning."

The flow of the game was really interesting.  Or "interesting." 

Nine minutes into the game, it was tied 13-12. Five minutes later, BG was up 14.  EMU battled it back, and the Falcons were up 10.  This is one of those situations, though...Todd Walker talked about...where BG really should have been up more.  They missed 2 technical FTs, 5 shots in the restricted area, etc.

BG came out on fire in the second half and, in 2:30, had the lead up to 21.  Honest to God, to myself, I said, "Our goal is not to let the game inside 10."

Yeah.  It was in fact at 10 about 2 minutes later, as EMU went on an 11-0 run.  It was still 10, with about 13 minutes left.  EMU went on an 18-3 run over 3 minutes to take a 5-point LEAD. EMU had 2 shots to even extend that lead, but failed to convert, and then Javonte Campbell hit a rare 3FG to stem the tide.

With 4:06 left, EMU was still up 4. And the Falcons responded.  FWIW, this is what I always say about Akron...they knuckle down in the last 4 minutes.

BG did that.  The comparison may not go further than that, but this was an example. With 3:19 left, BG put together a strong defensive possession.  Troy Glover blocked a shot at the rim, and it was a shot clock violation.

TV timeout.  BG had a turnover, but Troy Glover matched the steal on the other end, and Campbell got into the paint with a jumper to make the lead 2.

EMU missed a 3FG, Glover cleared the board, and Campbell came down and got fouled. Shooting 2, he split the pair. Down 1, with 1:48 to play.  Campbell gets a steal on the other end and converts to put BG up 1 with 1:21 left. 

BG fouled Ellison with :56 left and he had 2 shots.  He made the first to tie the game....and then MISSED the second.

BG ball, they are attacking, EMU is defending and the clock is running.  Campbell scores again to put BG up 2 with :29 left.

EMU came down, and Patterson hoisted a 3FG, which missed, and Shackelford had the board.  He was fouled right away and shooting 1 and 1.  A little more pressure, but he hit them both and BG was up 4 with :18 left.

Patterson essentially airballed a 3FG with :10 left.  Shackleford got the board and was fouled and hit them both again, and that was all...BG closed on an 11-1 run over the last 4:06 to win the game.

The big drama for BG was whether we could make 3FGs at home.  Which we did.  Coach said, "We asked very kindly and nicely to take better 3FGs," to the point where he felt some good ones were passed up early.

And they were selective.  Only 23% of their shots were from 3FG, with only the Davidson game having a lower rate this year. Overall, the 13 shots were the lowest since BG took 11 at the end of Simon I.

But BG made 9 of them. That's 69%, the first time over 50% for BG this year and tied for 2nd in the KenPom era for BG.

To win with that shot mix, you have to do other things well.  BG made 48% from 2FG, which is OK but not great and had 1 more turnover. Most of the different came at the line....BG made 16 of 21 and EMU made 12 of 14.

One thing BG has done well is take the opponent's best player out of the game.  Mohammed Habhab is a quality player.  And he had 15 points....on 14 FG attempts.  He added 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 turnovers.  He was blocked twice and -10 for the game.

Now, Javonte Campbell.  He was quiet for most of the game.  He's facing defenses that are built to stop him.  He even had HIS pocket picked twice by Patterson. And then, well, starting with the key 3FG, see how much his name shows up in that summary of the last 4 minutes.

He will not push what isn't there. I know some people think he should. He scored 18...7 of 11 from 2 FG, made his only 3FG and 3 of 4 at the line. In efficiency terms, Habhab was 89 and Campbell 109.

One last tell.  BG was up 21 when Campbell left with his third foul.  You know what happened after that. 

Mayer Wol.  What a find.  Remember, he signed AFTER Yo-Yo left to play in the Lebanon pros.  He had 19 points in the first half.  They adjusted, but he didn't keep bombing.  He was 1-2 from 3FG for the second half.   Overall, 25 on 3 of 8 and 5 of 7 shooting and 4 of 5 at the line.  Coach likes how his skills match with Towns.

And Troy Glover.  You see that name in the last 4 minutes.  He got a slow start this year, but is playing with big energy lately.  He's in his first D1 season.  He finished with a 10/10 double-double, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers.

Shackelford had 13, with 7 of 8 at the line, including the 4 we had to have, and 8 rebounds. Ruffin had 12 on 3 of 5 and 2 of 2 shooting. 

Two last notes.

I don't usually talk about officiating.  Complaining about MAC officiating is like complaining about the roads in Michigan, or saying it's not the heat its the humidity.  It's terrible.  But it was sub-terrible last night.  Terrible was an aspiration.

Justin Thomas continues to struggle with his foot.  He is gutting out minutes, but even after the off time, he is still not 100%.  Carlos Hart DNP for EMU, but our old friend Braelon Green picked up the pace with 22 points, possibly motivated to show something to his old Coach.

WMU next.  Need to make it 2 straight.