Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Cleveland State
Falcons Take Out Cleveland St. 80-72
December 28, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2002
CLEVELAND (AP) - John Reimold scored 24 points to lead Bowling Green to an 80-72 victory over Cleveland State in the first game of the Balance Bar Rock-N-Roll Shootout on Saturday night.
Kent State (6-1) played Boston College (6-2) in the second game.
Reimold, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, scored seven consecutive points as Bowling Green (5-4) opened the second half with a 9-0 run to turn a 31-26 deficit into a 35-31 lead.
Freshman guard Ronald Lewis scored 20 points for the Falcons, who took their largest lead at 59-46 with 5:14 to play.
Modibo Niakate scored 23 points before fouling out to lead Cleveland State (5-7), which went to a pressure defense in the final five minutes.
The Vikings used an 11-4 spurt to pull within 63-57 on a free throw by Andre Williams with 3:23 to play.
With the Vikings fouling in an attempt to get the ball, Bowling Green converted 10 free throws in the final 43 seconds. Reimold went 11-for-11 and the Falcons shot 29-for-34 from the line overall.
Niakate, a junior guard from Paris, France, scored 14 points in the first half as Cleveland State opened a 26-16 lead.
A four-point play by Reimold sparked the Falcons on a 10-0 run to tie the score. Reimold hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and added a free throw to make it 26-20 with 4:42 left in the half.
After a free throw by Lewis, Reimold again was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three foul shots to make it 26-24.
Lewis then stole a pass at midcourt and went in uncontested for a dunk to tie it 2:38 before halftime.
A 3-pointer by Niakate 1:06 before halftime gave the Vikings a 31-26 lead at the break.
