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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Win At Kent State, 74-69
January 27, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes
Kent, Ohio - The following are notes from Thursday's 79-74 BGSU victory at Kent State.
Team Tidbits
The Falcons lead the all-time series 77-58 after Thursday night's win and have won three of the last four meetings in the MAC Center. Since 2002, KSU is 34-6 at home in MAC play, with half of those losses coming to the Falcons.
BGSU is 4-4 in road games this season. BGSU also has led in every MAC game this season and had a nine-point or better lead on the road in each of its four conference games this year.
BGSU had the second-best effort in school history at the free throw line by making 34 of 35 free throw attempts (97.1%). BGSU made all 25 of its free throw attempts at Eastern Michigan in 2004.
With that effort, BGSU moved from 7th in the league (69.4%) to 2nd in the MAC (72.0%) in one game. BGSU led the league in free throw shooting (74.8%) last year.
The 34 free throws made by the Falcons is a MAC high this season.
BGSU made 29 of 30 charity tosses in the second half. For the game, Kent State made 25 of 38 attempts from the line (65.8%).
The Falcons shot 50.0% from the field (19/38) to improve to 36-7 since 2000-01 when making half of its shots or better in a game. BGSU also has shot 50.0% from the field in back-to-back games for the first time this season (29 for 58 against Buffalo).
The Falcons also shot 53.8% from three-point range, the third time this season they have made more than half of their long distance shots this season (NIU and Urbana).
BGSU held Kent State to a 29.4% effort from three-point range, the eighth team this season to shoot below 30% from beyond the arc against the Falcons this year.
Player Plaudits
For the third time in five games, senior Mawel Soler has established a new career-high in scoring. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds to earn his first double-double of his career. He also added five assists and established a new career-high with 13 free throws made in 13 attempts. That also is the most free throws made by a MAC player this season. In conference games only, he leads the league by making 65.1% of his shots from the field. He is averaging 10.9 points in MAC play.
Junior Martin Samarco, the MAC's leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, had 16 points and three rebounds. He leads the league in free throw shooting (94.9% in league games) and made all six of his free throw attempts. He also has made a league-high 3.2 three-pointers per game and made two of three against the Flashes.
Junior John Floyd had 14 points, including 11 in the second half. His 25 footer as the shot clock expired with 4:43 to go gave BGSU a lead of seven points and appeared to ice the game for the Falcons. He made two of three from long distance marking the first time in five games that he has made more than one triple in a game. He had made eight of his first 14 three-pointers in league play, but was in a 1 for 12 slump from the perimeter until he canned his last two efforts of the evening.
Senior Steven Wright appears to be more productive when coming off the bench. He had 13 points and four rebounds and made all six of his free throw attempts. In five games off the bench, he is averaging 13.8 points, while averaging 8.4 points per game in seven starts this season. His three-pointer with 13:59 to go gave the Falcons the lead for good.
Junior Matt Lefeld had eight points and made all four of his free throws. His lone board, an offensive carom, resulted in two free throws which extended BGSU's lead to 62-55 with 5:29 to go.
Freshman Brian Moten, who had played 15 minutes in the last five games, played a season-high 21 minutes and made a three-pointer. He also added two rebounds and an assist.
Freshman Erik Marschall made both of his field goal attempts and finished with five points. His playing time was limited by foul trouble.
Sophomore Perrick Robinson had two assists and his steal with 4:29 to go proved critical.
The Game
In a game which saw seven ties and 10 lead changes, in the end it was BGSU's ability to make free throws which ended Kent State's seven-game winning streak in the MAC to start the 2006 season.
The Falcons swished 34 of 35 free throw attempts, including 29 of 30 in the second half to notch a 79-74 road win over the Golden Flashes.
BGSU overcame a KSU bench which outscored the Falcon reserves, 47-16, and 19 turnovers to win for the third time in four years in the MAC Center.
The Falcons did make the most of their opportunities making 19 of 38 shots from the floor (50.0)%) and 53.8% of its three-point field goal attempts (7 of 13).
Kent State held its largest lead at 15-11 with 10:25 to go on a three-pointer by Armon Gates. BGSU was able to take a three-point advantage of its own at 21-18 on a triple by freshman Brian Moten with 6:22 left in the half.
Senior Steven Wright's layup broke the game's sixth tie and the Falcons led 32-31 at half.
The Falcons held the Golden Flashes scoreless for the first 3:39 of the second half and led 37-31 after a layup and a free throw by Erik Marschall with 16:31 to go. After KSU rallied to tie the game at 39-39 with 14:10 to go, Wright drained a three-pointer with 13:59 and BGSU never relinquished the lead.
The key play of the game happened with 9:52 to go and BGSU leading 50-48. Kent State had the ball and KSU's Omni Smith was fouled by Brian Moten sending Smith to the line for a chance to tie the game. However, the Golden Flashes Mike Scott was whistled for a technical foul and junior Martin Samarco's subsequent free throws gave BGSU a 52-48 advantage. Those free throws began a stretch which saw the Falcons score 24 of its final 29 points from the line as it drained two dozen straight from the line.
It also began a stretch where the Flashes made just three of seven from the line over a 4:07 stretch which allowed BGSU to extend the lead to seven points at 62-55 after a pair of Matt Lefeld FT's with 5:29 to go.
After Kevin Warzynksi hit three of his 25 points with 5:20 to go, the crowd of more than 4,000 was silenced when junior John Floyd nailed a desperation 25-foot three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give BGSU a 65-58 advantage.
The Falcons would up the lead to 67-58 on a pair of Wright FT's, but Kent State would score six straight to make it 67-64 with 1:23 left in the game.
Senior Mawel Soler was fouled by Kent State as they hoped to garner a steal. Soler sank two free throws with 1:15 to go to make it a five-point game. Following a KSU miss and aSoler rebound, the New Jersey native hit two more free throws to make it 71-64. He later would give BGSU its biggest lead at 75-66 when he knocked him two more free throws. He made a career-high 13 of 13 from the stripe.
