Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OAKLAND
Falcons Fall at Oakland in 90-80 Shootout
December 01, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
Final Stats | Quotes
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Host Oakland University shot a blistering 66.7 percent in the second half to pull away from the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1). The Golden Grizzlies won a 90-80 shootout at the Athletics Center O'Rena.
With the win, OU improves to 3-4 on the season, while the Falcons drop to 4-3 on the year.
Redshirt freshman Chris Knight had 23 points to pace four double-digit scorers, while juniors Nate Miller and Darryl Clements each tied their career scoring bests. Miller had 21 points, while Clements scored 13.
Senior Ryne Hamblet rounded out BG's double-figure scorers with 11 points in the loss. Hamblet and Miller each dished out seven assists.
For the Grizzlies, Johnathon Jones had 31 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead three twin-figure scorers.
The hosts scored the first four points of the game, before the Falcons got on the board on a three-point play by Miller. That began a 10-0 run for the Brown and Orange over a three-minute span.
Knight took a pass from Hamblet and knocked down a short right-side jumper, and Hamblet then scored off another Hamblet assist, for a 7-4 BG lead. On the latter basket, OU's Shane Lawal was called for his second foul with less than four minutes elapsed. Lawal, coming off a 16-point, six-block game at Xavier Wednesday, was forced to head to the bench.
Clements completed the run by taking a pass from Miller and draining a three-point field goal at the 16:08 mark. The Falcons took that 10-4 lead into the first media timeout of the game.
Then, however, it was the Grizzlies' turn to make a run. The home team scored the game's next seven points, all at the free-throw line. On the day, the Golden Grizzlies had 33 free-throw attempts to the Falcons' 14.
Derick Nelson made six consecutive charity tosses over a span of less than two minutes, and when Will Hudson split his two tries at the 13:25 mark, the home team led again, 11-10.
In the meantime, the Grizzlies had managed to get the Falcons' post players into some foul trouble, as sophomores Otis Polk and Marc Larson each picked up their second fouls of the day during OU's run.
Clements stopped that run, hitting a pull-up jumper on the break, and the Falcons regained the lead. After a Miller steal and long outlet pass led to a breakaway layup by soph Ryan Sims, Knight hit a foul-line J off of Miller's drive and dish, and BG held a 16-12 lead.
Lawal, back in the game, put back a teammate's missed shot to cut the lead in half, but BG -- in the person of Clements -- then proceeded to score the next six points. The junior from nearby Detroit was 4-for-4 from the foul line in a 13-second span, then made a nifty shot fake and hit a jumper at the 9:49 mark. Midway through the half, the lead was 22-14, and Clements had half of BG's points.
In a first half full of scoring runs, however, it was the Grizzlies turn once again. Jones hit a jumper to begin a 10-0 run for the hosts over the next 90 seconds. A Jones dunk off a steal cut the BG lead to one point, and a Brandon Cassise three-pointer gave the home team a 24-22 advantage with eight minutes left in the half.
Miller scored the game's next four points to give the Falcons the lead. The junior drew a foul, hit both free throws and then hit a baby hook for a 26-24 BGSU advantage. The teams traded points over the next few minutes, with Oakland tying the game several times, but the Grizzlies would not lead over the remainder of the half.
A nice pass by Miller led to an easy layup for Clements, who lost his man, swooped in from the left side and slapped both hands on the backboard as he put the shot off the glass and in.
Some pinpoint passing by the Falcons culminated in a Hamblet three-pointer at the 3:17 mark, off an assist from Sims. That gave the Falcons a 35-30 lead.
After several scoreless minutes, Hudson scored four-straight points for OU, before Miller drew several defenders to him and found an open Knight for a jumper to close the first-half scoring. The Falcons went to the intermission with a 37-34 lead.
The Falcons held Oakland to just a 35.5% field-goal rate in that opening half, but as mentioned, the Grizzlies would catch fire in the second 20 minutes.
Jones and Erik Kangas carried the hosts in the early going of the second period. Jones scored the first points of the half, and Kangas -- OU's top-returning scorer from last season -- rebounded from an 0-for-7 first half to score five-straight points and give OU a 41-39 lead.
Larson tied the game with a layup in transition. Jones hit a floater in the lane, but Hamblet found Larson for a quick layup on a 2-on-1, and the Falcons' lone senior then scored off a steal to give BG a 45-43 lead.
Jones, however, hit a pair of three-pointers less than a minute apart, giving the home team a 49-45 lead. Lawal, though, was whistled for his fourth foul at the 14:42 mark, and had to return to the bench.
Miller knocked down a pair of free throws, then ducked under his would-be defender for a lean-in layup, tying the score with 13:43 left.
Miller would score eight consecutive BG points during that span, with the last of those points coming on a wide-open layup after a nifty Hamblet pass, tying the game at 53-53.
The Grizzlies responded, getting two Kangas tosses after Polk was called for his fourth foul. Then, Patrick McCloskey hit a layup and assisted Kangas on another close-range shot, and the Grizzlies had a 59-53 lead.
Knight hit a jumper before a truly wacky series of events transpired. With the Falcons on defense, the officials whistled a double technical, with Knight and Lawal picking up fouls. Lawal, who was at the scorer's table waiting to check in when Knight was called for his technical, entered the game and promptly was given a technical as well. The foul was Lawal's fifth, ending his afternoon with 9:59 still on the clock.
After the dust had settled, Knight hit a jumper, and the Falcons tied the game on a tough fadeaway J by Hamblet. But, Jones converted a three-point play, then made a layup off a teammate's steal, for five points in a 23-second span as the Falcons took a timeout.
Out of that timeout, however, freshman Joe Jakubowski's pass freed Knight for a dunk, and a Jakubowski defensive rebound on Oakland's next possession led to another basket by Knight. When Hamblet hit a transition layup at the 6:10 mark, the Falcons led by a 65-64 count. But, it would be BG's last lead of the afternoon.
Hudson responded with a layup, and Cassise scored the next four points, with the last on a breakaway layup off a Nelson steal. With 4:38 left, the Grizzlies held a 70-65 lead.
Knight stopped the run for the moment, taking a Clements kickout and hitting a right-side jumper. But, Nelson's two free throws were followed by a BG turnover and a Dan Waterstradt layup. McCloskey's tosses gave the hosts a 76-67 lead with 2:09 left.
Two Kangas free throws gave OU a double-digit lead, the first of the day by either team, at 78-67.
The Falcons hit no fewer than three three-pointers in the final minute, with two from Jakubowski and one from Knight, but in between each triple, the Grizzlies were hitting their free throws to prevent a BG rally. OU went a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe in the game's final minute.
The Falcons actually had a better field-goal percentage than OU for the game. BGSU had a 54.2% rate on the day, including a 60.0% mark (18-for-30) in the second half. Oakland, bouyed by that 66.7% second half, shot an even 50.0% for the game.
As mentioned, the Golden Grizzlies went to the free-throw line 33 times, making 28, while BGSU was 11-for-14 from the stripe in the game.
OU held a 35-24 rebounding advantage, with Nelson recording a double-double for the Grizzlies. Nelson had 11 points and 11 rebounds, including six at the offensive end.
Kangas also had 11 points, all in the second half, while Cassise scored nine and McCloskey eight for the home team.
Jakubowski scored six points and Larson four for the Falcons. Miller, in addition to his 21 points, led the Falcons in rebounding (five) and steals (three) and tied for the team assists lead, with seven. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
The Falcons hit the road again this week, heading to Northern Colorado for a Thursday (Dec. 6) game vs. the Bears. That will conclude a three-game road swing for the Brown and Orange, and will be the team's last game action prior to fall semester exams. Following the UNC game, the Falcons' next game will be at home vs. Illinois State on Dec. 16.
NOTES
* The Falcons' total of 80 points marked the second time this year that BG has reached that plateau, and the Brown and Orange posted season-best totals for field goals made (32), assists (20) and steals (10) vs. the Grizzlies ... Oakland's 90 points, however, represented by far the highest total the Falcons have surrendered this year to date ... BG had not allowed more than 72 points in any of the prior six games of the year.
* The Falcons have shot 50.0% or better from the field in four of the first seven games of the year ... BGSU has a season field-goal pct. of 47.9% to date.
Three Detroit-area natives were close to their respective homes on Saturday ... junior Darryl Clements, sophomore Otis Polk and assistant coach LaMonta Stone all are natives of the Motor City.
* Clements responded by scoring 13 points to tie his career high ... he played a career-high 37 minutes in the game, and also set or tied season bests in field goals made (four) and attempted (six), free throws made (four - tied career high) and three-pointers (one).
* Junior Nate Miller tied his BGSU career high in scoring, with 21 points for thet second time in the last three games ... Miller also had 21 points vs. Temple ... he set or matched season bests in free throws made (seven), assists (seven), steals (three), blocked shots (one) and minutes played (37).
* Senior Ryne Hamblet tied his season bests in field goals made (five), assists (seven), steals (two), blocks (two), three-pointers (one) and minutes (33).
* Redshirt freshman Chris Knight, who scored 23 points vs. Oakland, made 11 field goals, the most of his brief BGSU career ... he tied his season/career bests with 16 field goals attempted and a pair of steals.
* The last time the Falcons played at the O'Rena, they were soundly defeated, 77-53, by the Golden Grizzlies (Dec. 30, 2004) ... that BGSU team, however, rebounded to finish with an overall record of 18-11.
