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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
DUQUESNE
Falcons Unable To Hold On To Halftime Lead In 76-65 Loss To Duquesne
December 31, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2008
Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Duquesne Dukes scored 50 second half points and overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to beat the Bowling Green men's basketball team 76-65 Wednesday afternoon. The Dukes shot 64 percent in the second half after being held to just 28 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Bowling Green had allowed an average of just over 55 points per game in its last four contests, while Duquesne was averaging over 88 points in its last three games. The contest played to the Falcons' tempo in the opening 20 minutes but the second half turned into a Duquesne-style contest and the Dukes quickly took the lead and pulled away from BG.
Throughout the contest, Duquesne dominated the boards, piling up 18 offensive rebounds and holding a 15-6 advantage in second chance points. Despite the Dukes' difficulty to score in the first half, they stayed within seven at the break by generating more possessions.
Bowling Green used a 14-3 run midway through the first half to take a 24-17 lead and the Falcons led by nine at 33-24 before Damian Saunders' dunk at the end of the half made it 33-26. The BGSU zone defense gave Duquesne fits and Aaron Jackson, a Bob Cousy Award finalist as one of the nation's best collegiate point guards, was held to five points.
Darryl Clements knocked down a three-pointer for three of his team-high 20 points to open the second half to give Bowling Green a 10-point lead. But Duquesne turned up the pace and began to knock down shots. The Falcons made 16-of-25 field goal attempts, 5-of-10 three-pointers, and 13-of-14 free-throws in the second half, eventually taking a 42-41 lead and never trailing again.
Brian Moten did hit a three-pointer with 9:26 to go that cut Duquesne's lead to just four at 53-49, but the Dukes scored the next 11 points over a five-minute stretch that put the contest away.
The loss kept Bowling Green winless in six road games this year and is the third such contest in which the Falcons led at the half but went on to lose. The Falcons, on the other hand, are unbeaten in six home and neutral site contests.
Clements tied his career high with four three-pointers in six attempts and was 8-of-12 on the afternoon as Bowling Green finished at 51 percent shooting. Joe Jakubowski had 12 points and six assists, while Otis Polk had 10 points and two blocked shots. Those two blocks gave him 100 for his career, just the fifth player in program history to reach that mark.
Duquesne improves to 9-4 with the win and Bowling Green falls to 6-6. The Falcons return home to host Fordham Saturday at 2 p.m.
