No. 20 Spartans Pull Away Late From Upset-Minded Falcons

Tuesday, December 18

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

5-5

Michigan State

10-2

Michigan State

Bowling Green

December 18, 2012 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Boxscore
Photo Gallery
Louis Orr Postgame Audio
A'uston Calhoun Postgame Audio

Bowling Green, Ohio – Chauncey Orr scored the last of his career-high 16 points on a three-pointer with 10:29 left Tuesday night to tie Bowling Green's men's basketball game with No. 20 Michigan State. But the Spartans scored the next nine points and closed the game on a 19-8 run to defeat the Falcons 64-53 in front of a standing-room only crowd of 4,291 at the Stroh Center.

Orr made 6-of-7 shots, including all three of his three-point attempts, to help the Falcons through the first 30 minutes. But cramps forced him out of the remainder of the contest and Bowling Green could not find enough scoring punch down the stretch to upset the 20^th ranked team in the country.

Jordon Crawford added 10 points and seven assists but he was the only other Falcon in double-digits in scoring. Bowling Green shot just 33 percent from the floor, while Michigan State shot 48 percent. But the Falcons hung close with a strong rebounding effort and a solid night taking care of the basketball.

Michigan State entered the contest as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, averaging 11 more than its opponents per contest. While the Spartans did hold a 38-35 edge on the boards, Bowling Green had a 13-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. As well, the Falcons committed just 10 turnovers, five fewer than Michigan State.

The contest featured six ties and nine lead changes throughout an entertaining first half and first 10 minutes of the second half. Michigan State built an early 9-4 lead but the Falcons stormed back with a 9-2 run on three-pointers from Orr and Crawford to take a 13-11 lead.

Later in the half, Crawford hit another three to give the Falcons an 18-17 lead but Michigan State's Denzel Valentine answered eight seconds later with a long range shot of his own. James Erger followed with a three-point play on a nifty off-balanced lay-up and foul to make it 21-20 Falcons. Bowling Green took its largest lead of the game after an empty Michigan State possession followed by an Orr jumper for a 23-20 advantage.

Michigan State countered with a 12-3 run to go ahead 32-26 but another Orr three-ball made it 32-29. The Spartans got a Brandon Kearney jumper as time expired in the first half for a 34-29 lead.

The Falcons fell behind by seven early in the second half, but A'uston Calhoun completed a three-point play and Crawford followed with a lay-up. Crawford then stole a telegraphed pass and raced the length of the court for a lay-up to tie the score at 40-40. Michigan State pushed the lead to three at 45-42 before Orr's final shot of the game tied the score with 10:29 to go.

Over the next four minutes, Michigan State's defense held the Falcons scoreless and the Spartans got enough offense to get some breathing room at 54-45. After a pair of Jehvon Clarke free-throws, Michigan State scored five more in a row to go ahead 59-47.

The Falcons made one last run, scoring four straight on free-throws from Luke Kraus and Calhoun to get within eight. Michigan State turned the ball over on its next two possessions and missed a jumper on its third but Bowling Green was unable to capitalize and the Spartans held on for the win.

Calhoun came into the contest needing just two points to become the 40^th player in school history to score 1,000 in his career and he did that on the first possession of the game. With nine points on the evening, he sits at 1,007 career points to rank 39^th all-time. He added a team-high five rebounds and posted two blocks.

Richaun Holmes came off the bench to block four shots and to help the Falcon bench to a 14-12 edge over the Michigan State bench. It is the seventh consecutive game in which the BGSU bench has outscored the opposition.

Michigan State improves to 10-2 with the win and Bowling Green falls to 5-5. The Falcons will hit the road for the next four games beginning with a contest Saturday at South Florida beginning at 7 p.m.