Falcons Drop Heartbreaker At SJSU On Put Back With 1.2 Seconds Left

Sunday, December 18

San Jose, CA

5:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

4-7

San Jose State

6-4

Bowling Green

San Jose State

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Falcons Drop Heartbreaker At SJSU On Put Back With 1.2 Seconds Left

December 18, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Final Statistics: NCAA Box/Play-By-Play | HTML
Post-Game Audio: Coach Huger With Todd Walker

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team erased an 18-point second half deficit, regained as much as a three-point lead, before allowing a put-back layup with 1.2 seconds left to lose to San Jose State University by a score of 77-76. The game was played at SJSU's Event Center.

"In the first half, we weren't ready to play. We've been getting off to bad starts … We can't be getting off to bad starts, and expect to win the game," said head coach Michael Huger. "We've been having to fight our way out of holes that we keep digging for ourselves. That just takes so much energy, and we do have the depth to do that, but I don't want to continue to play that way.

"It was just energy and effort, because we showed that we could do it in the second half. We just have to do a much better job of being physical, and not be waiting until we get punched in the mouth in order to fight back. That was the difference in the game, I thought, and we just have to do a much better job of being physical at the start."

Zack Denny pulled down an offensive rebound, and converted a layup in traffic to give the Falcons a 76-75 lead with eight seconds left. BGSU then forced a contested layup by San Jose State's Jalen James, but Brandon Clarke, who finished the game with 24 points and 14 rebounds, tipped the ball in to give the Spartans the win.

Denny's half-court heave at the buzzer hit the backboard. With the loss, Bowling Green falls to 4-7 on the season, while San Jose State, with the win, improves to 6-4. The Falcons will conclude the non-conference schedule at home by hosting Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) and Norfolk State (Dec. 30).

Denny and fellow senior Wes Alcegaire led the Falcons in scoring with 16 points each. Denny, who shot 7-for-15 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point land, also had seven rebounds and two steals. Alcegaire also went 2-for-4 from downtown, and went 6-for-10 from the field, while also chipping in with four rebounds.

Senior guard Ismail Ali, who was playing about 40 minutes away from his hometown of South Hayward, California, had a large section of family and friends at the game. Ali went 6-for-11 from the field, and had 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds.

Uncharacteristically, the Falcons got beat up on the glass. San Jose State had 41 rebounds compared to Bowling Green's 28. The Falcons also allowed 15 offensive rebounds, which includes Clarke's game-winning put back.

The Falcons shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the floor, but the Spartans shot 50 percent (28-of-58), while also shooting 10 more free throws than the Falcons. San Jose went 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) from the line. Bowling Green went 10-for-14 (71.4 percent). However, mostly all of BGSU's free throws came late in game, as the Falcons didn't even attempt their first foul shot until midway through the second half. San Jose State did not commit its first foul until the 6:58 mark of the first half.

Bowling Green will conclude the non-conference schedule with a couple of games at the Stroh Center in the coming weeks. The Falcons will host Alabama A&M on Dec. 22, before taking on Norfolk State on Dec. 30. BGSU's first conference game is slated for Jan. 3 at Akron.