BGSU Overcomes 19-Point Deficit To Stun Kent State At Stroh Center

Saturday, February 3

Bowling Green, OH

3:30 PM

Bowling Green State University

14-9 (5-5MAC)

Kent State

12-11 (6-4MAC)

Kent State

Bowling Green

BGSU Overcomes 19-Point Deficit To Stun Kent State At Stroh Center

February 03, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by James Nahikian, BGSU Athletic Communications

Box Score (PDF)
Post-Game Audio: Coach Huger With Todd Walker
Photo Gallery: Craig Bell (BGSU Marketing/Communications)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team overcame a 19-point deficit in the first half to pick up a wild 70-62 victory over Kent State University on Saturday (Feb. 3) afternoon in front of a raucous Stroh Center crowd of 3,540.

The crowd was the fourth-largest attendance in Stroh Center history for the men's basketball program.

Bowling Green improves to 14-9 (5-5 MAC) on the season, while Kent State falls to 12-11 (6-4 MAC). BGSU surpassed last season's win total with the victory.

Kent State led by a score of 29-10 in the first half, before redshirt-freshman guard Justin Turner scored the final 14 points of the half for the Falcons, pulling BGSU within seven points at 31-24 halftime.

Turner scored the 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, and did so in just 4:40 of game duration. He nailed a three-pointer to pull the Falcons within 16 at the 4:40 mark, while his spurt ended when he hit a step-jack jumper at the first-half buzzer. The Orange and Brown went on to outscore the Golden Flashes by a 46-31 mark in the second half to cap off the comeback.

Turner finished with a team-high 20 points. Junior forward Demajeo Wiggins added 13 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore guard Rodrick Caldwell (12 points) and junior guard Antwon Lillard (11 points) also scored in double figures.

TODD WALKER RADIO CALLS
• Turner First-Half Buzzer Beater
• Turner Drive And Score
• Koch Triple
• Lillard SLAM!
• Koch Step-Back Trey
• Caldwell To Wiggins Alley-Oop
• Juice Jumper
• Fox And-1
• Clutch Fox Three-Ball
• Late Cummings Block
• Final Call

FALCON FACTS
• The 19-point deficit was the largest deficit that the Falcons have overcome in a win this season. BGSU overcame a 13-point deficit in a win over Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 18.
• The crowd of 3,540 is the fourth-largest crowd in men's basketball history at the Stroh Center. It was the program's biggest crowd since 3,100 fans saw a 62-59 Kent State win over BGSU on Jan. 23, 2016.
• With eight regular-season games to go, Bowling Green has now surpassed last season's win total of 13. The Falcons are 14-9 (5-5 MAC) on the campaign.
• The win marked BGSU's first home win over Kent State since Feb. 26, 2014.
• The victory for Bowling Green extended its lead in the all-time series versus Kent State to 87-33.
• The Falcons are 3-3 versus Kent State under head coach Michael Huger.
• Bowling Green improves to 7-4 at the Stroh Center in 2017-18. The Falcons are 65-42 at the facility all-time.
• After shooting 27.3 percent (9-of-33) in the first half, the Falcons shot 60.0 percent (18-of-30) in the second half.
• Bowling Green forced 15 Kent State turnovers, while limiting the Golden Flashes to just seven assists in the game.
• Bowling Green racked up 15 assists. Bowling Green has dished out 15-plus assists a total of 10 times in 2017-18.
• Bowling Green had more paint points (30-28), second-chance points (12-6), fast-break points (11-7) and bench points (18-6).

PLAYER NOTES
• Redshirt-freshman guard Justin Turner posted 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Turner has scored 20-plus points in seven games this season.
• Junior forward Demajeo Wiggins racked up 13 points and nine rebounds. He also had two assists, and just one turnover.
• Sophomore guard Rodrick Caldwell scored 12 points on a very efficient 4-of-6 shooting. Caldwell also had two rebounds, one block, four assists and zero turnovers.
• Junior guard Antwon Lillard finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
• Freshman forward Derek Koch posted eight points, six rebounds and two assists. Koch tied a career high with two triples. He's had multiple assists in nine games in 2017-18.
• Senior guard Matt Fox scored six points, and added one rebound and one assist. His six points came in crunch time, as he nailed a three-pointer and completed an and-one layup.
• Freshmen front court members Joniya Gadson and Daeqwon Plowden each had two rebounds. Redshirt-junior forward Jeffrey Uju had one rebound in four minutes.
• Sophomore guard Dylan Frye added two rebounds and one assist.

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"Once we settled down, and started to make some shots, and we really started to defend. Once we started to defend, we were able to get out in transition and get some easy buckets." – Coach Huger

UP NEXT
• Bowling Green travels to Ball State on Tuesday (Feb. 6) evening to take on the Cardinals.
• Tip is slated for 7 p.m. from Worthen Arena.