Turner Scores 33 To Lead Falcons To MAC-Opening Victory Over Buffalo

Sunday, December 6

Bowling Green, OH

6:00 PM EST

Bowling Green State University

4-1,1-0MAC

Buffalo

1-2,0-1MAC

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Turner Scores 33 To Lead Falcons To MAC-Opening Victory Over Buffalo

December 06, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: by BGSU Strategic Communications

Box Score
Post-Game Video: Huger | Turner
Post-Game Audio: Coach Huger With Todd Walker
Photo Gallery: Isaiah Vazquez

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Led by 33 points from fifth-year senior Justin Turner, the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play on Sunday (Dec. 6) evening with an 86-78 victory over the University at Buffalo. The league opener for both schools was played inside the friendly confines of the Stroh Center.

The Falcons have now won four-straight games to improve to 4-1 in 2020-21. Buffalo, picked fourth in the MAC's preseason poll, falls to 1-2 on the young season.

BGSU led by two at the break, but needed to overcome a six-point deficit with just 6:26 left in regulation. Turner scored 20 of his 33 points in the final seven minutes, including 13 of Bowling Green's final 14 points.

Along with Turner, freshman guard Kaden Metheny and senior forward Trey Diggs each scored in double figures with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. Senior forward Daeqwon Plowden added eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

COACH HUGER QUOTE
"It was an extremely-well played game. I thought both teams played hard. Buffalo is tough as nails – they do what they do and they do it well. I thought our guys stood up for the challenge. We were able to fight from start to finish, and we were able to close it out down the stretch … It's definitely a huge win. It's the first game and you're playing one of the toughest teams in the league … You have to protect home court in order to have any chance at winning a MAC Championship."

KEY PLAYS DOWN THE STRETCH
• With the Falcons down three points with 3:19 to play, Justin Turner found Trey Diggs for an easy layup to bring BG within a single point at 71-70.
• After UB split a pair of free throws, Daeqwon Plowden went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe to tie the game, 72-72, with 2:52 left on the clock.
• Bowling Green then got a stop and Turner drew a foul on the other end. He hit both free throws with the Falcons in the double bonus, giving BGSU a 74-72 advantage with 2:52 to play.
• UB missed a jump shot on its ensuing possession, setting up a dagger three-pointer from Turner that extended the Falcon lead to 77-72 with 1:18 remaining. After yet another defensive stop, Turner inched the lead up to seven points with a beautiful running-floater in the paint. Bowling Green led by at least six points for the remainder of the contest.

BGSU 8️⃣6️⃣
Buffalo 7️⃣8️⃣#AyZiggy // #Team106 pic.twitter.com/d3YI8sg9nh
— BGSU Basketball (@BGSUMHoops) December 7, 2020

TODD WALKER RADIO CALLS
• PLOWDEN HAMMER! (47-46, BGSU)
• Team Defense Leads To Fields Layup (53-50, BGSU)
• Metheny Three-Pointer (56-52, BGSU)
• Fulcher Finds Turner (65-63, UB)
• Turner CLUTCH Triple (77-72, BGSU)
• Turner Beautiful Floater (79-72, BGSU)
• FALCONS WIN!! (86-78, BGSU)

TEAM NOTES
• Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Bowling Green has racked up a record of 31-4 at the Stroh Center. That record is good enough for a conference-leading .886 winning percentage. The 31 wins are more than any other MAC school over that time frame.
• The win pushes BGSU's record to 97-48 at the Stroh Center all-time. Bowling Green is 56-25 at home in the Michael Huger Era.
• With the win, BGSU narrows Buffalo's advantage in the all-time series to a single game at 22-21. The Falcons have won two of the last three most-recent contests between the two schools. Since dropping nine-straight games to UB over March of 2014 through March of 2018, Bowling Green has racked up a record of 3-3 against Buffalo.
• BGSU has won four-straight games for the first time since winning eight-straight games in MAC play in 2019-20. Last season, on Jan. 31, 2020, BGSU defeated UB by a score of 78-77. The victory that night gave the Falcons eight-consecutive league wins for the first time since 1979-80.
• Bowling Green is 25-12 in Mid-American Conference play since 2019.
• The Falcons are 4-3 in conference openers inside of the Stroh Center.
• BGSU is 3-3 in MAC openers under head coach Michael Huger. Bowling Green is 2-2 in league openers at the Stroh Center in the Michael Huger Era.
• The Falcons are off to a 4-1 start for the third time under head coach Michael Huger.
• Bowling Green improves to 19-11 in the month of December under head coach Michael Huger.
• Bowling Green's bench scored 17 points compared to UB's seven points. BGSU had more fast-break points (7-4) than the Bulls.
• The Falcons shot 40-plus free throws for the first time since attempting 43 free throws in a January 2018 loss at Akron. BGSU went 31-of-40 from the free throw line on the night, marking the second time this season that the Falcons have made 30-plus free throws. The Falcons went 31-of-36 at the free throw line in their win over South Carolina State on Nov. 28, 2020.
• BGSU improves to 22-69 in the Michael Huger Era in games when its opponent has a better field goal percentage. Bowling Green shot 40.4 percent (23-of-57) from the floor, while the Bulls shot the ball at a 45.9 percent (28-of-61) clip.
• In tonight's game, there were seven ties and 14 lead changes. Buffalo led for 18:33, while BGSU led for 17:30 of the game's 40 minutes.
• A total of 12 student-athletes appeared in the game for the Falcons, including a first-half stint from sophomore walk-on Isaac Elsasser.

PLAYER NOTES
• Fifth-year senior Justin Turner had a massive night in the victory, finishing with 33 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Turner, who surpassed the 1,700-point milestone on the night, has scored 1,712 points in his career. He ranks seventh all-time in scoring at BGSU, needing just 227 points to break the record.
• Turner climbed past Clinton Venable on BGSU's all-time career scoring average list. Turner now ranks ninth all-time in the category with a 17.3 scoring average over 99 career games. Venable averaged 17.1 points for the Falcons from 1990-91.
• Turner has scored 30-plus points a total of seven times in his career. Tonight was his first 30-plus point game inside of the Stroh Center. His other two 33-point games came at Ball State on Feb. 15, 2020 and Nov. 10, 2017 at Drexel in his first-career start. The Falcons have won all three of those games.
• Turner had a historic night at the free throw line, going a perfect 15-for-15. It's the first time a Falcon has made 15-plus free throws since Ron Lewis made 18 free throws at Eastern Michigan on March 6, 2004. Turner is the first Falcon to attempt 15-plus free throws since Demajeo Wiggins went 11-for-16 in BGSU's memorable 92-88 win over No. 18 Buffalo on Feb. 2, 2019.
• Freshman guard Kaden Metheny (11 points) and senior forward Trey Diggs (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Orange and Brown. Additionally, Diggs posted four rebounds and a career-high three steals. Metheny, who had zero turnovers, has scored 10-plus points three times this season.
• Junior guard Caleb Fields and redshirt-sophomore center Dylan Swingle made huge contributions to the BGSU win. Fields had an impressive stat line of nine points, three assists, two steals and one rebound. Swingle finished with eight points and two rebounds. The two Falcons combined to go 6-for-10 from the field.
• Senior forward Daeqwon Plowden led all players with a +13 on-court rating in 28 minutes of action. Plowden finished with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Plowden has recorded 10-plus rebounds a total of 17 times in his career.
• Freshman forward Cam Young gave the Falcons some great burn, highlighted by a first-half effort that saw him score six points and collect two rebounds. Young finished the game with that same stat line over 10:08 on the court. Young's six points set a career high. He tied a career high with one field goal. Young went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, earning career highs in both makes and attempts.
• Freshman wing Josiah Fulcher was named the team MVP, and signed the oar in the post-game locker room celebration. Fulcher was put on UB point guard Ronaldo Segu late in the game, and did an effective job. Fulcher finished the contest with a +10 on-court rating, which was the second-best plus/minus in the game. Fulcher played eight minutes and grabbed four rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Chandler Turner pulled down a defensive rebound in the victory for the Orange and Brown. Fellow sophomore Davin Zeigler added a free throw make. Junior forward Jacob Washington contributed with one rebound for BGSU.

NEXT GAME
Dec. 13 | vs. Wright State | Stroh Center | 12 PM | ESPN3/+

𝑨𝒊𝒓 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒅𝒆𝒏 cleared for takeoff!!!@ESPNAssignDesk @MACSports #SCTop10 // @DaeqwonPlowden pic.twitter.com/6KqNi0CuDO
— BGSU Basketball (@BGSUMHoops) December 7, 2020