Falcons Handed First MAC Loss In Tight Contest With Akron

Tuesday, January 10

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

8-8,2-1MAC

Akron

10-6,2-1MAC

Akron

Bowling Green

Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics

January 10, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-Akron Box Score Coach Huger Interview Isaac Elsasser Interivew Support Our Student-Athletes Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball program went down to the last minute with the Akron Zips Tuesday night (Jan. 10) at the Stroh. The Falcons and Zips battled through a tight contest that never saw a double-digit lead. Bowling Green narrowed the gap to just one with under two minutes left, but couldn't overcome the deficit, falling to Akron 74-70. The loss moves BGSU to 2-1 on the young MAC season while being 8-8 overall this year.

Leon Ayers III paced the Falcons offensively with a team-high 19 points. Kaden Metheny followed closely with 16 and filled up the stat sheet with six rebounds, six assists and three steals while hitting four three-pointers. The double-digit scoring efforts concluded with Rashaun Agee's 11 for the Orange and Brown.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons and Zips traded baskets early in the game before BGSU went on an 8-0 run. The run was highlighted by a Kaden Metheny steal that turned into an alley oop to Leon Ayers III to force an Akron timeout with BG up 19-14.
The BGSU lead stretched to nine, the largest lead of the game, with the score at 28-19, but Akron soon narrowed the gap.
The Zips went on a 9-0 run to tie it up at 33-33 before each team made a three-pointer to send the score to 36-36 at the half.
Akron made the first basket of the second half, but the Falcons retaliated with a 7-0 burst to take a 43-39 advantage.
BGSU maintained the lead until an 8-0 run for the Zips pushed Akron ahead 60-58. The two teams traded buckets, heading to the media timeout with Bowling Green up 63-62 after a coast-to-coast layup by Isaac Elsasser off a strong defensive effort and rebound.
Out of the timeout, Akron moved back in front 66-63, but a 5-0 spurt for the Orange and Brown pushed the Falcons back in front 68-66 before another media break.
Another 5-0 run, this time in favor of Akron, swung the score back to the Zips at 71-68. The Falcons were able to come within one at 71-70, but Akron made free throws down the stretch to clinch the 74-70 final.

STAT LEADERS

Leon Ayers III: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Kaden Metheny: 16 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Rashaun Agee: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Brenton Mills: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

FALCON STAT FACTS

For the fifth consecutive game, the Falcons shot at least 49% from the field, finishing with a mark of 49.1%. Over the five-game stretch, Bowling Green is shooting 52.7% (158-of-300) from the field.
As a team, Bowling Green made 10 three-pointers in the game. This marks the third straight game with exactly 10 triples for the Falcons, knocking down 10 in each MAC game so far this season.
Isaac Elsasser tallied five points on the night to bring his season total to 52 points. That mark sets a new career-high for points in a single season for Elsasser. He added five rebounds and an assist to his stat line.
Brenton Mills filled the stat sheet for the Falcons, hitting three of his four three-point shots. Mills also recorded a season-high six rebounds, tying for the team lead, and his first block of the season.
Leon Ayers III led the Falcons in scoring for the ninth time this season with 19 points. Ayers has recorded double-digit points in all but one of BGSU's 16 games this season.
Kaden Metheny tallied 16 points for the Falcons and matched his season-high for rebounds (6) and steals while also matching his career-high for assists (6).
Samari Curtis made both of his free throw attempts on the night, stretching his streak to 36 consecutive made free throws. Curtis entered the game sixth in the country for free throw percentage and managed to improve his mark to 94.4% on the season.
The game against the Zips marked the first time this season and just the eighth time during the Coach Huger Era at BGSU that the Falcons have been tied at halftime.

TODD WALKER RADIO CALLS
Ayers Drives And Scores
Metheny Steal And Alley Oop To Ayers
Towns Slams It Down
Elsasser Way Downtown
Metheny To Agee Hammer
Mills Triple
Me-THREE-ny

QUOTE FROM COACH HUGER
"I thought our guys competed. I thought we played extremely hard. I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win the game. We just have to execute down the stretch. We have to do a better job of executing. We have to make our free throws. All the stuff that's the difference between winning and losing."

Full postgame interview with Todd Walker

UP NEXT
The Falcons will be back on the road for their next two contests, first traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich. on Saturday (Jan. 14) to face Western Michigan. Bowling Green and the Broncos are set for a matinee tip at 1 p.m.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' men's basketball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSUMHoops
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsumhoops'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'