BGSU To Begin MAC Play Saturday Against Ohio; Return Home Monday To Host Siena Heights

Saturday, December 20

Athens, Ohio

4 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Ohio

Photo by: Kate Laney, BGSU Athletics

BGSU To Begin MAC Play Saturday Against Ohio; Return Home Monday To Host Siena Heights

December 18, 2025 | Men's Basketball

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Falcons, Bobcats Set For 4 p.m. Tip; BGSU, Siena Heights Scheduled For 2 p.m. Start

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will have two more games before their holiday break. The Falcons will begin on Saturday (Dec. 20) with their MAC opener, taking on the Ohio Bobcats on the road for a 4 p.m. tip. BGSU will transition back home on Monday (Dec. 22) for their final non-conference game of 2025, hosting Siena Heights for a 2 p.m. start at the Stroh Center. Both games will be available to stream on ESPN+ with a radio feed from Todd Walker on WFRO Eagle 99.

Opening Tip
The Falcons will head on the road for the final time during the 2025 calendar year and for the first time in MAC play this season, going to Athens to face the Ohio Bobcats Saturday (Dec. 20). BGSU will then return home on Dec. 22 for their final non-conference game of 2025, hosting the Siena Heights Saints for a Holiday Themed game at the Stroh Center. Bowling Green is currently off to an 8-3 start, the second time in the last three years with an 8-3 record through the first 11 games of the season. The Falcons are coming off a game where both Sam Towns and Troy Glover II posted double-doubles while Javon Ruffin came an assist shy of one of his own. BGSU is currently ranked number one in the nation for steals per game (12.7), second for turnovers forced per game (18.8) and fourth for turnover margin (7.2).

At The Games
Monday vs. Siena Heights
Get in the holiday spirit with BGSU's holiday themed game. Graphics, music and more will be holiday themed, including a light show display at halftime.

Parking Changes For 2025-26
Additional Limited Mobility Parking Now Available for All Home Basketball Games
To better accommodate fans and guests with limited mobility, additional designated parking spaces will now be available for all upcoming home Men's and Women's Basketball games at the Stroh Center.
Location:
Additional parking will be located on the north side of Lot 24, beginning with the first row of spaces adjacent to the grass area and including the next two rows directly behind it.
Fan Access:
Guests utilizing these spaces should enter through the Student Entrance, located on the north side of Lot 24. From there, fans may use the service elevator to access the main arena and seating areas.
Please Note:
Limited mobility parking will remain paid parking and will be clearly marked with signage indicating the designated spaces and new location.

Defense Setting The Tone
Heading into Mid-American Conference play, the Falcons have established themselves has one of the premier defenses in the conference. Entering the conference schedule, BGSU leads the MAC in most defensive stats. Leading the way is BGSU's nation-leading 12.7 steals per game to go along with 18.8 turnovers forced per game, which ranks second in the country. Additionally, the Falcons are holding opposing teams to 39.9-percent shooting from the field and just 64.8 points per game, both marks that lead the MAC.

Scouting The Bobcats
Ohio enters MAC play with a 5-6 record on the season but have won their last four contests. After a slow start, beginning 1-6 on the year, the Bobcats have rallied for wins over Maine, Marshall, St. Bonaventure and Ohio Wesleyan. The victories over Maine, Marshall and Ohio Wesleyan came at home while the win over St. Bonaventure was a neutral site, played in Cleveland. As for home games this season, Ohio holds a 4-2 record in the Convocation Center with their only losses being an 89-85 final against Arkansas State and a 76-73 final against Bethune-Cookman. Statistically, OU is led by senior guard Jackson Paveletzke, averaging 16.5 points and 4.3 assists per game, both leading the team. Freshman guard JJ Kelly followed, leading the team in all shooting percentage categories, going 57.9-percent from the field, 43.8 from three and 91.7 at the line, as well as blocks per game.

Series History vs. Ohio
The Falcons and Bobcats will be meeting for the 157th time in program history with BGSU leading the series, 85-71. However, Ohio has won the last two meetings and holds the advantage when playing in Athens with a record of 46-30. BGSU's last win in Athens came on Dec. 30, 2020 with an 83-75 victory.

Scouting The Saints
Siena Heights heads into the weekend with a 4-7 standing on the season while being 1-6 within the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Before facing the Falcons on Monday (Dec. 22), they'll first take on Detroit Mercy on Saturday (Dec. 20) with both going down as exhibitions for the Saints. Siena Heights have had their wins come in bunches this year. They won two of their first three games of the season and have won two of their last three games, but they sustained a five-game losing streak between the sets of wins. The victories for Siena Heights have come against Adrian (73-61), East-West (96-67), Cleary (71-66) and Kuyper (63-39) with the win over Cleary marking their only on the road so far this season. In their most recent game, they came up short against Madonna, 81-69. Joshua Wilson leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game, one of four Saints averaging double-digit points per game. Jonas Tester followed with 11.7 points over a team-leading 32.3 minutes per game. George Kalatzis is averaging 11.5 points on top of a team-leading 0.7 blocks per game while Jack Olis averaged 10.6 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.

Campbell Leads Nation
Javontae Campbell added three more steals for the Falcons against Chicago State, bringing his total to 40. Through 11 games, Campbell is averaging a nation-leading 3.6 steals per game while his 40 total are tied for first as well. Campbell is currently on pace for 113 steals, which would shatter not only his own single-season record for the Falcons of 90 last season, but also the MAC record, set at 103 by Ball State's Bonzi Wells in 1997-98. For those looking to follow Campbell's projections, Falcon Sports Media Network's Tyler Kavalecz is doing a game-by-game update on his Twitter/X page (@TKavaleczSports).

Simon's Strong Starts To The Season
Through the first 11 games this season, the Falcons hold an 8-3 record. This marks the second time in head coach Todd Simon's first three seasons that the Falcons have been 8-3 or better through the first 11 games, holding the same standing in 2023-24. Simon is just one of two coaches in program history to begin 8-3 or better in two of his first three seasons at BGSU. The other is BGSU Hall of Famer Harold Anderson, starting 10-0 in his first season (1942-43), 9-1 in his second season (1943-44) and 10-0 in his third season (1944-45).

20-Point Players
This season, the Falcons have had six different players log a 20-point game, which is tied for the most in the nation with six other teams. The Falcons are joined in the feat by Arizona, Cal St. Fullerton, Illinois, IU Indy, LMU (CA) and Portland. For BGSU, Javontae Campbell leads the way with four 20-point games as well as one from each of Aiden Goins, Josiah Shackelford, Justin Thomas, Sam Towns and Mayar Wol.

MACtion On The Road
The Falcons have had strong MAC road starts over recent years. BGSU has won their first MAC road game six of the last eight years, going back to 2017-18. During the stretch, two have come in Athens. The Falcons started both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 road MAC slates against Ohio, picking up an 83-74 win in 2019-20 followed by an 83-75 victory in 2020-21. OU is the only team BGSU has faced multiple times in their first road MAC game during the stretch.

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