Bowling Green Battles Back, Extinguishes Eastern’s Spark For Home Win

Saturday, January 17

Bowling Green, Ohio

1 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

12-6,3-3MAC

Eastern Michigan

9-10,3-4MAC

Eastern Mich.

Bowling Green

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

Bowling Green Battles Back, Extinguishes Eastern’s Spark For Home Win

January 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-EMU Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes Photo Gallery

Wol Leads With 25 Points, Glover Follows With Second Double-Double

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

Ziggyville Attendance: 287
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team fought back in the final minutes to defeat Eastern Michigan, 85-79, Saturday (Jan. 17) at the Stroh Center. The Falcons worked to build a 21-point lead, but the Eagles worked their way back for a second half lead. Over the final four minutes, Bowling Green outscored Eastern Michigan 11-1 to reclaim the lead and the victory. The win moves BGSU to 12-6 on the season while being 3-3 within the MAC.

Mayar Wol led the way for the Orange and Brown with 25 points, including 19 in the first half. Javontae Campbell followed with 18 points and a team-leading five assists. Josiah Shackelford (13 points) and Javon Ruffin (12) added to the double-digit scorers. The list rounded out with Troy Glover II posting his second double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and four blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons won the opening tip and tallied the first points with Troy Glover II working for a second chance bucket. Javontae Campbell kept it going for a 4-0 BGSU start before the first EMU basket.
Javon Ruffin hit a three, but the Eagles pulled within one. A jumper from Mayar Wol, a layup from Ruffin and a dunk from Campbell created a 13-8 advantage for the Falcons at the first media timeout. EMU added a pair of points before the next break for a 13-10 score.
Out of the break, Eastern Michigan again pulled within one, but the Falcons responded with two free throws from Wol plus a Glover and-one for a 5-0 run. EMU stopped the run, but a three from Wol and layups from Ruffin and Wol built a 25-16 lead at the media timeout. Wol completed an and-one after the timeout before later hitting back-to-back threes after an Eastern Michigan basket for a 32-18 advantage at the media timeout.
The two went back-and-forth after the break. Wol hit a three with a Camden Karel layup adding to the total before another three, this time from Ruffin, resulting in a 40-30 score at the final media timeout of the first half. The two teams traded baskets to the end of the half. Jumpers from Josiah Shackelford and Ruffin tallied BGSU points before a dunk by Shackelford for the final points of the half for a 46-36 halftime score.
Sam Towns opened the second half with a three for the Falcons. Wol followed with a three and the foul for a four-point play. A jumper from Campbell stretched the second half start for BGSU to 9-0 with EMU taking a timeout, trailing 55-36. The Falcons added a second chance basket from Wol, but an 11-0 EMU run followed for a 57-47 score, resulting in a BGSU timeout that doubled as the under-16 media timeout.
Glover broke the run out of the timeout with an and-one dunk, but the Eagles answered with a three of their own. Campbell added two at the line, but four points for EMU cut the score to 64-56 at the under-12 media timeout.
Eastern Michigan continued to chip away, tying the score at 65-65 with BGSU's tally being a free throw from Shackelford. Towns later drove for a layup, but Eastern Michigan worked for a 70-67 lead at the under-8 media timeout.
EMU increased their lead to 72-67, but the Falcons fought back. Campbell hit a three to pull within a possession before Glover threw down an alley-oop from Campbell, matching an Eastern Michigan basket. Each team added two at the line with Shackelford making BGSU's with the Eagles holding a 78-74 lead at the final media timeout.
Out of the break, Campbell went on a 5-0 run, making two from the field and adding a free throw, to put the Falcons in front 79-78 to force an EMU timeout. After the timeout, the Eagles made one at the line to tie, but a Campbell layup reclaimed the lead. Shackelford added four free throws down the stretch to claim the 85-79 final.

STAT LEADERS

Mayar Wol: 25 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Javontae Campbell: 18 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Josiah Shackelford: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Javon Ruffin: 12 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Troy Glover II: 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks

FALCON STAT FACTS

Mayar Wol led the Falcons in scoring for the second-straight game, finishing with 25 points after posting 19 in the first half alone. Wol now has four 20-point games this season and has averaged 22.5 points per game since entering the starting lineup.
Wol also made a team-high five three-pointers in the game, his second-straight game with five threes. Over the last four games, Wol is averaging four threes per game.
Playing a season-high 35 minutes, Troy Glover II posted his second double-double of the season for the Falcons, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. His rebound total led the team, marking three-straight games he has led the team in the stat. He added four blocks, tying his season-high.
Javontae Campbell filled the stat sheet with 18 points, a team-leading five assists, two rebounds and two steals. Campbell has now led the team in assists in five-straight games as well as nine of the last 11 contests.
Josiah Shackelford led the BGSU bench unit. Shackelford finished with 13 points, including going 7-of-8 at the free throw line. On top of that, he posted season-highs for both rebounds (8) and assists (3).
Javon Ruffin joined the double-digit scoring efforts with 12 points for the Falcons, chipping in two assists, one rebound and one steal.
The win pushes BGSU back to .500 in the MAC with a 3-3 record as well as being the first home win of the 2026 calendar.

UP NEXT
The Falcons will be on the road for their next two games, beginning in Kalamazoo on Tuesday (Jan. 20) with a 7 p.m. tip against Western Michigan. From there, BGSU will move to the Battle of I-75 on Jan. 24, taking on the rival Rockets in a 5 p.m. tip at Savage Arena. The next home game for BGSU will be on Jan. 27, hosting Buffalo.

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'