CMU Comes Out On Top Of Tight Contest Against BGSU In Mount Pleasant

Saturday, January 31

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

7 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

13-9,4-6MAC

Central Michigan

7-15,3-7MAC

Bowling Green

Central Mich.

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

CMU Comes Out On Top Of Tight Contest Against BGSU In Mount Pleasant

January 31, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-CMU Box Score Support Our Sutdent-Athletes

Campbell Tallies Four Steals To Move Up All-Time Career Steals Lists

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team faced off with the Central Michigan Chippewas Saturday night (Jan. 31) in front of a sold out McGuirk Arena for CMU's annual Toilet Paper Toss. The Falcons held CMU to 20 points in the first half, taking a lead to the locker room, but Central Michigan worked to flip the script in the second half. In total, the game saw nine lead changes and five ties along the way, but a late push from Central Michigan made the difference in the 62-59 final. BGSU falls to 13-9 on the season while being 4-6 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons won the opening tip with Troy Glover II getting the first points of the game. However, Central Michigan responded with an 8-0 run for an 8-2 advantage early. Glover ended the run with a hook shot for BGSU, making it an 8-4 tally at the first media timeout.
The Chippewas made the first basket after the timeout, but a 5-0 run for the Falcons followed. Josiah Shackelford elevated for a one-hand slam through traffic before assisting on an Aiden Goins corner three the next time down, narrowing the gap to 10-9. A Mayar Wol chasedown block later in the half sent the game to the under-12 media timeout with the same score.
Javontae Campbell worked for a layup to make it a 7-0 run and 11-10 lead, but CMU later matched with a jumper to end the run and reclaim the edge. Wol and Campbell swiped and scored on back-to-back possessions to swing the score back to BGSU. Campbell swiped another steal and scored for a 6-0 run, a 17-12 lead and a Central Michigan timeout.
The Falcons kept the run going after the timeout. Goins worked for a fadeaway that banked high off the glass. Shackelford followed with a steal and score before a Justin Thomas steal turned into a Campbell and–one opportunity to bring on the under-8 media timeout with a 12-0 BGSU run, 19-2 stretch and 23-12 advantage. Campbell converted the free throw after the timeout for a 24-12 lead.
A Campbell steal turned into a Shackelford layup for a 15-0 run, but the Chippewas ended the stretch with back-to-back baskets for a 26-16 score at the final media timeout of regulation. CMU kept it going on their end after the break, extending their run to 6-0. The Falcons ended the run with a Glover tomahawk slam in transition following a Towns block on the defensive end. Campbell continued the scoring with a layup to rebuild the lead to double-digits, 30-18. The teams traded baskets from there with a Towns layup for the Falcons, making it a 32-20 halftime score.
Central Michigan started the second half with a 6-0 run to cut the lead down to 32-26, but a Campbell and-one off his fourth steal ended the run. CMU made two at the line, but a quick Campbell layup matched for a 37-27 BGSU lead at the first media timeout of the second half.
Out of the timeout, CMU tallied consecutive baskets before a Glover hook shot halted the burst. The Chippewas answered with two more buckets for an 8-2 stretch, cutting the lead down to 39-35 at the under-12 media timeout. After the break, Central Michigan extended their stretch to 15-2, including an 11-0 run, reclaiming the lead to force a BGSU timeout with the score at 42-39.
Campbell ended the run with another and-one conversion. CMU got a layup to go, but Shackelford responded for the Falcons to keep it tied at 44-44 going into the under-8 timeout. Campbell went to the line after the timeout, making two for a 46-44 BGSU lead.
Shackelford hit a three to extend the BGSU lead, but CMU responded with one of their own to stay within a possession. Central rolled the three into a 6-0 run for a 50-49 lead at the final media timeout of regulation. CMU added a basket, but a three from Shackelford put the Falcons in front. The two began going back-and-forth with a Towns layup keeping it knotted up at 54-54 with a Central Michigan timeout at 2:23 on the clock.
Thomas went to the line, making a pair to give the lead back to BGSU, but Central again matched and later took a timeout with 1:04 on the clock and the score tied 56-56. CMU worked for back-to-back baskets for a 60-56 lead and a BGSU timeout. Coming out of the break, Shackelford hit a three to pull the Falcons within one, 60-59, with a BGSU timeout pausing the action at 9.4 seconds remaining. CMU added two free throws for the 62-59 final.

STAT LEADERS

Javontae Campbell: 21 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 steals
Josiah Shackelford: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Troy Glover II: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Sam Towns: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
Mayar Wol: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal

FALCON STAT FACTS

Javontae Campbell swiped away four steals in the game, bringing his season total to 71 and his career mark to 161. The career total moves him up the all-time list, passing Rosie Barnes (1977-80) for eighth in program history.
Campbell also led the Falcons in points and assists, his eighth time this season leading the team in both categories. Campbell finished with 21 points, his fourth-straight 20-point game and team-leading 10th of the season, and four assists. He now has 101 assists on the season, a new career-high for single-season assists.
For the first time this season, Josiah Shackelford led the Falcons in rebounds, hauling in eight boards to tie his season high. Shackelford added 17 points, second on the team, for a near double-double while sinking three of BGSU's four three-pointers in the game.
On the defensive end, Mayar Wol swatted away a team-leading and career-high three blocks. He added a steal, giving him 26 on the season to tie for his career-high in single campaign.
Justin Thomas played a team-high 29 minutes off the bench, doing a little of everything. He tallied two points while adding four rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block for BGSU.
As a team, the Orange and Brown snagged 40 rebounds in the game, their most in the MAC contest so far this season.
Bowling Green held the Chippewas to 20 points in the first half, tying for the fewest first half points by a BGSU opponent this season, matching the mark the Falcons held VMI to on Nov. 26.
The Falcons broke open the wardrobe, wearing their brown jerseys with script Falcons across the chest for the first time this season. It also marked the first time this season Bowling Green wore a jersey other than their typical road orange and home whites that both have block BGSU across the chest. It was just the fifth time in the last two seasons BGSU has won the brown uniforms.
With the game being the Toilet Paper Toss for Central Michigan, the Chippewas drew 5,352 fans to the game, the fifth largest crowd in McGuirk Arena history and the second largest against non-Western Michigan opponents. They previously drew 5,412 against Ball State on Feb. 18, 2017.

UP NEXT
Bowling Green will return home to the Stroh Center on Tuesday (Feb. 3) to host the Ball State Cardinals. The Falcons and Cardinals are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip with the game being Faith and Family Night.

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