Falcons Wrap Up Season’s MAC-Sun Belt Challenge With Loss At Arkansas State Saturday

Saturday, February 7

State University, Ark.

3 p.m. EST

Bowling Green State University

14-10,5-6MAC

Arkansas State

15-10,6-6Sun Belt

Bowling Green

Arkansas St.

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

Falcons Wrap Up Season’s MAC-Sun Belt Challenge With Loss At Arkansas State Saturday

February 07, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score BGSU-Arkansas State Box Score Support Our Student-Athletes

Campbell Swipes Six Steals, Leads Way In Points, Rebounds, Assists For BGSU

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

JONESBORO, Ark. - The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team concluded this season's MAC-Sun Belt Challenge on Saturday (Feb. 7) at Arkansas State. After struggles in the first half, the Falcons bounced back with 40 points while shooting 40.0-percent in the second half, but Arkansas State was red hot from three throughout the game, leading to a 91-54 final score. The loss moves Bowling Green to 14-10 on the season with MAC play resuming on Wednesday (Feb. 11) against Northern Illinois.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Falcons won the opening tip, but it was Arkansas State with the first points, hitting a corner three. Javontae Campbell started the BGSU scoring with one at the free throw line, but another three for A-State followed. The lead for the Red Wolves reached 8-1 at the first media timeout.
ASU added a basket, but the Falcons went to work. Javontae Campbell got a layup to fall for the first BGSU points of the day. He immediately swiped a steal on defense, finding Josiah Shackelford for a fast break layup, cutting the lead to 10-5 at the under-12 break.
Shackelford kept the run going after the timeout, drawing a foul and making two at the line, pulling the Falcons back within a possession behind a 6-0 run. A-State ended the run with a free throw. The teams went back-and-forth from there with Shackelford adding a layup and Campbell a free throw for a 15-10 score at the under-8 media timeout.
The Red Wolves worked for a 13-2 stretch out of the break with a Campbell layup counting for BGSU's points. The Falcons paused the action with a timeout, doubling as the final media timeout of the first half with the score at 28-12.
The run continued for Arkansas State after the timeout, reaching 21-0 with a 38-12 advantage, forcing another BGSU timeout with a minute remaining in the half. Campbell ended the run with two at the line, making it a 40-14 halftime score.
Arkansas State opened the second half with a three with BGSU's first points of the half coming from Justin Thomas at the line, making a pair, but another ASU three followed. The run for the Red Wolves to open the half reached 10-2 with a 48-16 lead.
Campbell ended the burst with a layup with Troy Glover II and Shackelford adding layups for a 54-22 score with A-State taking a timeout. The Red Wolves added a basket before the under-16 timeout for a 56-22 score.
Coming out of the break, Campbell worked for a steal and score. Sam Towns converted a jumper off a Campbell feed the next time down, but ASU continued to answer the BGSU scores. A layup from Makhi Leach made it 62-28 at the under-12 media timeout.
Javon Ruffin cut on the baseline for a basket off a Campbell feed to restart play after the timeout. Towns followed with a three the next time down, again assisted by Campbell for a 7-0 BGSU run. The stretch ended with an A-State transition dunk, but Glover answered with an and-one. Campbell was able to swipe a steal on the inbound, drawing a foul and making one at the line. A run from ASU pushed the score to 70-37 at the under-8 media timeout.
Ruffin converted two at the line after the break with Shackelford later adding a jumper followed by two at the line himself for an 81-43 score at the final media timeout of the game. Down the stretch, Towns added an and-one followed by a three from Ruffin. The scoring continued with layups from both Towns and Ruffin as well before Shackelford made one at the line for a 91-54 final.

STAT LEADERS

Javontae Campbell: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals
Josiah Shackelford: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Sam Towns: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Javon Ruffin: 9 points, 3 rebounds
Troy Glover II: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

FALCON STAT FACTS

Javontae Campbell put together a complete stat line for the Falcons, logging 13 points, six rebounds, six steals and four assists, either leading or tying for the team lead in all four stats. Campbell's 13 points gives him 1,997 career points at the collegiate level, just three shy of 2,000. His six steals give him 79 on the season and 169 as a Falcon. As for steals, Campbell has now led BGSU in the stat in 11 consecutive games.
Josiah Shackelford matched Campbell's 13 points to tie for the team lead, adding three rebounds and an assist. He also went 5-for-7 at the free throw line, his most made and attempted since Jan. 20.
Sam Towns joined the double-digit scoring efforts with 10, including a three pointer, while tying Campbell for the team lead in rebounds, collecting six boards.
Javon Ruffin led the BGSU bench scoring in the game with nine points, including making one of BGSU's two three-pointers in the contest.
The game marked the first time since Dec. 20 that BGSU didn't have a 20-point scorer, ending a streak of 11 straight games.

QUOTE FROM COACH SIMON
"We go 0-for from the three-point line in the first half, you go 2-for-24 from three, it's just a frustrating inconsistency from our guys. Especially after a game where we shoot 50-percent from three. We have to find some consistency from our shooters. Our preparation was good, guys looked good. In shootaround we made every shot and said this could be a good day. Then you come out to the game and we don't make any of them. You can't do that, particularly against a zone, and we missed too many layups at the rim as well."

UP NEXT
Bowling Green will stay on the road for their next contest, heading to Northern Illinois on Wednesday (Feb. 11) for an 8 p.m. EST tip against the Huskies. The Falcons will return home to the Stroh Center on Feb. 14 for the second leg in the Battle of I-75. The game will be an Orange Wave for BGSU along with the Bird Reveal for the mascots.

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