15 Moments in 15 Years of the Stroh: BGSU Bests the Bulls Before Record Crowd

Previous Moments in the Series...
1 – Opening The Doors
2 – Volleyball Opens the Building With a B!G Win
3 – Hoops Hit the Hardwood
4 – The NCAA Tournament Comes to BG
5 -- Stars Step Into the Stroh
6 – Falcons Upset Undefeated and No. 14 Ranked Dayton Flyers
7 – BGSU Volleyball Shocks the Stroh, Upsetting No.13 BYU
8 – Stroh Takes Center Stage for MAC Gymnastics Championships

B!G-TIME MATCHUP
On the first day of February in 2019, the Stroh Center hosted a B!G-time Mid-American Conference matchup. The men's basketball Falcons welcomed the highest-ranked men's team ever to play at the Stroh, as No. 18 Buffalo came to town.

The Bulls entered the game at 19-2 overall and 7-1 in MAC play, while the Falcons, 14-6 overall, were 6-1 in conference competition. BGSU had won 10 of 11 contests entering the game, and the Falcons and Bulls were the only MAC teams with fewer than three league losses.

The game was moved to an 8:00 p.m. tipoff as it was picked up for a national TV broadcast by CBS Sports Network.

BGSU 92, No. 18 Buffalo 88 -- Game Recap | Final Stats

B!G-TIME CROWD AS WELL
When the doors to the Stroh were opened that Friday evening, the crowd came pouring in. The game was played in front of a throng of 5,000, the largest crowd for a men's basketball game in the building's history.

BULLS CONTROL THE OPENING HALF
After the game was tied on several occasions in the early going, the Bulls forged ahead, with a CJ Massinburg layup giving the visitors a 16-7 lead just under five minutes into the contest. A Dontay Caruthers triple extended that lead into double digits, 24-14, just before the game's second media timeout.

Five-straight points by BGSU's Justin Turner cut the Falcons' deficit in half, but UB answered, and a Jeremy Harris hoop with 7:45 left in the period gave the Bulls an 11-point lead. With exactly five minutes to go, the margin reached 12 points on the first of three first-half occasions. BG scored the last few points of the period to cut the margin to eight, 47-39, at the intermission.

B!G RUN BEGINS SECOND HALF
The Falcons opened the second half on a 7-0 run. Dylan Frye knocked down a three-point try, and Demajeo Wiggins drained a pair of free throws. When Frye hit a jumper at the 18:14 mark, it was suddenly a one-point game.

"We talked about that at halftime -- let's win the first four minutes," said Falcon coach Michael Huger. "That was our goal coming out. We wanted to cut into the lead right away."

The Bulls did put the lead back out to five points, but Caleb Fields sank a pair of charity tosses, back-to-back jumpers by Michael Laster gave the Falcons the lead. The latter bucket was an 'and-one' make, and Laster's ensuing free throw gave the hosts their second 7-0 run in the first seven minutes of the half.

Caruthers snapped that run with a three-pointer, but Laster hit another jumper, then made a pair of free throws out of the 12-minute media timeout, giving the Falcons a 63-60 lead.

Caruthers tied the game with another trey, but Frye's steal and three-pointer gave the Falcons the lead once again, and Jeffrey Uju fed Antwon Lillard for a three-ball and a 69-65 lead with 9:20 to go.

RUNNING PAST THE BULLS
The game remained close for the next few minutes, with the Falcons taking a 72-71 lead into a timeout with exactly eight minutes remaining. Out of that break, however, the Falcons went on a 12-2 run to take control.

Frye and Wiggins each hit free throws, and a Daeqwon Plowden layup was followed by a Turner triple. Suddenly, the Falcons had a 79-71 lead as the Bulls used a timeout.

Frye's layup pushed the lead into double digits, and after a Davonta Jordan layup, a Lillard trey capped the 12-2 run and put the Falcons up by 11.

IT'S NOT OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER
But, the nationally-ranked Bulls would not go away. UB scored the game's next eight points, capped by a Massinburg triple that cut the BG lead to 84-81 with 2:44 to go.

The Falcons extended the lead to five twice, only to see the Bulls answer on both occasions. BG missed a three-point try, but both Massinburg and Jordan missed the front end of one-and-one opportunities in the final 30 seconds.

Wiggins sank two free throws, but Caruthers pulled Buffalo within two with a three-point play with 14 seconds left, and after a Lillard free throw at the other end made it 91-88, a potential game-tying three-pointer from Massinburg bounced off the rim. Turner grabbed the rebound, and his free throw sealed the 92-88 win for the Falcons.

FALCONS ARE POLITE IN VICTORY
The home crowd, raucous throughout the night, was gracious in victory. To quote the Associated Press recap of the game, "the home fans even earned points for politeness afterward, waiting in the bleachers for a little while. Buffalo's players had time to clear the area, then Bowling Green fans rushed the court to continue the celebration."

NOTEWORTHY
With the win, the Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the MAC. BGSU and the Bulls would go on to meet again in the championship game of the MAC Tournament the following month in downtown Cleveland.

Frye scored 25 points to lead the Falcons, with Turner adding 22. Caruthers had a game-high 28 points for the Bulls, while Massinburg had 19 of his 26 points in the second half.

The win was BGSU's first over an AP Top-25 team since an 89-83 triumph over Kent State at venerable Anderson Arena on March 1, 2008. And, it was the program's highest-ranked win since upsetting No. 5 Michigan State, 98-85, on Dec. 1, 1990.

The 5,000 capacity crowd shattered the record for a men's basketball game at the Stroh Center, surpassing the 4,421 fans that witnessed a BGSU win over Toledo in 2012.

The Falcons committed just nine turnovers in the win. BGSU shot 50.8 percent from the floor, including a 55.6% rate (15-for-27) in the second half.

BGSU went on to win 22 games in that 2018-19 season, the program's highest total in nearly two decades.

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