Four Falcons Score in Double Figures in Battle of I-75 Loss Tuesday Night

Tuesday, January 19

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

12-6, 3-2MAC

Toledo

12-6, 3-2MAC

Toledo

Bowling Green

Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Four Falcons Score in Double Figures in Battle of I-75 Loss Tuesday Night

January 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by Kevin Davis, BGSU Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Final Stats: Box Score (PDF)
Final Stats: Box Score (HTML)
Video: BGSU Highlights
Video: Postgame Press Conference: Huger | Parker
Audio: Postgame Press Conference: Huger | Parker
Audio: Postgame Interview with Todd Walker: Huger
Audio: Radio Calls by Todd Walker:
                  1st half - Denny 3pt FG in 1st half
                                 Denny steal and layup
                                 Denny 3pt FG and the foul
                                 Ali pass to Lillard for the basket
                 2nd half - Parker reverse layup
                                 Alcegaire bucket and-1
                                 Wiggins takes late charge
Photos: Photo Gallery (Bianca Garza)
News: The Centennial Season
Falcon Fans Photo Poster: Submit Your Photos Today!
Schedule: 2015-16 BGSU Men's Basketball Schedule
Tickets: Men's Basketball Season Tickets on Sale Now!
Special Note: BGSU's Falcon Club 50/50 Raffle Pot will be donated to UT Women's Cross Country runner Janelle Noe who is in the intensive-care unit at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center after suffering second and third degree burns on her body last week.

BGSU Highlights

Huger Press Conference

Parker Press Conference

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team had four players record double digit points, outscored its opponent 22-9 in bench points and 32-20 in points in the paint, yet came up just short in an 81-74 loss to the Toledo Rockets in the Battle of I-75 on Tuesday night in front of 3,304 fans inside the Stroh Center.

In a game that saw four lead changes, three ties and a series of runs, the Falcons fell at home to fall to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in MAC Play. The Rockets improved to 12-6 overall and 3-2 in MAC play with the victory.

The Falcons outscored the Rockets in bench points (22-9), points in the paint (32-20), points off turnovers (19-10) and fast break points (4-2), however, the visitors in gold hit six more free throws, 23 to BGSU's 17, and three more three-pointers in eight to the Falcons' five, to edge BGSU in a game that saw eight different players register 10 points or more in the 40 minute contest.

BGSU was also out-rebounded 36-32 in the contest.

Bowling Green was led by Zack Denny's 19 points, as he was 7-of-15 shooting, while senior Spencer Parker tallied 16 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Wes Alcegaire poured in 12 points on the night, while off the bench Ismail Ali finished with 11 points and four assists and Demajeo Wiggins hauled in a game-high nine rebounds in 19 minutes of play.

The MAC's leading scorer in Nathan Boothe led the Rockets with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks, while guard Stuckey Mosley finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jonathan Williams added 14 points and five rebounds, while fellow starter Jaelan Sanford totaled 10 points for the visitors.

The Falcons shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) overall on the night, including going 5-of-14 (35.7 percent) from long distance and 17-of-24 (70.8 percent) from the charity stripe. However, Toledo shot 49.0 percent overall (25-of-51) and was 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from behind the three-point line. The Rockets were also 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) from the foul line in the win.

The rivalry tilt started out as a game of runs, as UT hit all three of its first three shot attempts to launch out to a 7-0 lead over the Falcons just two minutes into the contest.

BGSU answered with a 6-0 spurt of its own on a layups from Parker, Denny and Alcegaire over the next three minutes to put the home team down just one at 7-6 with 15:12 to play in the opening half.

After a Toledo jumper and a BGSU free throw put the score at 9-7, it was the Rockets' turn for another run, as the visitors recorded a second 7-0 sprint to pull back out in front by as much as nine at 16-7 on a free throw from Nick Rogers.

A three-ball from Denny at the 12:36 mark halted the UT run and switched the momentum over to the Falcons who ran off eight straight points to tie the game up at 16-16 on a steal and layup from Denny with 11:02 to go in the first half of play.

However, as the game trend continued it would be the Rockets' time for a run once again, as a layup down low from Nate Navigato kick-started a 12-0 surge by UT over the next three minutes to give the Rockets a 29-16 lead on a three-ball from Mosley at the 8:07 mark of the first half.

The Orange and Brown picked up a tough runner from Antwon Lillard, a layup from Denny, back-to-back treys from Alcegaire and Denny, and then a four-point play on a three-pointer and foul from Denny to chip away at the lead and put the Falcons within eight at 35-27 with 5:22 to go before the halftime break.

Following a Boothe jumper, which propelled the visitors back on top by 10 at 37-27, BGSU outscored the Rockets 13-3 over the remainder of the opening period, which included another 7-0 run, to send the game into the halftime break knotted up at 40-40 after 20 minutes of play.

BGSU carried over its momentum from the end of the first half into the start of the second half, as the home team opened the final 20 minutes of play on a 6-2 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from David Joseph and an old-fashion three-point play from Parker, to take its first lead of the game at 46-42 with 17:56 to go in the game.

The two teams would trade the lead three times over the next six minutes of play until a driving layup down the lane from BGSU's Ali tied the game up for a third time at 56-56 with 11:31 left in regulation.

The Ali basket was in the middle of a 15-2 Toledo run, however, as the Rockets scored the next 10 points to again pull back out in front by double digits at 66-56 on a three-ball from Navigato with 8:59 to play in the MAC contest.

After cutting the UT lead to eight at 66-58 and watching the Rockets extend their lead back out to 12 minutes later, the Falcons refused to quit and got to within seven at 70-63 on an Ali layup, before a Wiggins two-handed slam, two Ali foul shots and a Parker layup in the lane put the home team down just three at 72-69 with 3:20 left on the game clock.

The next 2:04 of the tight contest would see a UT layup, two free throws from Denny, one foul shot from the Rockets and two more makes from the charity stripe from Parker to put BGSU within a field goal at 75-73 at the 1:16 mark of the second half.

Toledo would go 6-of-8 from the free throw line over the final minute of play, while the Falcons would miss a contested layup, a challenged three-pointer and 1-of-2 free throws down the stretch to allow the Rockets to escape with the 81-74 MAC win.

The Falcons were just 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from the three-point line in the second half of play.

BGSU (12-6, 3-2 MAC) will host Kent State in the "Centennial Game" on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 4 p.m. The game is the second game of a BGSU and Kent State basketball doubleheader with the women's teams tipping off first at 2 p.m.

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Notes

Rivalry aside, the BGSU's Falcon Club 50/50 Raffle Pot will be donated to UT Women's Cross Country runner Janelle Noe who is in the intensive-care unit at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center after suffering second and third degree burns on her body last week.