Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Falcons Edged by Eastern Michigan 65-63
February 10, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2007
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Jesse Bunkley scored 17 points and made a three-point play that put Eastern Michigan ahead to stay with 28 seconds remaining Saturday, setting up a 65-63 victory over Bowling Green. Bunkley's game-changing play was set up by a steal by Brandon Bowdry near midcourt which led to the fast break basket and foul.
"We had three turnovers in the second half and they just came at the wrong time," said BGSU Coach Dan Dakich.
The Falcons were in a position to take the lead in the final minute. After the Falcons' Erik Marschall made a layup with 1:18 to go to tie the game at 61-61, BGSU made a defensive stop when Bowdry missed a jumper and sophomore Nate Miller grabbed the rebound. However, Miller was pinned near the scorers table which set up Bowdry's steal.
BGSU still had its chances to win the game. Junior Ryne Hamblet made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 64-63 with 22 seconds remaining. BGSU fouled Bowdry with 18.5 seconds to go, and he missed both free throws. However, he grabbed his own rebound with 16.7 seconds left and was fouled immediately by Marschall. Bowdry missed the first, but made the second to make it 65-63.
The Falcons looked for their leading scorer, Martin Samarco, but he could not get open and his 25-foot desperation shot missed and went out of bounds to end the game.
"Obviously, on the last play we did not get a good shot," said Dakich. "We didn't get the ball in and get the back-cut move for Martin. They did a good job defending Martin and we just didn't get a good shot."
The Eagles led by as many as 12 points twice in the second half, but the Falcons mounted a comeback. Trailing 48-36 with 12:33 to go, Hamblet scored five straight points after a Matt Lefeld free throw to make it 48-42 with 11:23 to go.
BGSU made it 52-48 after Samarco, who finished with a team-high 21 points, made four straight free throws in a 16 second stretch. He also added two free throws to cut it to 53-52 with 8:32 left and gave the Falcons their first lead of the half on a jumper with 6:15 to go to give BGSU a 54-53 lead.
EMU led 59-56 when freshman Ryan Sims hit a three-pointer from the left corner to tie the game with 2:28 to go. BGSU again had a chance to take the lead after a Hamblet steal, but Sims next three-point attempt was off the mark and Bowdry would convert on a 15-footer to give the Eagles a 61-59 advantage with 1:41 remaining.
"I give BGSU a lot of credit for coming back from a 12-point deficit," said EMU Coach Charles Ramsey. "A road win in any league is monumental and our free throw shooting was critical today."
The Falcons started off slow, but used a 13-0 run, which included a three-pointer by Miller and back-to-back baskets by sophomore Brian Moten to take a 17-10 lead with 9:15 left in the half.
However, the Eagles went on a 21-5 run themselves to build a 31-22 advantage with under a minute left in the half. BGSU would need a free throw from freshman Otis Polk and a three-pointer by Miller to cut the lead to 31-26 at halftime.
Earlier in the game, Samarco became the 35th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career, when he hit his first three-pointer of the game with 17:04 left in the first half.
BGSU will travel to Buffalo on Tuesday night to take on the Bulls at 7 p.m.
