Calhoun’s Career Night Not Enough As Buffalo Edges Falcons

Saturday, January 21

Bowling Green, Ohio

4:00 pm

Bowling Green State University

8-10, 2-3MAC

Buffalo

10-6, 3-2MAC

Buffalo

Bowling Green

Photo by: Doug Sampson

January 21, 2012 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

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A'uston Calhoun Postgame Audio
Louis Orr Postgame Audio
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Bowling Green, Ohio – For the second consecutive home game, the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team lost a game that was decided on the final possession as Buffalo held off the Falcons 68-66 Saturday afternoon in the Stroh Center.

In a game that featured 10 ties and 10 lead changes, Jordon Crawford's coast-to-coast lay-up attempt after a race against the clock was swatted away by Buffalo's Mitchell Watt to preserve a two-point win.

A'uston Calhoun scored the last of his career-high 29 points with 46 seconds left to get Bowling Green within two points. The Falcons came up with a steal on Buffalo's next possession but Cam Black was unable to score on a jumper. Bowling Green fouled Buffalo's Dave Barnett with 5.5 seconds left but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Calhoun grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Crawford, who raced up the floor and got to the rim. His lay-up attempt came in time but Watt, who ranks second in the Mid-American conference in blocked shots, was waiting to reject the shot as time ran out.

The loss overshadowed Calhoun's career night. He went 12-of-17 shooting to finish with 29 points and added eight rebounds and two assists, while making all five of his free-throw attempts.

The game was close throughout although Buffalo set the tone early. The Bulls had dunks on their first three baskets and jumped ahead 6-0. The Falcons, though, quickly got things corrected and went on a 9-2 run to take the lead on a Scott Thomas lay-up. Neither team led by more than three points for the remainder of the half and the Falcons went into the break with a 27-26 lead.

Bowling Green began to pull away early in the second half and built a 40-33 lead on a Thomas three-pointer with 14:54 to go. But Buffalo began to turn things around by rebounding with increased fervor and knocking down jump shots. The Falcons had a 22-16 edge on the boards in the first half and held Buffalo to just 1-of-11 three-pointers, but the Bulls got things going in both areas.

A Tony Watson three-pointer got Buffalo back within two and a Dave Barnett three-ball tied the score at 46-46 with 9:31 to play. The Bulls went on to make their first seven three-point attempts of the second half and posted a 20-13 rebounding lead in the second half to turn the seven point deficit into a 61-53 lead with 5:29 to play.

Bowling Green, though, did not give up, getting a lay-up from Cam Black and a three-point play from Calhoun to close back within three. Buffalo led 63-58 when the Falcons went on a 6-0 run to take a 64-63 lead with 1:47 to play on a pair of Calhoun free-throws.

Buffalo quickly answered back with a Javon McCrea dunk and then Barnett knocked down a three-pointer with 57 seconds left to give the Bulls a 68-64 lead before the final heroics.

Along with Calhoun's 29 points, Dee Brown had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, making all six of his free-throw attempts. Thomas posted 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Crawford finished with six assists and just two turnovers.

McCrea led Buffalo with 16 points and 13 rebounds but Bowling Green shut down the top three-point shooter in the MAC, Zach Filzen. Filzen went scoreless and was 0-for-6 on three-pointers.

Buffalo improves to 10-6 overall and 3-2 in MAC play. Bowling Green falls to 8-10 and 2-3 in conference action. The Falcons will begin crossover play Wednesday when the team hosts Central Michigan at 7 p.m. in a game televised on BCSN.