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Emotional BG win earns Anderson encore |
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Written by Jack Carle - Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune
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 BOWLING GREEN 73, BUFFALO 63
While Saturday’s Buffalo at Bowling Green basketball game was touted as the final men’s game in Anderson Arena, the Falcons made sure they get another opportunity to play on their home floor this season.
Playing before 2,512 fans, the largest home crowd of the season for the men, the Falcons needed a win over Buffalo to secure a first-round home game in the Mid-American Conference.
Taking the mantel that the Buffalo game was the start of its tournament trail, Bowling Green played with high energy and emotion on the way to a 73-63 victory.
HAVING FUN
“Our guys came to play ... I think the game was fun for them,” BG head coach Louis Orr said. “I feel they took charge of themselves. You want your players to take ownership and you want them to take leadership of the team.”
The All-Anderson team was honored before the game and over 50 former men’s players were recognized before the half.
“On a day like today with all their peers, all the alumni, the last game ... I wanted our guys to be a positive part of it,” Orr said. “The best way to do that is go out and play well and hope that it turns into a victory.”
Now Bowling Green, 13-18 overall and 8-8 in the MAC, hosts Northern Illinois Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Falcons are the No. 7 seed for the tournament.
CROWD ENERGY
“It was a great crowd. There was a lot of energy,” said BG junior Dee Brown, who scored a game-high 21 points. “This was a big game, plus closing Anderson Arena out, so we had to give all of our effort to make sure we came back with a win.”
BG’s A’uston Calhoun also fed off the crowd, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds, his third double-double of the season.
“There were a lot of added incentives as to why we should win. We had a lot of people at the game, a huge crowd that gave us a lot of energy ... We kind of fueled off that and just went after it,” Calhoun said.
The Falcons defended the 3-point line for the entire game as Buffalo was 3-of-15 from the arc. BG also controlled the boards, especially in the first half, allowing Buffalo just three offensive rebounds and four second-chance points in the opening 20 minutes.
BOARD WORK PAYS OFF
“We prepared differently for it in practice,” Calhoun said about the rebounding edge. BG held a 39-32 advantage in rebounds for the game. “We had a few selected drills geared toward rebounding, especially when we broke up into groups for our post players. We did a lot of rebounding drills this past week. It obviously helped us.
“Our main focus was to guard the 3-point line, and when we do that, we felt we could get them to miss shots. We just have to grab the rebound, push the ball and play with energy,” he added.
t was defense and rebounding that allowed Bowling Green to take control of the game in the opening half. The Falcons closed the half on an 11-3 run capped by Calhoun’s explosive dunk. BG was up 37-24 at the break.
“A’uston’s dunk at the end of the first half kind of culminated, really, what I thought was one of our best halves for the year,” Orr said.
The Falcons would eventually build a 17-point lead, 60-43, with 6:36 to play in the game.
Buffalo came back and got to within seven, 64-57, with 2:49 left, but the Falcons held on as Brown made six straight free throws in the final 1:24.
“He stepped up offensively in a big way,” Orr said about Brown.
Calhoun said Brown’s 21-point effort was important.
“It’s a real confidence-builder,” Calhoun said. “That was the type of game he had to have. When he has games like that, I feel like it gives us a better chance to win. It really takes a lot of pressure off other players. He just makes our team that much better.”
As for his own performance, Calhoun said he has to play big, help out on the boards and not be lackadaisical. Eleven of his 14 rebounds were on the defensive boards.
“The bigger that I play, the more of a chance that we have to win,” Calhoun said.
NOTES: Buffalo is 17-12 overall and 8-8 in the MAC, earning the No. 8 seed for the tournament ... Saturday’s win broke a six-game losing streak by the Falcons ... The Falcons had assists on 15 of their 27 field goals in the game, with seven different players having at least one assist ... Tuesday’s BG-NIU winner advances to Thursday’s MAC quarterfinals to face No. 2 seed Western Michigan at noon ... Bowling Green beat Northern Illinois, 73-70 in overtime in the only meeting between the two teams this season ... With his lone 3-pointer of the game, Buffalo’s Zach Filzen became just the fifth player in MAC history to have 100 3-pointers in a season.
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