 WESTERN KENTUCKY 60, BOWLING GREEN 53
Bowling Green held Western Kentucky without a field goal for the final 6:27 of the game and Scott Thomas scored 12 of the Falcons’ final 14 points, including a fastbreak three-pointer with 2:18 left that tied the game.
Western Kentucky came up empty on its next trip and A’uston Calhoun’s jumper from the top of the key could have put Bowling Green on top, but the shot rimmed out.
On the Hilltoppers’ next possession, Kahlil McDonald was fouled with 1:04 left and he made both free-throws. The Falcons missed four shots down the stretch, and Western Kentucky scored the final seven points at the free-throw line to pull out the victory.
The conclusion followed a stretch in which Bowling Green battled back from trailing 40-22 with 16 minutes remaining. The Falcons shot only 29 percent in the first half and missed their first nine shots of the second half, but Craig Sealey’s jumper with 15:39 left got the offense rolling.
Western Kentucky came up empty on four consecutive possessions after Sealey scored, and Calhoun scored on a three-point play to cut the deficit to 13 at 40-27. Still trailing 44-29, Bowling Green scored eight in a row to get within seven with 10 minutes left.
The Hilltoppers extended the lead back to 10 on George Fant’s lay-up with 6:28 to play, but Thomas took over with a three-point play and two free-throws with 4:44 to go to make it 51-46. Torian Oglesby then scored inside and, on Western Kentucky’s next possession, Thomas had a steal and fastbreak lay-up to make it 51-50.
WKU’s Derrick Gordon made a pair of free-throws to put the Hilltoppers up 53-50, but Western Kentucky was unable to score on its next possession and Jordon Crawford found Thomas in transition for an open three-pointer to tie the score. Western Kentucky, however, finished with seven free-throws for the win.
Thomas tallied a game-high 16 points and added eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. Calhoun had 11 points before fouling out late. Crawford came off the bench to post seven points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Crawford entered the game with just one career blocked shot, and that came in the Falcons’ win over Temple a week ago.
Bowling Green was outrebounded 43-33 but had seven less turnovers than Western Kentucky, giving the ball away just 14 times. The Hilltoppers went to the free-throw line 31 times, making 21, as the Falcons were just 8-of-12 at the stripe.
With the win, Western Kentucky improves to 3-6. Bowling Green falls to 4-3 and will host Malone Wednesday at 7 p.m. That will be the Falcons’ final home game until January.
Courtesy of Bowling Green Athletics
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