 AKRON 56, BOWLING GREEN 55
Bowling Green had the opportunity to make an early season statement in the Mid-American Conference and protect its home court Wednesday against Akron.
However, the Falcons could not hold on to, or build on, a 10-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
The Zips scored with less than one second left to post a 56-55 victory. BG is 7-8 overall and 1-1 in the MAC while Akron is 10-6, 2-0.
“This is one where I felt we had a great opportunity,” BG head coach Louis Orr said. “Give Akron credit, I knew they weren’t going to quit. They are going to keep playing until the end.”
Akron’s Nick Harney make two big baskets in the late going to do in the Falcons. His 3-pointer with 1:33 left in the game tied the score at 53.
BG’s Jehvon Clarke missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 58.5 seconds left and Akron took a 54-53 lead when Quincy Diggs split a pair of free throws with 31.8 seconds left. A’uston Calhoun rebounded Diggs miss, giving the Falcons a chance.
Cameron Black, who played probably his best game as a Falcon, put his team ahead with 11.9 seconds left on a put-back of a Calhoun miss. “It felt good to put that shot in to give us the lead,” Black said.
Black, however, missed the free-throw and Akron rebounded, setting the stage for Harney again.
Harney drove into the lane and it looked as if Black had good position, but Harney got the shot off and it bounced around and went in with 0.5 seconds left on the clock for the game-winner.
“It was a tough no call at the end,” Orr said about Harney’s drive into the lane. “I’m not one to really fuss about officials ... I have to look at film, but just based on what I could see with the naked eye; when a guy does his job and gives up his body whether it’s a last play of the game with a second to go or it’s 10 minutes to go. If a charge is the call, then you have to make the call. If it’s not, I’ll know more when I see the film.”
Orr went out onto the floor to plead his case with the officials after the final buzzer.
Black said he didn’t know if the final play was a charge or a defensive breakdown.
“He was coming right at me and I knew if I jumped it would probably be a foul. So I tried to take the charge and it didn’t go our way,” Black said.
Akron coach Keith Dambrot calls Harney, a 6-feet-7 sophomore, a ‘microwave’ for his ability to score in bunches. Harney played 14 minutes and scored a game-high 12 points
Both of Harney’s baskets were designed plays, Dambrot said.
“Harney is a very good one-on-one player. We thought if he was open he could shoot it. But if not, he could drive their bigger guy. He got to the rim, and we were fortunate that the ball rolled in,” Dambrot said about the final play. “He’s good at that ... I have a lot of confidence in him offensively.”
The Falcons held a 26-20 halftime lead despite a stretch of 6:54 in the first half when they did not score.
Akron rallied to close within two, 37-35, with 12:26 to play, but the Falcons pushed the lead to 10, 49-39, with 8:05 remaining.
However, BG was just 3-of-8 from the field, 0-of-2 from the line, with five turnovers the rest of the way.
“When we got the lead, I think we let off a little bit,” Black said. “We weren’t smart with the ball. The next time in that situation we have to lock in and be smarter with the ball and make better plays.”
Black, who played 27 minutes, battling Akron’s seven-footer Zeke Marshall for most of the game. finished with 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Dee Brown also scored 10 points for the Falcons.
“We recruited Cam Black,” Dambrot said. “We were concerned about his foot, but it looks like he is moving much better. He really understands the game.”
Scott Thomas and Calhoun each added nine points and Jehvon Clarke contributed eight for the Falcons.
NOTES: BG plays at Kent State Saturday with tipoff at 7 p.m. ... Thomas did not score in the second half ... BG’s Jordon Crawford finished with three assists and nine turnovers while not scoring ... Crawford had five of his turnovers while playing seven minutes in the second half ... BG scored 32 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers, 14 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds, six fast-break points, and 17 points off the bench ... BG held a 36-31 rebounding edge ... Marshall came into the game averaging 3.1 blocked shots, but he did not have a block against the Falcons ... The game drew a crowd of 2,263, the second-largest of the season.
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