The Bowling Green State University men’s basketball team lost to the Toledo Rockets 77-76 in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals on March 12. The game, held in Cleveland, saw both teams exchange leads ten times and tie six times before coming down to a final shot.
This close contest marked the third time in four meetings that the rivalry was decided by a last-second play. The outcome ended Bowling Green’s run in the tournament after a tightly contested match.
Javontae Campbell led Bowling Green with 16 points, bringing his career total at BGSU to 1,075 and moving him up to 42nd place in program history for career points. Campbell finished just two points shy of entering the program’s top ten for single-season scoring with 598 points this season. Justin Thomas contributed across multiple categories with 14 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Sam Towns played all forty minutes and nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds while also adding the team’s only block of the game. Troy Glover II also came close to a double-double, finishing with thirteen points and eight rebounds.
The game featured several momentum swings. After falling behind early, Bowling Green responded with a significant run midway through the first half but trailed slightly at halftime. In the second half, both teams continued trading baskets until Toledo pulled ahead late. Despite late efforts from Campbell and Ruffin that brought Bowling Green within one point in the closing seconds, Toledo maintained their lead as time expired.
The Falcons’ season ends following this narrow defeat in what has become a recurring dramatic finish between these two rivals.
