The Bowling Green State University men’s basketball team began their Mid-American Conference (MAC) season with a 68-58 win over the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio. The Falcons established a 13-point lead at halftime and extended it to as much as 19 points in the second half. Despite a late push from Ohio, Bowling Green’s defense limited the Bobcats to just 37 percent shooting from the field and only six made field goals after halftime.
Javontae Campbell led Bowling Green with 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Sam Towns contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Justin Thomas added eight points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. Javon Ruffin finished with seven points while Troy Glover II recorded six points and six rebounds.
Bowling Green has now held seven opponents below 40 percent shooting this season. Campbell’s performance included making all 11 of his free throw attempts, marking the first time since February that a Falcon player reached double-digit free throws in a game. Towns played a team-high 39 minutes and led the Falcons in rebounds during his return to Athens.
With this victory, Bowling Green improves to a 9-3 record overall and starts MAC play at 1-0. The team has also won seven of its last nine MAC road openers, including three wins in Athens since December 2020.
Coach Todd Simon commented on his team’s defensive effort: “[The defense] was fun to watch. I thought we even left possessions where we could even improve more, but to give up six field goals for the whole second half on the road. I was really proud of the guys’ execution and focus.”
Bowling Green will host Siena Heights Saints on December 22 at Stroh Center before resuming conference play against Miami (OH) on December 30.
