Men's Basketball
Home Team: BGSU Falcons
Visiting Team: Duquesne Dukes
Venue: Anderson Arena (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: None
Ah, my first visit to Anderson Arena in the new year. Unfortunately, the Falcons didn't get a win, and although the game was pretty exciting, it was missing at least some of the atmosphere that helps make Anderson such a special place. No band, no cheerleaders, no dance team, not many students in attendance. Just Freddie and Frieda, and one member of SICSIC. I know it's Christmas break, and many of the athletic auxiliary groups are probably in Mobile for this weekend's GMAC Bowl, but would it have been too much to ask to get maybe a high school pep band and a B-squad of cheerleaders, or something? The crowd got pretty into the game at times, but just a little more home-court advantage could have pushed the Falcons over the top. Not saying it would have happened, but I've seen the power of that place firsthand, and if you discount it, you do so at your peril.
Anyway....
I wrote in my last entry that this year is about improvement more than wins. I definitely believe that, and I'm very encouraged by the improvement the Falcons showed in this game, but this would have been a nice win to have. That may seem like a ludicrous statement if all you see is the 18-point differential in the final score, but the game was much closer than that. It got out of hand toward the end as the Falcons had to foul and then jack up shots to try to catch up as the clock wound down, but Duquesne didn't put this one away until late in the game.
Duquesne is a good team, and I really like their style of play. They played pressure defense for almost the entire game, and on offense they pushed the ball and looked to score quickly. That pressure defense is probably what won the game for them, as they forced the Falcons, inexperienced at the guard positions, into 24 turnovers. Anytime BG made a mistake, they capitalized on it, and fast. Although BG never led in this game, they were able to close the deficit to just 2 or 4 points a few times, only to see the Dukes push their lead back out to double digits almost immediately each time.
The Falcons kept fighting, though. I give them a ton of credit for that. Duquesne got up early after a flurry of Falcon turnovers kept them from getting even a look at the basket, and it would have been easy enough for them to chalk it up to another tough night and get blown out. Despite their recent offensive struggles, despite their thin bench, they found it within themselves to keep clawing their way back into it, and that's really encouraging.
BG really seemed to ease some of the offensive struggles they've had of late. They had to, or else they would have been run out of the gym by Duquesne's high-powered offense. Some guys definitely stepped up. Chris Knight (14 points, 14 boards) looked good in flashes, Nate Miller (15 points, 7 boards) had another solid game, and Joe Jakubowski helped out with 10 points and 7 assists. I was also impressed with Brian Moten, who came off the bench to give the Falcons some punch with 12 points, and he also provided some energy.
But the story of the night was none other than sophomore center Otis Polk. I raved about his limited play in the previous game, and tonight the lightbulb really seemed to come on for him. He played 31 minutes, answering questions about his endurance as well as his propensity to commit fouls. He did finish with four fouls, but all of them came in the second half, and they were spread out enough to allow him to finish the game. He scored 17 points and pulled down 7 boards, but he kept a bunch of balls in the air to give BG a fighting chance at coming down with them. He had a nice game down low. He's going to be a monster, and this was our (and his) first real glimpse of what he's capable of if he can stay on the floor.
So yes, it was a loss, but hopefully it was a step in the right direction. The Falcons open MAC play this coming Saturday, when the Ohio Bobcats come to town, and we'll see then if the improvement carries over.
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