DETROIT, MI -- With 2.2 seconds left on the game clock and the Falcons down one, BGSU's Spencer Parker threw an inbounds pass to senior Richaun Holmes at the free throw line. Holmes drove the right side of the lane, where he flicked up a contested layup that hit off the backboard and went through the net as time expired to give the Falcons a 64-63 road win at Detroit on Sunday afternoon in the Calihan Hall in Detroit, Mich.
The Falcons improved to 4-0 with the win, while Detroit falls to 4-3 with the loss. The win is the fourth straight victory for BGSU over the Titans. The last time the Falcons won on a buzzer beater was on a three-pointer by Joe Jakubowski over Georgia State on Nov. 14, 2008.
The Falcons improved to 4-0 with the win, while Detroit falls to 4-3 with the loss. The win is the fourth straight victory for BGSU over the Titans. The last time the Falcons won on a buzzer beater was on a three-pointer by Joe Jakubowski over Georgia State on Nov. 14, 2008.
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"Obviously it was a heck of a college basketball game. It was a game where it is too bad that someone had to take a loss. I'm certain they feel like they got one stolen from them. You do this long enough you win some and lose some in that fashion, and certainly the losses sting for a long time when you lose a game like that, but when you win the joy and the elation is pretty awesome," said head coach Chris Jans.
Holmes had a career night, as the senior tied a career-high with 26 points and pulled down a new-career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Falcons. He also swatted away five Detroit shots. It was his first double-double of the season and the ninth of his career.
BGSU guards Jovan Austin and Jehvon Clarke added nine points and three assists, while David Joseph chipped in with seven points and three assists in the win.
Detroit was led by Paris Bass' 17 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Juwan Howard, Jr., poured in 14 points, including the shot that gave the Titans the lead at 63-62 with 2.4 seconds to play. Guard Anton Wilson followed with 13 points, as he was 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
"It felt like we were in control for the majority of the game. I'm not sure when they took their first lead, but they certainly battled back and wouldn't go away. It became nip and tuck down the stretch," Jans said. "I was proud of our guys that they stayed together. You know, we could have easily folded and went the other way on a foreign court, on the road like that. But I felt like they stayed together. And then obviously in the end, the last 3-4 seconds with the timeouts and the deflections, the unbelievable execution by all of our guys, obviously including Richaun (Holmes), and having just the where with all to understand how much time he had left and to make a move like that and lay the ball in."
The Falcons, who had led for most of the contest, found themselves down one at 57-56 on a jumper from Bass at the 4:19 mark of the second half.
On the ensuing offensive possession, junior forward Delvin Dickerson pulled down a huge offensive rebound on a missed three-pointer by Clarke as the shot clock was winding down to give the Falcons new life. The offensive rebound led to a drive and dish from Clarke to Holmes, who threw down a thunderous two-handed slam to put the Orange and Brown back on top at 58-57 with 3:44 to go in the game.
A jumper from Howard, Jr., followed by a layup from Clarke over the next minute, saw the two teams' trade both baskets and the lead. BGSU held a 60-59 with 2:47 on the game clock.
After back-to-back free throws from Detroit's Wilson put Detroit in front at 61-60 at the 2:35 mark, the Falcons' Clarke hit a baseline jumper off a pass from Austin with 1:08 to play to go back in front at 62-61.
Following a defensive stop, which saw Holmes register his fifth block of the game on a Bass driving layup, and a missed three-pointer by the Falcons as the shot clock expired on the offensive end, the Titan's Howard, Jr. hit a tough fade away 15-foot jumper over a BGSU defender to give Detroit a 63-62 lead with 2.4 seconds left in the contest.
BGSU, who had to go the full length of the court, threw the ball toward midcourt where a Detroit defender cut in front of the pass and intercepted it, but stepped on the sideline and went out of bounds on the steal attempt to give BGSU the ball with 2.2 seconds to play.
Two timeouts later, one from each team, the Falcons' Parker found Holmes at the free throw line for the game-winning drive and layup as time expired to give BGSU the one-point win.
BGSU outscored Detroit 28-14 in points in the paint and 17-4 in second chance points, as the Falcons hauled down 14 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Titans 41-27 for the contest.
The Falcons knocked down 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) of its shot attempts for the game and was just 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from behind the three-point line. However, BGSU was 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) from the charity stripe in the win.
BGSU (4-0) will remain on the road to take on Western Kentucky on Wednesday night, Dec. 3, at 8:00 p.m. ET in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
(Courtesy of BGSU Athletics/MRO Edit)
Holmes had a career night, as the senior tied a career-high with 26 points and pulled down a new-career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Falcons. He also swatted away five Detroit shots. It was his first double-double of the season and the ninth of his career.
BGSU guards Jovan Austin and Jehvon Clarke added nine points and three assists, while David Joseph chipped in with seven points and three assists in the win.
Detroit was led by Paris Bass' 17 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Juwan Howard, Jr., poured in 14 points, including the shot that gave the Titans the lead at 63-62 with 2.4 seconds to play. Guard Anton Wilson followed with 13 points, as he was 3-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
"It felt like we were in control for the majority of the game. I'm not sure when they took their first lead, but they certainly battled back and wouldn't go away. It became nip and tuck down the stretch," Jans said. "I was proud of our guys that they stayed together. You know, we could have easily folded and went the other way on a foreign court, on the road like that. But I felt like they stayed together. And then obviously in the end, the last 3-4 seconds with the timeouts and the deflections, the unbelievable execution by all of our guys, obviously including Richaun (Holmes), and having just the where with all to understand how much time he had left and to make a move like that and lay the ball in."
The Falcons, who had led for most of the contest, found themselves down one at 57-56 on a jumper from Bass at the 4:19 mark of the second half.
On the ensuing offensive possession, junior forward Delvin Dickerson pulled down a huge offensive rebound on a missed three-pointer by Clarke as the shot clock was winding down to give the Falcons new life. The offensive rebound led to a drive and dish from Clarke to Holmes, who threw down a thunderous two-handed slam to put the Orange and Brown back on top at 58-57 with 3:44 to go in the game.
A jumper from Howard, Jr., followed by a layup from Clarke over the next minute, saw the two teams' trade both baskets and the lead. BGSU held a 60-59 with 2:47 on the game clock.
After back-to-back free throws from Detroit's Wilson put Detroit in front at 61-60 at the 2:35 mark, the Falcons' Clarke hit a baseline jumper off a pass from Austin with 1:08 to play to go back in front at 62-61.
Following a defensive stop, which saw Holmes register his fifth block of the game on a Bass driving layup, and a missed three-pointer by the Falcons as the shot clock expired on the offensive end, the Titan's Howard, Jr. hit a tough fade away 15-foot jumper over a BGSU defender to give Detroit a 63-62 lead with 2.4 seconds left in the contest.
BGSU, who had to go the full length of the court, threw the ball toward midcourt where a Detroit defender cut in front of the pass and intercepted it, but stepped on the sideline and went out of bounds on the steal attempt to give BGSU the ball with 2.2 seconds to play.
Two timeouts later, one from each team, the Falcons' Parker found Holmes at the free throw line for the game-winning drive and layup as time expired to give BGSU the one-point win.
BGSU outscored Detroit 28-14 in points in the paint and 17-4 in second chance points, as the Falcons hauled down 14 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Titans 41-27 for the contest.
The Falcons knocked down 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) of its shot attempts for the game and was just 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from behind the three-point line. However, BGSU was 14-of-19 (73.7 percent) from the charity stripe in the win.
BGSU (4-0) will remain on the road to take on Western Kentucky on Wednesday night, Dec. 3, at 8:00 p.m. ET in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
(Courtesy of BGSU Athletics/MRO Edit)
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