"In the first half, we weren't . . .
Zack Denny pulled down an offensive rebound, and converted a layup in traffic to give the Falcons a 76-75 lead with eight seconds left. BGSU then forced a contested layup by San Jose State's Jalen James, but Brandon Clarke, who finished the game with 24 points and 14 rebounds, tipped the ball in to give the Spartans a win.
Denny's half-court heave at the buzzer hit the backboard. With the loss, Bowling Green falls to 4-7 on the season, while San Jose State improves to 6-4.
Denny and fellow senior Wes Alcegaire led the Falcons in scoring with 16 points each. Denny, who shot 7-for-15 from the field and 2-for-4 from three-point land, also had seven rebounds and two steals. Alcegaire also went 2-for-4 from downtown, and hit 6-of-10 from the field, while also chipping in with four rebounds.
Senior guard Ismail Ali, who was playing about 40 minutes away from his hometown of South Hayward, California, had a large section of family and friends at the game. Ali went 6-for-11 from the field, registering 12 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Uncharacteristically, the Falcons got beat up on the glass. San Jose State had 41 rebounds compared to Bowling Green's 28. The Falcons also allowed 15 offensive rebounds, including Clarke's game-winning put back.
The Falcons shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the floor, but the Spartans hit 50 percent (28-of-58) while also shooting 10 more free throws than the Falcons.
San Jose went 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) from the line. Bowling Green went 10-for-14 (71.4 percent). However, most all of BGSU's free throws came late in game, as the Falcons didn't even attempt their first foul shot until midway through the second half. San Jose State did not commit its first foul until the 6:58 mark of the first half.
The Falcons will conclude their non-conference schedule at home by hosting Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) and Norfolk State (Dec. 30). BGSU's first conference game is slated for Jan. 3 at Akron.
(Courtesy of BGSU Athletics)