Bowling Green took a lead into halftime, but a strong stretch by Western Michigan in the second half pushed the Broncos ahead for the 78-67 final at the Stroh Center Saturday.
Trey Diggs led the way for the Falcons with 19 points, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
It was a fast start for the Falcons with the senior class making an early impact on Senior Night.
Matiss Kulackovskis tallied the first four points for BGSU while Diggs was feeling it from behind the arc, tallying nine points in less than eight minutes of action.
Daeqwon Plowden chipped in six rebounds over the same span.
The first half remained close with neither team able to gain a cushion. No runs of more than six points were logged while BGSU took a slim 36-32 lead into the halftime break.
Early in the second half, the Falcons were able to expand the lead with a 5-0 run pushing the advantage to 41-34. Bowling Green was eventually able to stretch the lead to nine at 49-40, but Western Michigan soon answered.
A 6-0 burst allowed the Broncos to cut into the lead, 49-46. WMU continued to chip away before another 6-0 run gave them a 55-53 lead.
The run would go to 13-0 to push the Western Michigan lead to 62-53, and the lead would hold from there for the Broncos.
“We took bad shot selections that led to run outs on the other end and they were able to score,” BGSU coach Michael Huger said.
“We weren’t able to keep pace with them. We didn’t defend the three well. Once they got going, they hit some tough ones down the stretch.”
For the Falcons, Chandler Turner had 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal and Samari Curtis had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.
Kulackovskis contributed nine points and Plowden added six points, grabbed eight rebounds, had three assists and one block.
With six points, Plowden brought his career point total to 1,581 for BGSU, surpassing Walt Piatkowski for eighth in program history.
Kulackovskis brought down six rebounds for the Falcons, matching his career-high. That brings his season total to 59 rebounds, setting a new single season high. Kulackovskis’ previous high was set at 54 from the 2019-20 season.
Cam Young logged two blocks for the Falcons, tying for the team lead with Diggs, both matching their career-highs.
The two rejections bring Young’s season total to nine, setting a new single season-high for his collegiate career. This surpasses his seven blocks from the 2020-21 campaign.
For the second consecutive game Bowling Green had just six turnovers, tying the season-low for the team. BGSU has hit the mark now three times, coming against Western Michigan, Akron and Milwaukee.
The program’s seniors were recognized before the game while cheer and dance seniors were recognized at halftime. Freddie and Frieda were also revealed after the action.
BGSU will return to the Stroh on Tues., Mar. 1 to host Ohio for the final home game of the season.
