Bowling Green mens basketball came out with unmatched intensity for 40 minutes in a season opening 70-41 rout over Chicago State at the Stroh Center Monday.

The Falcons gave first-year coach Todd Simon his first win at the helm of the Bowling Green State University program.

“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work these guys have been putting in since day one, really, and the mindset and mentality that we are trying to instill,” Simon said.

“It’s the first game for a lot of them, first (NCAA Division I) game, first real minutes for a lot of individuals that we had out there.

“We’ve been harping defensively, on rebounding and taking care of the ball, and I thought we embodied that, put a 40-minute game together, (players) one through 12 on the defensive end, which is where we have to start,” Simon continued.

If any of the 1,700 fans in attendance thought the Falcons played with intensity, they ought to see them in practice.

“(It’s) grinding,” said 6-foot-8 senior forward Rashaun Agee, one of four returning players to the BGSU roster.

“It’s just a different vibe every day. No matter what, we come in, coach never allows us to have a down day. If we come in with that down attitude, coach is going to make sure we pick it up.

“That is one thing I’d say is the difference this year, coach makes sure no matter who it is, no matter what we do, it is always high-energy and coach lets us know when things are going bad,” Agee said.

It showed as Agee and his new cast of teammates dominated the Cougars in all aspects of the game. In addition, the crowd was entertained by two alley-oop dunks, which Agee said also energized the players.

“I always tell my teammates, ‘All you want to do is dunk,” laughed Agee. “ But I realize two points is two points, but the dunk shifts the energy to our side and basketball is a game of runs, especially in college.”

BGSU 6-foot-4 junior guard Marcus Hill, a transfer Southern Union Community College, scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting and had five rebounds and two assists in his first D-I game.

Hill, one of the top scorers nationally at the junior college level throughout his career at SUCC, didn’t seem to slow down in his first chance at the college game’s highest level. But when he first arrived on campus, it wasn’t that way.

“My teammates — they always cheer me on,” Hill said. “Without them I don’t think I’d have been as comfortable.

“Starting in the summer, I was like real scared, didn’t know how to get to it. My shots were OK, but the fellows would be like, ‘We trust you,’ and that (helps) you a lot.”

Hill said the transition wasn’t easy once he got on the court and faced off with a team like Chicago State, either.

“I think strength-wise, the speed of the game is faster,” Hill said.

Agee, who Hill credited for helping him make the transition, had 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, six off the offensive glass.

D.J. Smith, a junior guard transfer from Arkansas Little Rock, came off the bench to score 10 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

In all, 11-of-12 Falcons who saw playing time got into the scoring column. Seven-foot starting senior center Jason Spurgin, a transfer from Southern Utah, scored just three points on a shot he hit beyond the arc.

However, Spurgin had six rebounds and blocked three shots, plus proved that he could handle the basketball well for a big man, even bringing it up the court when he had to.

BGSU sophomore starting guard P.J. Edwards, a Central Florida transfer, had three points and four assists and showed off his defensive prowess, not necessarily with steals, but by just creating havoc.

Da’Shawn Phillip, a 6-5 senior guard, scored four points, but hit double figures with 10 rebounds, including three on the offensive end. The Falcons controlled the boards by a 47-36 count.

It wasn’t just the Falcons’ big men off the glass, but the guards chasing down long rebounds and fighting for the ball, even when it looked like the Cougars had already come down with the carom.

“Like I said, because I hope coach is listening, because coach is always harping on making sure they come and crash,” Agee said.

“Don’t just rely on the bigs to get rebounds and I feel like today, they did a great job of coming in and helping us rebound.”

Returning 6-9 senior forward Sam Towns was 3-for-3 from the field, accounting for all six of his points, plus he grabbed four rebounds.

Returning sophomore guard Anthony McComb III scored five points and senior guard DaJion Humphrey had three points, three assists and four rebounds.

Ejay Greer, a 6-8 freshman guard, scored three points and sophomore guard J.Z. Zaher, a transfer from Eastern Michigan, added one point to round out the Falcons’ scoring.

BGSU dominated every aspect of the game, outscoring the Cougars 18-6 in points off turnovers, 36-18 in the paint, 11-6 in fast break points, and even in bench points the Falcons had a huge 29-6 advantage.

BGSU shot 44.1% (26-for-59) from the field, 25% (7-for-28) from the arc, and made 11-of-20 free throws (55%). BGSU blocked six shots, had 13 turnovers to the Cougars’ 15, but the Cougars forced eight steals to the Falcons’ four.

Chicago State shot just 25% (14-for-56) from the field, 25% (4-for-16) from three-point territory and made 60% (9-for-15) from the line.

Junior guard Wesley Cadet Jr. was the only Cougar to reach double figures with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Deshawn Jean-Charles, a 6-7 sophomore guard, had nine points and 10 rebounds and 6-7 junior guard Jahsean Corbett had nine points and six rebounds for Chicago State.

Junior forwards Cameron Jernigan and Noble Crawford scored four points each, sophomore guard Tristan Arneaud had two points and two steals and junior guard Brent Davis had one point and two steals for the Cougars.

Chicago State scored the game’s first six points on triples by Cardet and Corbett, but the Falcons built a 32-21 halftime lead, and after a trey by McComb the Falcons had their biggest lead, 68-34, with 4:48 remaining.