Falcons stomp Bobcats in second half

by Anthony Castrovince
Staff Writer

Sometimes there is no substitute for superstition.

The Ohio men's basketball team (12-8 overall, 7-4 in the Mid-American Conference) became the latest victim of Bowling Green's "straight-jacket" streak last night, losing to the visiting Falcons 78-68.

In their last three games, the Falcons (9-10, 5-5) have won after coach Dan Dakich has stepped onto the court wearing his sport coat backwards. Don't laugh; it works.

Add such trickery to a 14-4 run and a 65.2 field goal percentage in the second half and you get a Falcon victory that spelled the end of Ohio's 13-game home winning streak. Ohio coach Larry Hunter said his team, which was up by six at the half, was simply outplayed in the second half.

"They went an octave higher and we went an octave lower," he said. "They took the game from us."

The Bobcats had an opportunity to grab a share of first place in the MAC East, but the Falcons dashed their hopes.

Ohio's shooting was dreadful in the first half, as the team hit just 10-of-33 shots. Luckily for the Bobcats, the Falcons were not much better, shooting just 27 percent from the field.

Falcon guard Trent Jackson, who averages 12.7 points per game, went down with an injured ankle eight minutes into the game and the team had early foul trouble. Bowling Green stayed alive, however, with three first-half three-pointers from guard Cory Ryan.

The score was knotted at 27 with 3:08 remaining in the first half when a three-pointer by Ohio forward Steve Esterkamp sparked an 8-2 Bobcat run. Ohio led 35-29 at the half, but the Falcons were not about to go down quietly.

"We were still fired up at halftime," Bowling Green guard Keith McLeod said. "And everybody kept the fire in the second half."

McLeod led the Falcons with 22 points in the second half, en route to a game-high 28. The Falcons used a 14-4 run midway through the half to take a 56-51 lead. Ohio held its ground and pulled to within three with a three-pointer by forward Jon Sanderson with 5:51 left to play. The crowd, which had been understandably quiet up to that point, began to get into the game, but the intensity was not to last.

McLeod scored the next four points and the Falcons maintained their advantage.

"McLeod really got going," Larry Hunter said. "He hit big basket after big basket. I thought (Bowling Green) played really smart after they got the lead. They deserved the win tonight. They made more big plays in the second half."

The Falcons also were guided by a strong performance from center Len Matela, the MAC East Player of the Week. He scored 19 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Matela said the key to his team's victory was a strong defensive showing.

"We're intense on defense," he said. "We're all trying to get the rebound and put the pressure on."

Bowling Green's pressure held the Bobcats to a 37.1 field goal percentage. Ohio did have two bright spots in forward Brandon Hunter's team-high 23 points and center Patrick Flomo's 15 points, 10 boards and five blocked shots. It was Flomo's second double-double of the season.

Dakich was elated after the game.

"I've been coaching for 20 years and I don't think I've been more impressed with a team," he said. "We had foul trouble all over the place and we were down six on the road. We have guys that aren't afraid."

Despite the missed opportunity to grab a share of the division lead, Larry Hunter said his team will take the loss in stride.

"I'm disappointed we didn't have somebody step up," he said. "But it's not the end of the world. We've got to regroup. Our goal is still ahead of us."

Ohio will have a chance to regroup on at 2:30 p.m. Saturday when it plays host to Eastern Michigan at The Convo.