Bowling Green turned its home opener into a shooting clinic on Monday night, November 9, knocking down 14 three-pointers to beat Cleveland State 95-79 at the Stroh Center, according to Bowling Green State University Athletics.
Guard Josiah Shackelford led the Falcons with 25 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Makhi Leach added 22 points, four rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Bowling Green set the tone early, taking the first half 44-37, and the Falcons’ two guards combined for 47 points on the night.
The math of the barrage was decisive: Bowling Green’s 14 made threes accounted for 42 of its 95 points, a perimeter output Cleveland State simply could not match. The Vikings stayed within seven points at the break, but every second-half push ran into another Falcons run from beyond the arc.
The win improved Bowling Green to 2-0 on the young season, with a 1-0 mark at home and a 1-0 mark on the road, and kept the Falcons at the top of the very early Mid-American Conference picture. Cleveland State fell to 1-2 with the loss, its second road defeat in three games.
The Stroh Center crowd got the kind of opener the Falcons were hoping for in a milestone week for the program. Bowling Green reached the 1,500th win in program history in its previous outing, and Monday’s performance gave home fans an early look at an offense built around guard play and outside shooting.
For Cleveland State, a Horizon League program that made the trip down I-75 for the in-state matchup, the night was a measuring stick against a Mid-American Conference contender — and a reminder of how quickly a game can tilt when an opponent gets hot from deep. The Vikings competed through the first half but could not slow a Bowling Green attack that scored 51 points after halftime to pull away.
Bowling Green is back in action Thursday, November 12, when it hosts the Niagara Purple Eagles at the Stroh Center at 7 p.m. Cleveland State returns home to host West Florida on Friday, November 13, at 3 p.m.
Photo: Bhockey10, CC BY-SA