Sam Towns erupted for 27 points and pulled down eight rebounds, Javon Ruffin knocked down five 3-pointers en route to 17 points and Bowling Green upset Kansas State 82-66 on Monday night in Manhattan, Kan.
Bowling Green (6-2) is now riding a three-game winning streak after defeating the only power conference team on its regular-season schedule. It was a career night for Towns, who went 9-for-14 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Javontae Campbell finished with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Josiah Shackelford added nine points for the Falcons.
Kansas State (5-3) suffered its third straight loss. The Wildcats tried several lineups but couldn’t find the right mix. P.J. Haggerty, the nation’s leading scorer, finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting. David Castillo had a team-high 22 points for Kansas State.
The Wildcats shot 39.3% from the field and 26.1% from 3-point range. The Falcons, meanwhile, had a better percentage from 3-point range (46.2%) than the field (45.2%). The Falcons also won the rebounding battle, 39-32, and outscored the Wildcats in bench points, 13-6.
Bowling Green started to take control of the game with five minutes left in the first half. Leading 33-31, the Falcons closed the half on a 16-4 run to take a 49-35 lead into the locker rooms. The stretch included 3-pointers by Ruffin, Towns and Shackelford.
In the second half, Bowling Green stayed in front by multiple possessions. Every time Kansas State threatened, Bowling Green answered.
The Wildcats pulled to within 63-55 on a 3-pointer by Haggerty with 7:21 left, but the Falcons responded with their own 3 by Ruffin on the next possession. The Wildcats again cut the deficit to single digits, 70-61, on a layup by Haggerty with 4:23 left, but the Falcons answered with a jumper by Shackelford.
Shackelford’s bucket sparked an 8-0 run for the Falcons as they pulled away in the final minutes.
Up next, Bowling Green returns home for a matchup against Utah Valley on Saturday. Kansas State hosts Seton Hall on Saturday.
