Ohio had to stay an extra night in Oxford, but a win the following afternoon meant one less night in Cleveland.
Ohio (24-7, 11-5 MAC) defeated Miami (9-20, 5-11 MAC) 63-54 and locked up a two-round bye in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
“It means a lot that we would get any of those four byes,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “Our league is so difficult; every night is such a grind. I’m proud of those guys. It shows the step we’re taking in the right direction with our program.”
Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper entered Saturday’s game needing only two assists to take over the top spot on Ohio’s all-time career assists list.
With just more than five minutes remaining in the first half, Cooper stole the ball at the Miami end of the court and found teammate T.J. Hall for an easy transition layup.
It was Cooper’s second assist of the game and the 652nd of his career, moving him past Dennis Whitaker into first place on the school’s all-time list.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me and my teammates and coaches,” Cooper said. “I’ve got some great teammates that can finish. They work hard at making shots. I just try my best to find them.”
The assists also allowed Cooper to move into third place on the MAC’s all-time assists list. By the end of the game, Cooper trailed former Bowling Green standout David Greer by 114 assists for the all-time conference record.
“I want to congratulate D.J. on breaking the school record for assists,” Groce said. “There’s been a lot of really good players at Ohio University, and for him to break that before his junior season is completed is an amazing accomplishment.”
In addition to registering four helpers, Cooper scored a game-high 14 points and recorded five steals.
Cooper said he knew the record was in reach but added that locking up a tournament bye was his prime objective.
“That was my main focus tonight, just getting another road win and putting ourselves in a good position to succeed in the tournament next week,” he said.
After inclement weather Friday night forced the game to be delayed until Saturday afternoon, Groce feared his team might come out flat after being ready to go the night before.
“I was a little bit worried because (Friday) I thought they were ready to roll,” Groce said. “You’ve got to be adaptable; you’ve got to be unconditional. When I saw us guarding the way we were guarding, I thought, ‘OK, we’ve got it.’”
Ohio’s defense was aggressive from the onset, as was its rebounding.
The Bobcats pulled down 15 offensive boards, leading to 14 second-chance points. Ohio out-rebounded the RedHawks 34-26.
Forward Jon Smith, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, pulled down six of those offensive boards.
“I thought the play of Jon Smith was terrific. It may have been as good of a game as he’s played all season on both ends of the floor,” Groce said. “I thought our attack on the glass was as important as anything in terms of determining the outcome of the game.”
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