Ohio arrived at Kent State on Tuesday, but its offense never showed up.
The Bobcats shot just 36 percent from the field and scored only 27 first-half points in a 68-61 loss at Kent State.
Ohio led 16-15 with less than 12 minutes to play in the first half, but a 24-5 Kent State run was too big a hole for the Bobcats to dig out of.
A season-high 15 first-half turnovers contributed to the 14-point halftime deficit. Ohio (23-7, 10-5 Mid-American Conference) has committed fewer than 15 turnovers during an entire game on 19 occasions this season. Every Kent State (20-9, 10-5 MAC) player who saw time on the floor recorded at least one steal by the end of the game.
The Bobcats pulled within three points with just 1:47 remaining in the game but could not get over the hump.
“It was unacceptable to turn the ball over 15 times in a half,” Ohio coach John Groce said. “I don’t think we’ve done that in four years since our staff has been here.
“(The Golden Flashes) were clearly the tougher team for the first 18 minutes. But I’m proud of my guys that we hung in there and fought. They did not quit.”
Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper came into the game needing six assists to break the school’s all-time record, but he finished with only four. Cooper led all scorers with 23 points.
Groce attributed Cooper’s inability to rack up more assists to his teammates’ inability to convert opportunities.
“They forced D.J. into a one-dimensional player tonight because our bigs weren’t able to finish,” Groce said. “For us to be as good on offense as we need to be, (Reggie) Keely and (Ivo) Baltic need to play better.”
Nick Kellogg was the only other Ohio player to score in double figures. He finished with 10 points before fouling out in the game’s final minute.
Randal Holt led the way for the Golden Flashes, scoring 20 points off the bench.
“We lost to OU kind of bad last time we played them, so we kind of had some payback,” Holt said. “We had this one marked on our calendars.”
Ohio defeated Kent State 87-65 in the teams’ first matchup Jan. 18.
As Kent State began to pull away, the mood on the floor grew tenser as the teams combined for three technical fouls in the first half.
“We lost by 30 (last game). There’s going to be trash-talking,” Kent State forward Justin Greene said. “Of course when we got up 20 on them there’s going to be talk. If we were going to get a tech, it probably would be tonight.”
The Bobcats could have wrapped up a two-round bye in the MAC Tournament with a win but now will have to wait until after Friday’s game at Miami to determine their fate, which could place them anywhere between the second and fifth seed.
With the loss, Ohio will have to beat Miami and hope for a Bowling Green win against Buffalo in order to secure a three-round bye.
The loss marked the third time this month that the Bobcats dropped a game to a team coming off a three-game losing streak.
“I think our kids were determined to not lose,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “I think a lot of people questioned our kids’ heart.”
ro137807@ohiou.edu
