Ohio was able to overcome a slow start to beat Central Michigan by a score of 82-63 on the road Wednesday. Read our chronological coverage below.
Pregame
Ohio didn't make it more than a couple minutes from The Convo before it found a hitch in its travel plans to Mount Pleasant, Mich. Tuesday.
The Bobcats' private charter had mechanical problems, so they opted to hit the road for a six-and-a-half-hour trip to the campus of Central Michigan University in preparation for their Wednesday game against the Chippewas.
Without a hitch, Ohio (17-6, 8-1 Mid-American Conference) was on the court for a mid-day shootaround at Central Michigan's McGuirk Arena Wednesday, readying for tip-off against the Chippewas (9-14, 2-8 MAC.)
Central Michigan features a youth-heavy lineup that sees heavy contributions from freshman forwards Blake Hibbits and John Simons. Freshman guard Chris Fowler has started every game this season and averages six points per game, as well.
Ohio coach Jim Christian said Central Michigan is tough to scout because of what he called an international-style offense that features lots of three-point attempts and quick ball movement.
"It’s a challenge because of more how they play than the individual parts," Ohio coach Jim Christian said. "How they play makes them pretty difficult to prepare for."
With four assists, Ohio senior guard D.J. Cooper would move to No. 18 on the NCAA all-time career assist list. With a double-digit assist performance, he would jump to No. 16 overall.
Look back at the Bobcats' last game, a nine-point win against Bowling Green, here. Read beat reporter Jim Ryan's game preview here. Follow him and The Post Sports on Twitter for game updates.
First Half
For the third-straight game, Ohio's starters were Cooper, redshirt senior guard Walter Offutt, junior guard Nick Kellogg and forwards Reggie Keely, a senior, and T.J. Hall, a junior.
Central Michigan scored on its first possession, while Ohio came up empty on its first three.
Senior guard Kyle Randall was fouled on his way to the rim less than three minutes into the game, made the shot and was fouled.
The Chippewas led by five 2:45 into the game.
After two steals for fast-break buckets, Ohio brought itself within three of the Chippewas. However, by the 15:30 mark the Bobcats had already committed six turnovers.
Junior guard Travis Wilkins and forwards Ivo Baltic, a senior, and Jon Smith, a redshirt junior, checked in at that point.
Sophomore guard Stevie Taylor made his first appearance soon thereafter.
The Bobcats earned their first lead of the game at the 12-minute mark when Offutt hit a corner three off a feed from Kellogg. After a Central Michigan layup, Keely spun in a similar play off the glass to give Ohio the lead once again.
Junior guard Ricardo Johnson was inserted into the game by the 10-minute mark.
The Bobcats recovered from the early five-point deficit well, and led by four with 7:45 remaining in the half.
Offutt knocked down his second three-pointer of the night to give the Bobcats a 25-20 edge with 6:30 remaining, but Randall brought the Chippewas within three on a three-point play less than 30 seconds later.
The Bobcats pushed their lead to six with 4:30 to play, when Offutt hit a seven-foot runner in the lane.
They kept the Chippewas at least two possessions away from from tying the score until the 1:45-mark, when Keely committed a foul on the offensive end and pushed Ohio into the bonus.
The Bobcats and Chippewas traded layups heading into the final possession.
It was then where Keely collected a wild three-point miss from Offutt and kissed it off the glass as time expired.
Halftime: Ohio 35, CMU 31
Offutt and Keely led the Bobcats offensively in the first half, totaling 13 and 12 points, respectively on five field goals apiece.
Randall was the Chippewas' leader, as he scored 15 on 4-for-10 shooting 6-for-7 from the line.
Ohio ended the half with three players with two personal fouls. It shot 50 percent from the field, compared to Central Michigan's mark of 39 percent, including 20 percent from long range.
Second Half
Kellogg notched his third personal foul of the game less than a minute into the second half, thus giving him a seat on the bench. Offutt did the same 30 seconds later, giving Ohio a guard lineup of Johnson, Taylor and Cooper.
Randall drew both fouls, and converted all four foul shots.
The Bobcats' early scoring was dominated by three-pointers, as Cooper, Taylor and Johnson all chipped in from beyond the arc.
With 15:42 remaining in the game, Johnson also converted the back end of a three-point play to give the Bobcats a 49-41 lead.
Smith broke the 50-point plateau for the Bobcats with a tip-slam off a Baltic miss with 14 minutes to play.
A long two from Baltic on the next possession gave the Bobcats their first double-digit lead of the game.
Offutt was whistled for his fourth foul with 11 minutes to play, and returned to the bench in favor of Johnson as a result.
The Bobcats widened their lead to 16 by the 7:45 mark. They were shooting 52 percent from the field at that point.
Cooper drained a deep three from the middle to bring the gap to 19 points with 6:30 to play.
Ohio kept its lead in double digits through the three-minute mark, at which it led 71-56.
The Bobcats bumped their lead to 20 points with 1:27 remaining in the game.
Final: Ohio 82, Central Michigan 63
The Ohio senior class became the winningest in program history when the final buzzer rang at McGuirk Arena Wednesday.
Ohio out-rebounded the Chippewas 35-30 and shot better than 50 percent from the field in the contest.
Statistics
Offutt: 17 points, eight rebounds
Keely: 14 points, six rebounds
Johnson: 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting, three rebounds
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Randall: 28 points
Fowler: 10 points, seven rebounds
Reactions
"We came out in the second half and made some shots, which usually gives you a little energy and (gets you) playing a little harder." — Christian on Ohio's second half play
"We had to rotate different guys on Randall. Fowler, their point guard, is going to be a really good player for them too." — Christian on the Chippewas' offensive tools
"I thought we got really good contributions from everybody that kind of came in. It’s one of those nights where energy’s not there and you need a bunch of different guys to supply it. I thought we did that tonight." — Christian, on Ohio's bench play
Twitter Notes
Ohio's seniors top class of 1982-86 for winningest in program history...
Wednesday's win was an "all-hands on deck" sort of victory...
Central Michigan's Randall impressed in his first-career game against Ohio...
Christian called Ohio's first half play "lethargic." That's pretty harsh...
Up Next
The Bobcats (18-6, 9-1 MAC) take on Eastern Michigan at The Convo Wednesday. It will be the Eagles' second trip to Athens this season, as they were set to face Ohio on Jan. 30 but were unable to play because of the campus closure and game cancellation because of an armed gunman near campus.
Eastern Michigan (11-13, 4-6 MAC) lost to Akron by eight points Wednesday.
