Ohio wasn’t prepared to defend against a case of bus legs, as it was ready to take a charter flight to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for its matchup against Central Michigan Wednesday.
The Bobcats had to bus north because their plane had mechanical problems.
Ohio’s early play followed suit, as it had six turnovers in the first five minutes of action. The turbulent start didn’t derail Ohio from taking control, as it bounced back en route to an 82-63 win.
Redshirt senior guard Walter Offutt was Ohio’s spark earlier on, dropping 13 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds despite foul trouble in the second half.
Offutt’s play dug Ohio (18-6, 9-1 Mid-American Conference) out of their rut, but it was the Bobcats’ bench that provided its longevity.
Junior guard Ricardo Johnson led the reserves with 11 points — one shy of his career high — and was supported by performances of seven and eight points by sophomore guard Stevie Taylor and senior forward Ivo Baltic, respectively.
“I just had to pick up energy,” Johnson said. “That’s what I do best — bring energy to the team (and) take and make open shots.”
Ohio coach Jim Christian said the Bobcats began the game on a lethargic note, but were able to rebound in part because of the reserves’ 31-point influence.
“I thought we got really good contributions from everybody that kind of came in,” he said. “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.”
Heading into the game, the Bobcats ranked second-to-last in the conference in rebounding margin. However, they were able to pull down more boards than their opponent for the first time since Dec. 22, as they snagged 36 to the Chippewas’ 34.
Despite keeping Central Michigan (9-15, 2-9 MAC) off the glass, Ohio was unable to slow the pace of senior guard Kyle Randall, who scored a game-high 28 points — 10 of which were from free throws.
“If you let the ball in the lane that many times you’re going to get hurt,” Christian said.
Randall and freshman backcourt mate Chris Fowler combined for more than half the Chippewas’ offensive production.
Central Michigan’s half court scheme banks on its ability to distribute the ball quickly for open looks from the perimeter. The Chippewas, which lead the MAC with 584 three-point attempts on the year, had 21 long-range opportunities but made good on only four of them.
Ohio hit its stride late in the game, extending its lead to 21 points, its largest margin, with 50 seconds on the clock. Ohio connected on seven of 12 three-pointers in the second half.
The win marked Ohio’s senior class’ 88th career win — a program record.
Christian said the mark is a testament to what the senior class has brought to the program during its time in Athens.
“If you want to build programs and sustain legacies this is where it starts, with these guys,” he said. “I really want these guys to do everything possible to compete for this (MAC) regular season championship because it’s the only piece of the crown they haven’t gotten.”
As Christian has repeated throughout the season, he’s unmoved by how a team starts, but is invested in its finish.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
