The fact that Ball State had nine more turnovers than it did field goals in its game against Ohio Wednesday, leads one to believe that the Cardinals were largely uncompetitive.
That natural inclination is on the mark, being that the Bobcats never trailed and were within single digits of their opponent for only 4:16 of game play in their 69-42 win.
Both the Cardinals’ point total and 26 percent shooting mark signified season-lows for the Bobcats (16-6, 7-1 Mid-American Conference).
Ohio sprang to an up-tempo start from the opening tip, as it went ahead less than 90 seconds into the game and built 10-point lead within three more minutes.
The fast start left the Cardinals (8-13, 2-7 MAC) on their heels and ready to retreat, Ohio redshirt senior guard Walter Offutt said.
“When we got the reputation of what we did last year, I think if we get on teams early – and keep it that way – a kind of mindset (is): ‘They’re good. We can’t stop them. Let’s pack it in.’ I think that happened tonight,” he said.
It was the Bobcats that had to pack their bags for their fourth-straight road game, a program first, but little hangover was seen as an effect.
Ohio rebounded — quite literally — from a forgettable defensive effort against Akron to go toe-to-toe with the Cardinals’ contingent of offensive threats, all of whom were held to seven or fewer points, with the exception of senior guard Jauwan Scaife, who had a game-high 18 points. Even he, though, shot only 5-for-13 from the floor.
Junior forwards Majok Majok and Chris Bond contributed only seven points — a far cry from their cumulative 21-point average.
The Bobcats double-teamed Majok for much of the first half, which resulted in a pair of turnovers and no points.
Ohio forced 22 turnovers, which resulted in 26 points. Ohio coach Jim Christian attributed the total to anticipation plays and dirty work on defense.
We were clued in,” he said. “In the half court, guys were communicating, we contested every shot. We were going for every rebound.”
A renewed sense of purpose was seen from Ohio senior forward Ivo Baltic, who had eight of the Bobcats’ 38 total grabs — four times his total from Saturday’s loss.
Coming off the bench for the first time since December, Baltic also knocked down four of eight field goals to break a two-game scoreless streak.
Starting in his place was junior forward T.J. Hall, who scored 10 points in nine minutes of play, before fouling out in the second half.
Earlier in the week, Christian said there is an added importance on each conference game because, with a newly inscribed notch in the loss column, the Bobcats have to fight to ensure a spot in the conversation for the regular season MAC crown. To do so, they have to stay perfect until Akron comes to town in three weeks.
“They have to do everything we can to make that game here for the championship,” Christian said.
Wednesday’s win was a step in that direction.
“I knew we were going to come out ready to play,” he said. “We’re in a race, here. We continue to race. Every game’s a championship game.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
