After hitting the snooze button throughout the first half, Ohio finally pulled itself out of bed in the second half on a sunny afternoon in Asheville, N.C.
Following an uninspired first 20 minutes, the Bobcats rallied back from a 12 point halftime deficit to defeat UNC Asheville 79-70 in their final non-conference game and what Maurice Ndour labeled as a “statement game.”
For the fourth time this season, Ohio wasn’t able to keep its opponent below 40 points in the first half, permitting 43 first half points by the Bulldogs, which was the third-highest single half point total the Bobcats have allowed this season.
Senior guard Nick Kellogg was the feature player for the Bobcats in the first half, scoring a team-high 14 points in the first half and finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and excellent on-ball defense throughout.
“Kellogg was just a great senior,” coach Jim Christian said. “The way he was talking to guys in the huddle, at halftime, he wanted the ball at big spots. He played like a senior.”
The low point for the first 20 minutes came after the halfway mark of the first half, as senior Ricardo Johnson came to the floor badly on his right leg after driving to the left side of the basket.
He was helped off the court by Treg Setty and Drew Crabtree, putting no pressure on that right leg.
Christian is waiting to see an x-ray to say anything definitive regarding injury, but he’s hoping it isn’t a broken leg, which would keep him out the rest of the season.
“He’s a very, very tough kid and he was in a lot of pain,” Christian said. “Hopefully it’s not too serious because he’s put so much time and effort into this year.”
At the half, Christian told his team that one of the members of its “pack,” a word the team has used to describe itself this season, was wounded and that “a wounded animal is the most dangerous one.”
Inspired by Christian and the loss of its teammate, Ohio opened the second half on fire, scoring the half’s first nine points and took its first lead since scoring the opening basket, as an Antonio Campbell free throw capped a 16-3 Bobcat run.
“One of the pack got hurt, so we felt like it was time for us to step up and play for him,” Ndour said. “We just came out hard, played the way we play, you know and played for (Ricardo Johnson).”
Ndour put the team on his back in the second half, with 16 points in the final 20 minutes. The junior from Senegal finished with a career-high 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, recording his third double-double of the season.
“It’s just being focused on the game,” Ndour said. “Every time guys try to fight, you know, trying to block shots, you’ve just got to put your eyes on the rim and try to finish. On the defensive end, I’m just trying to be big out there, block shots and rebound.”
Senior forward T.J. Hall also had a strong, physical game off the bench, scoring 12 points with 5 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
The turning point in the game came with 5:39 remaining in the game, as Kellogg and Stevie Taylor hit consecutive shots from behind the arc to turn a 60-57 deficit into a 63-60 lead.
Ohio maintained that lead for the remainder of the contest, icing the game at the free throw line as UNC Asheville resorted to fouling in its last ditch effort to get back in the game. The Bobcats finished the game shooting 88 percent (30-34) from the charity stripe.
In the second half, Ohio outscored the Bulldogs by a 48-27 margin and held them to a 22 percent shooting percentage.
In the first half, Bulldog freshman point guard Andrew Rowsey simply couldn’t be defended on his perimeter shots. He hit five of his first six three point attempts and scored 18 points in the first half. He would finish with a game-high 28 points.
But Rowsey went cold in the second half after injuring his wrist, shooting one of nine from the field and essentially becoming the difference maker in terms of his lack of production in the final 20 minutes.
It was Ohio’s third non-conference road win of the season, which is a mammoth improvement from last season, as the Bobcats were winless outside of the Mid-American Conference away from The Convo.
@c_hoppens
ch2033010@ohiou.edu
