Ohio forward Maurice Ndour and Toledo guard Juice Brown inserted their names with authority into the Mid-American Conference player of the year award conversation.
The pair of juniors put on a performance worthy of the game they played in, with the Bobcats edging the Rockets 95-90 in overtime at The Convo on Saturday.
Both players average more than 14 points per game, with Ndour among the top five rebounders in the conference and Brown leading the way among MAC players in assists. Their performances on a national television stage further showcased the value each has to his team.
Ndour recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds — four of which came on the offensive end — while adding three blocks and two steals on the defensive end.
All of that scoring came efficiently as Ndour, “Nature Boy,” made 11 of his 16 (68.7 percent) shots from the field, bumping his shooting percentage to 52.3 on the season.
Toledo’s defense couldn’t contain the 6-foot-9 forward, who scored Ohio’s first eight points and also scored what proved to be the game-winning basket, losing Toledo forward J.D. Weatherspoon en route to a dunk that provided Ohio with a 91-90 lead with 1:02 remaining in overtime.
“He’s long, he’s athletic and he shoots and scores overtop of guys,” Toledo coach Todd Kowalczyk said.
Brown proved to be equally elusive for Ohio’s defense, burning the Bobcats for 28 points, dishing the ball for seven assists and grabbing five rebounds despite often being the smallest player on the court for Toledo at 5-foot-10-inches.
The preseason first-team All-MAC West point guard turned up his quality of play in the second half, scoring 13 points in the second stanza and hitting the game-tying shot with 15 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Brown added four more points but couldn’t tie the game at 93 with eight seconds left.
“Juice is a great player,” Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor said. “I think he’s definitely, if not (one of the best), he’s definitely the top point guard in this league. So every time we play, it’s going to be really competitive. I just like playing against the best players, and he played a really good game tonight.”
Taylor shined against one of the best, scoring a career-high 23 points on nine of 15 shooting attempts with only one turnover.
Saturday’s all-around team performance helped propel Ohio to a tie for first in the MAC and made a declaration to the rest of the conference that the Bobcats are among the league’s best.
“I think it’s a statement game,” Ndour said. “Toledo is a great team and we had to let people know what our identity is because I think too many times we’ve been losing sight of it.”
The teams will play again Feb. 12 in Toledo.
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