PREGAME:
Ohio and Miami will meet for the 192nd “Battle of the Bricks” rivalry Saturday at 2:00.
The Bobcats (16-6, 6-3) lead the all-time series 100-91. Miami (9-11, 5-4) is coming off a 53-41 loss at Northern Illinois. Senior forward Will Felder leads the RedHawks with 14.2 points per game. Ohio is looking to get back on the winning track after losing its previous contest at Western Michigan 90-74.
STARTING LINEUPS:
OHIO: junior forward Maurice Ndour, senior guard T.J. Hall, junior guard Stevie Taylor, senior guard Nick Kellogg, redshirt senior forward Jon Smith.
MIAMI: senior forward Will Felder, freshman forward Joshua Oswald, sophomore guard Geovonie McKnight, senior guard Quinten Rollins, junior guard Will Sullivan.
FIRST HALF:
It was clear from the onset of the contest that Miami was the dominant team in the first half. They shot a blistering 70 percent from behind arc and led 47-32 at the first intermission. Ohio struggled mightily in the first half containing the RedHawks, as they shot 53.8 percent from the field.
The Bobcats struggled to contain Miami on the defensive end as two RedHawks finished in double figures. Offensively, Ohio had trouble generating a sustained threat, as they turned the ball over seven times. Miami scored nine points off of Bobcat turnovers, as well as nine-second chance points. The RedHawks controlled tempo early, as they jumped out to a 26-13 lead with 8:26 left in the half. While Ohio made some runs, they were short-lived as the RedHawks were always able to answer with points of their own. With 5:56 left in the half, Ohio cut the point differential to 10 points, however failed to get any closer as Miami took a commanding lead into halftime.
SECOND HALF:
While the RedHawks held the Bobcats in check in the first half, Ohio battled back in the second stanza to defeat Miami 82-75. Senior guard Nick Kellogg paced the Bobcats with 27 points.
Ohio erased a 15-point halftime deficit thanks to their ability to knock down three pointers. The Bobcats connected on six three-pointers in the second half. With 8:31 left in the second half, Ohio cut the RedHawks lead to 57-53 after a trey from senior guard Travis Wilkins. Wilkins, who finished with 23 points, hit three of his six three pointers in the second half to spur the Bobcats. Ohio then took its first lead of the half with 5:58 remaining in the game following a layup from redshirt senior forward Jon Smith. While Miami tried to comeback, the momentum clearly shifted in favor of Ohio as they held on for its 17th win of the season.
