For the first time since he fractured his leg on Jan. 4, Ricardo Johnson suited up and took the floor with as a starter for Ohio along with fellow seniors Nick Kellogg, T.J. Hall, Jon Smith and Travis Wilkins.
He only recorded five seconds of game action, but was given a standing ovation as he exited the court in his final game at The Convo.
But the emotion during that moment and Senior Day as a whole couldn’t overcome the Bobcats’ poor shooting performance, as they fell to Kent State at home 75-61. The loss marked the first time since 1997-98 that Ohio had a losing mark at The Convo in Mid-American Conference play.
Coach Jim Christian said there was a lot more to blame than Ohio shooting 34.5 percent from the field for today’s loss.
“We weren’t making the right plays,” Christian said. “We were turning them over, but it wasn’t leading to anything. We weren’t making the right plays on the break, we weren’t advancing the ball, we weren’t finishing any plays.”
Giving credence to what Christian said, the Bobcats forced Kent State to turn the ball over 19 times, but only scored 19 points off of those giveaways.
And Ohio managed to leave 15 points at the charity stripe, making only 18 of its 33 free throw attempts in a game that featured a combined total of 43 fouls.
Save for guard Travis Wilkins, who led the Bobcats with 14 points, no one could find any offense rhythm.
“Sometimes you’re not hitting, I guess,” Wilkins said. “I don’t really have an explanation for it. Everybody, when they shoot the ball, they’re trying to make a shot. It’s not like they’re trying to miss out there.”
Kellogg missed all six of his attempts from the field, while Hall and Maurice Ndour each made just one of their seven shot attempts.
Similar to how much of the MAC slate has played out in Athens, the Bobcats found themselves in a hole at the end of the first half. But instead of turnovers plaguing the Bobcats, it was their inability to put their ball in the basket.
Ohio shot a ghastly 6 of 29 (20.7 percent) from the field in the first half, which is its worst shooting performance since only making 20 percent of its shots in the first half of a victory against Eastern Michigan in January.
At one point in the first half, Ohio went nearly eight minutes without a basket as junior guard Stevie Taylor's layup at the 8:46 mark was the first basket the Bobcats converted since the 16:37 remained on the clock.
The Golden Flashes had no issues making the Bobcats pay for the poor shooting, hitting six of their eight first half attempts from behind the arc. Kent State was also assertive in the paint, outrebounding Ohio 24-16.
Kent State finished the game shooting 49 percent from the field, making nine of its 14 three-point attempts and 22 of its 25 free throw opportunities.
With Saturday's defeat, Ohio has now lost three of its last four games and is putting hopes of a quarterfinal bye in the MAC Tournament in serious jeopardy.
“We’re at that point where you’ve got to make a determination of what you want this thing to become,” Christian said. "I do know that you’re either fighting to keep it going and play that one more game, or you’re looking forward to it to end. Each guy on our team has to make those decisions.”
FAST FACTS
Kent State 75 (16-13, 7-9 MAC)
Ohio 61 (19-10, 9-7 MAC)
- Nick Kellogg was held to two points with no made field goals.
- Ohio shot 20.7 percent in the first half.
- The Bobcats shot 18 of 33 from the free throw line.
ch203310@ohiou.edu
@c_hoppens
