Ohio is now 5-6 after a 72-53 victory in The Convo Tuesday. The Bobcats were led by Maurice Ndour, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds
There was something different about the Ohio team that stepped back onto the court for the second half Tuesday.
Although it was obviously the same team, the players brought a new intensity and attitude to the court after being down 34-30 at half. The Bobcats went on a surge, to put it lightly, in the second half and defeated UNC-Wilmington 72-53 Tuesday.
Ohio (5-6) struggled offensively out of the gate, as UNCW (5-6) got off to an early 10-2 lead, but the second half brought an offensive spark paired with shutdown defensive play.
The offense carried the Bobcats in the second half, especially during their 16-0 run during the middle of the stanza, but it was the defense that forced UNCW into a scoring drought lasting over seven minutes long.
The Bobcats were led by senior forward Maurice Ndour, who put on a show in the second half after struggling in the past few games. He said the biggest difference between the team’s success in the separate halves stemmed from the players’ energy, which he helped change after halftime.
“They did find another gear, it was Mo being relentless,” coach Saul Phillips said. “He’s got the ability to influence the ability in a way that nothing I can say, nothing anybody can do. When he brings that, he raises the entire level of this team.”
Ndour and senior guard Javarez “Bean” Willis turned on the jets during the second half after combining for just 12 points in the first half. But in the second half, they combined for 23 points and led the Bobcats in a dominating 42-19 second half.
Willis finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists and Ndour finished with a double-double and led the game’s scoring with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Treg Setty also came off the bench and helped at the defensive end of the court with a career-high 12 rebounds.
Ndour’s 23 points weren’t a career-high, but it was something that the Bobcats haven’t seen all season. He said he played the second half wanting to change the tide after trailing the Seahawks 34-30 after the opening half.
“The one thing I can control is my energy … I was just pissed off,” Ndour said. “Some times in life, you gotta work hard, do the things that you need to do and not accept to be mediocre.”
Ndour started the surge after the halftime break, but once he was making shots, it enabled others to contribute to the scoring.
Antonio Campbell’s two 3-pointers and three-point play in the final half exemplified that secondary scoring. Campbell finished with 11 points.
“When (Ndour) is playing like that, that’s good for us because then all of the pressure goes to him and opens up everybody,” Willis said.
Tuesday’s win signified the end of Ohio’s nonconference schedule, and the Bobcats will now turn to Mid-American Conference play next week. After three losses in four games, to say that this win got a ‘monkey off the back’ of the coaching staff would be an understatement.
“Sometimes you feel like you’re never going to win another game for the remainder of the season — it’s never that bad — but it’s just amazing what a win will do for you,” Phillips said. “I know if it matters to me, it matters to any 18- or 19-year old kid.
“As easy as it is to say, ‘we’ve got good players so we’re going to win,’ it’s never that simple. You’ve got to learn to play together.”
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