Ohio’s pitstop on its way to Hawaii for Christmas had all the makings of a much-needed victory against a solid opponent.
The Bobcats led Thursday’s contest at halftime, but let the lead slip away before senior guard Javarez “Bean” Willis hit a game-tying three-pointer with 47 seconds left in regulation.
After keeping Evansville from scoring on the final possession in regulation, Ohio looked to have momentum heading into overtime.
But it couldn’t finish the victory and the Purple Aces downed the Bobcats 81-69, outscoring Ohio 12-0 in overtime.
“We need to step up at those times and make winning plays,” coach Saul Phillips said. “We made winning plays to get it to overtime, so we we’re 1-1 in making winning plays (Thursday).”
The Bobcats (3-4) controlled the first half and kept their momentum well into the second half, although they didn’t lead by more than six points at any point.
After Ohio took a 57-52 lead with under seven minutes left in regulation, however, an 11-0 run fueled Evansville (8-2) to its biggest lead of the game — to that point — when the Aces led 63-57.
From then on, the Bobcats didn’t lead again.
While battling back from a deficit with under two minutes to play, sophomore forward Antonio Campbell fouled out. He finished with 10 points, including a pair of makes from three-point range. Phillips said Campbell’s absence was tough to overcome, especially with the Bobcats struggling to hit their shots.
“I thought we kind of reverted into one of those modes where, for lack of a better term, everybody is trying to do a little too much,” Phillips said.
Senior guard Stevie Taylor, who scored nine points in the first half, was limited to three points for the remainder of the game, including four missed three-pointers to open the second half.
On the other hand, Evansville guard D.J. Balentine scored a game-high 23 points, including eight of the team’s 12 points in overtime.
Balentine’s scoring came from just eight makes from the field, as converted 7 of 10 free throw attempts. The Purple Aces shot 28 free throws, opposed to the Bobcats’ three free throw attempts. Ohio committed 23 fouls, not including a pair of early technicals.
Phillips said that disparity at the free throw line stems from Ohio taking too many shots from outside and not being able to utilize its size on drives to the hoop.
“We’re shooting it too much from the perimeter,” Phillips said. “We have to do a better job at drawing fouls and committing less fouls.”
Although the Bobcats lost their only other contest on the road, Phillips had no excuses after the game. He said he sees the team’s potential and understands the learning curve it takes when changing coaches, but they can’t be too sorry for themselves.
Phillips said he told his team to channel its frustration into anger because they are going to face talented teams in next week’s Diamond Head Classic.
“You’re absolutely crazy if you can’t see the potential of this team,” Phillips said. “I’m sick of saying it, but we are ridiculously close and we’re going to get there.
“Realistically, we’re five seconds away from being 5-2 right now … we’ve got to make that transition, we will make that transition and we’ll be alright.”
@Alex_Busch91
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