Ohio started MAC play with a 70-60 to Northern Illinois in The Convo.
Saul Phillips jokingly asked if the Mid-American Conference allows mulligans, because Ohio would like to have one after losing its MAC opener Wednesday.
Ohio hosted Northern Illinois, which hadn’t defeated the Bobcats since 2007 and was missing its leading scorer, Darrell Bowie, with an injury.
But from the opening tip, Ohio lacked energy and eventually lost 70-60 in The Convo.
“They had more energy than us, that was just it,” redshirt sophomore forward Antonio Campbell said. “They competed hard and we didn’t.”
From the start, it looked like Ohio (5-7, 0-1 MAC) would have the upper hand, as the Bobcats opened with an 11-2 lead and held Northern Illinois to just 11 percent shooting during the first six minutes. Although most students were at away from campus for winter break, the Ohio contingent in The Convo seemed to be involved, before everything flipped sides.
The Huskies (7-5, 1-0 MAC) slowly crawled back and tied the game with a 3-pointer from the corner just nine seconds before halftime.
That’s when the momentum swung and the Huskies didn’t let go. They made it tough for Ohio to score inside the paint, while utilizing a pick-and-roll offensively to build their lead.
“It was a nail on the chalkboard night … when they were in that 1-for-10 stretch they were shooting jump shots,” Phillips said. “Once they started to turn the corner on the screen-and-roll, we start giving up offensive rebounds and start struggling.”
Although the quiet crowd made it seem as if the game was out of Ohio’s hands early in the second half, the Bobcats weren’t really out of it until the final minutes.
Midway through the second half, the Bobcats had their chance to make a comeback. Javarez “Bean” Willis was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer, before Stevie Taylor was fouled on the next possession. The two, however, made just two of their five combined free throw attempts, before Maurice Ndour missed a dunk that would have given him a chance for a three-point play.
The Bobcats made just 7 of 13 free throws in the second half, and shot 25 percent overall from beyond the arc. During the second half Ndour, a senior forward, only attempted only two shots, in which he only made one.
“(Ndour) is probably the best player in this league — he only shot two shots in the second half,” Campbell said. “They actually started keying in one him a little bit, but we have to get him more shots in the second half.”
Despite the slow second half, Ndour finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. He, along with Campbell (16), Willis (15) and Ryan Taylor (10) scored double-digit points.
The Bobcats, now two games under .500, will try again on the road Saturday against Bowling Green to win their first MAC game. Ohio will play five of its next seven away from Athens.
“We’ve got a tough road game, but you know what you do? You throw your guys on a bus and see how tough they are,” Phillips said.
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