Ohio was in search of its first Mid-American Conference victory when the Bobcats traveled north to take on Kent State Saturday.
KENT — Ohio has endured a slow start to Mid-American Conference play and it continued Saturday against Kent State.
In a literal form, the Bobcats took almost six minutes until scoring their first points of the game. That slow start didn’t impede Ohio from competing and soon taking a lead, but it eventually trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half on its way to a 69-59 loss.
Saturday marked the Bobcats’ eighth double-digit loss this season and the third of its four consecutive MAC losses. Ohio is now 0-4 in the MAC for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
“In some areas you can cite it on inexperience, but in others, listen, it’s time to start learning from mistakes,” coach Saul Phillips said. “I wish we were further along than we are right now.”
The Bobcats (5-10, 0-4 MAC) struggled to find any sort of offensive momentum in the first half, entering halftime shooting 26 percent (7 of 27) and scoring just 19 first-half points. Part of those offensive woes were a result of turnovers, as Ohio committed 11 in the first half and finished with 14.
Despite that slow start, the Bobcats trailed by 11 points at halftime and Phillips felt the game was still “winnable” in the second half. Ohio closed the game on a 19-8 run, but the early advantage by Kent State (12-5, 3-1 MAC) was enough for a victory, as four Golden Flashes finished in double-digit scoring.
Senior forward Maurice Ndour led Ohio with 19 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, but senior guard Stevie Taylor was the lone other Bobcat in double figures with 10 points. The duo combined to score 13 of those points at the line, as they also endured struggles making field goals.
“We feel like we can play with anybody. We didn’t necessarily give them our best shot. I don’t know if we’ve given anybody our best shot yet,” redshirt junior Treg Setty said. “We didn’t realize it’d be this tough this late in the season, but we were ready for anything and we still are ready for anything.
“I believe that it’ll click. It just has yet to do so.”
Setty scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds. He also said Phillips “hasn’t gone crazy” or “chewed out” the Bobcats and that the Bobcats are just going to keep fighting.
Ohio finished its most recent 0-4 start to a MAC season with a 7-9 conference record, but ended up winning the MAC Tournament as a No. 9 seed before defeating Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.
Phillips expressed some emotion for the first time during this four-game losing streak to close his news conference Saturday and referred to how the 2010 Bobcats finished their season.
“I’m not saying that we’re anywhere close to even daydreaming about that yet, but I am saying right now that you’d be foolish (not to) … and if you let yourselves get crossways, that to me is the definition of lack of perspective.”
@chadlindskog
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