The Bobcats now hit the road to Oxford on Saturday.
The Saul Phillips era has had its fair share of growing pains thus far and Tuesday night was just another example of how rocky of a season it’s been.
It took more than five minutes for Ohio to score its first basket of the game, and by that point they were already down by 15-0.
Throughout, Bobcat turnovers allowed Central Michigan to get out on the fast break — the Chippewas finished with 12 points off of 14 turnovers. They would lead by as much as 25 points in the game and end up settling for a 68-57 victory.
The 11-point loss was a bit of a merciful one, as Central Michigan (17-5, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) held its offense back in the second half. Ohio was able to chip into the lead halfway through the half, using an 11-0 run after being down by more than 20 points. By then, it was far too late for the Bobcats to mount a comeback.
Effort yet again was the question early on, as Central Michigan repeatedly beat Ohio to loose balls resulting in plenty of second chance opportunities for the Chippewas.
“I thought I had them in a similar mindset to the last two times out, but we were the slower team to the loose ball consistently tonight,” said coach Saul Phillips. “That absolutely tears me apart. That’s not what we’re about and that can’t be what we’re about.”
By halftime, people began to file out of The Convo. The Bobcats had more turnovers in the first half (10) than shots made (seven) as the Bobcats looked far from a team that was riding the momentum of winning its last two games.
After playing the Chippewas only nine days prior, the offense looked unprepared for the pressure Central Michigan threw at them from the opening tip.
“They didn’t press us like that at their place,” said senior guard Stevie Taylor. “At the beginning of the game, when you’re really loose and not really focused, that kind of stuff can really happen. I think they did a really good job. That was probably in their game plan and they executed their game plan tonight.”
Guard penetration troubled Ohio all game long, as they were unable to stay with Braylon Rayson, Chris Fowler, and Rayshawn Simmons. Each took their turn breaking down the Bobcats defense before finding open looks in their half court sets.
Fowler was the main focal point coming into the game, after he racked up 17 points and six assists in the last meeting. This time, Ohio was successful in keeping him away from the hoop, but his seven assists led the floor Tuesday.
But despite getting numerous open looks, Central Michigan was never able to hit its shots with any regularity. Neither was Ohio, though.
Even when they went on their 11-0 run in the second half, the Bobcats had plenty of opportunities to cut into the lead even further, but, instead of playing team basketball and finding open looks, individual players looked to try and do it themselves with the lead being insurmountable.
They had a chance to make it a game, while down by only 14 with under seven minutes remaining, but sloppiness stunted their run.
John Simons led the floor with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Every time Ohio tried to cut the lead in its favor, Simons knocked down a 3-pointer. He finished with four threes.
“I don’t think we got ahead of ourselves, but we definitely didn’t come out like a team that’s won two in a row,” said redshirt junior forward Treg Setty. “I think lots of immaturity showed out there; we didn’t take care of business the way a team should do it.”
