HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — Saul Phillips spent the offseason focused on one thing: improving the Ohio defense.
Tuesday proved it still needs more work.
Ohio stumbled 98-88 against Marshall in the Cam Henderson Center, snapping an unbeaten record, and to this point, a sturdy defense.
“We’ve been good this year defensively,” coach Saul Phillips said. “Tonight, not. … We tried different things, it didn’t solve any problems.”
Entering the game, the Bobcats averaged 65 points per game allowed. Marshall already had 71 points with 8:48 remaining in the game.
To that point, Ohio had an answer to every Marshall run. Each time the Thundering Herd pulled in front, the Bobcats clawed back to keep it close. With 10:31 remaining, Ohio only trailed 63-60.
But as the game progressed, however, Ohio’s feet looked heavy and Marshall’s offensive passing lanes grew wider.
When Ohio left the perimeter open, Marshall exploited. It shot 11-of-27 on 3-point attempts. When the perimeter was secure, Marshall went inside. Herd guard Jon Elmore had 28 points, while his team had 39 in the lane.
“They did a pretty good job spacing the floor,” Ohio forward Antonio Campbell said. “Actually, kinda better than us. They spaced the floor pretty good.”
Over time, the Bobcats began to look weary.
Phillips said his team wasn’t tired, but there was cramping. As Ohio’s grasp on the game slipped away, Campbell sat on the bench having both calves massaged to prevent further cramping.
“Cramp all you want,” Phillips joked after the game. “With 29 points, you’re staying on the damn court.”
Campbell finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, both season-highs for him and Ohio.
Yet even with his offensive production, each counter punch failed to cause any considerable damage for the home team, which shot 43.8 percent in the first half and 53.1 percent in the second.
Perhaps the greater concern for the Bobcats is that they didn’t see a defensive night like Tuesday coming.
“Gosh no,” Phillips said. “I’ve statistically had much bigger meltdowns, but I expect more from this team.”
While it’s still only the fifth game of a young, optimistic season, the loss reminded Ohio that more work must come.
Offensively, the Bobcats entered Huntington averaging 77 points per game, similar to last season’s 78.5 average.
The Bobcats led the Mid-American Conference in offensive production in 2015-16.
“We were scoring,” Campbell said. “We just couldn’t get stops.”
