Ohio couldn’t beat Iona in each of the past two seasons.
But Tuesday night in The Convo, the Bobcats avenged their recent losing streak to the Gaels.
Ohio (4-2) used a second-half spurt and an Iona (2-4) scoring drought early in the second half to open up a huge lead and win an important nonconference game 89-65. It’s the Bobcats’ first ever win over the Gaels.
Iona won by five last season and by four in 2016.
Ben Vander Plas continues to be a weapon off the bench for coach Saul Phillips. Vander Plas had a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes. He missed all of last season with an injury, but he’s become an important cog in the Bobcats success early this season.
Teyvion Kirk and Jason Carter did what they do best, too: score. Carter has solidified himself as the Bobcats’ No. 1 scoring option, dumping in 20 points. Kirk had 18 points from his point guard position.
Doug Taylor has become the Bobcats’ workhorse. Along with his 12 points, the senior had 11 rebounds, cleaning up after missed Bobcats’ shots. The double-double is his second of the season.
But with the starters handling the early minutes, a fresh Vander Plas is what Ohio has ridden to wins. The Bobcats are now 3-1 when he scores double figures.
As the second half wore on, Ohio became more comfortable against Iona’s defense and opened the game up. Although they led by only four at the halftime break, the Bobcats held a 21-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the game. the Gaels shot 24.1 percent in the second half, recording just 21 field goals in that time. The Bobcats led by as many as 32 points and outscored the Gaels 46-28 in the second half.
Ohio led 43-37 at halftime behind a 13-point half from Vander Plas.
He was joined by Kirk and Carter, who were also in double figures at the end of the half. Carter had 11; Kirk had 10.
The first half featured four ties and seven lead changes; both teams played up-tempo styles and didn’t find an offensive rhythm. The Bobcats forced 11 first-half turnovers, while the Gaels forced seven, which led to the high scoring affair.
Ohio shot 36.4 percent (4-11) from beyond the arc in the first half. It was shooting 21.4 percent from 3 through the five previous games.
The Bobcats will stay in The Convo for their next game when they host Marshall on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
