Ohio defeated Radford 78-69 in The Convo on Saturday. The Bobcats led the entire game, although the Highlanders cut the lead to as little as three during the second half. Ohio was able to stave off the various runs to notch another nonconference win.
Here are the fast reactions:
Usual suspects, with help
Ohio’s scoring hasn’t been hard to figure out this season. Jason Carter, Teyvion Kirk and Ben Vander Plas find themselves at the epicenter of the Bobcats’ offense. That happened Saturday, too. Carter led Ohio with 19 points and six rebounds, while Kirk and Vander Plas kicked in 17 and 14, respectively.
Their supporting cast, most notably Gavin Block off the bench and the tandem of Antonio Cowart Jr. and Jason Preston, all three combined to chip in a combined 21 points to help lift Ohio to another home win. The Bobcats are 6-0 at home, but just 0-3 away from The Convo.
Keeping the lead
Ohio had a 15-point lead at one time during the first half, but Radford cut into it thanks to the shooting of guard Caleb Tanner; the sharp-shooter kept the Highlanders within striking distance.
But at the beginning of the second half, Ohio began to build off its six-point halftime lead. Jason Carter, Teyvion Kirk and Jason Preston helped the Bobcats stretch their lead to 10 in the opening minutes of the second half. The Bobcats held a lead throughout the second half because of their big star, Carter.
Taylor cleans up
Ohio shot 50.9 percent from the floor. Radford shot worse, totaling 39.1 percent from the field. The poor shooting from the Highlanders allowed Ohio’s Doug Taylor to grab 16 rebounds. That’s a new career high for Taylor. His previous career high was last season, when he grabbed 15 boards against Indiana State. On top of that, he contributed seven points for the Bobcats.
Ohio performs best when its bigs are able to rebound, and Taylor is an integral part of that effort. He’s had at least 10 rebounds in four games for the Bobcats. They’re 4-0 in those games.
Notable stats
Ohio had 17 turnovers. Radford had 13.
Radford shot 46.2 percent from 3-point range.
Ohio made 20 of its 25 free throw attempts (80 percent).
The Bobcats held Radford’s two leading scorers, Carlik Jones and Ed Polite Jr., to just 23 combined points.
