Ohio defeated Ball State 70-52 on Saturday at Worthen Arena. The win got the Bobcats back on track, stopping their 0-2 start to Mid-American Conference play and earning their second road win of the season.
Here are some important numbers from Ohio’s win over Ball State:
28 - Days between Ohio’s first road win of the season at Detroit Mercy and Saturday. Ohio picked up its ninth win of the season by beating the Cardinals. If the Bobcats want to improve on last season’s record, they’ll have to continue to beat opponents on the road.
19 - Points from guard Teyvion Kirk. The sophomore can be Ohio’s best player at times, and he led all scorers Saturday. Though he turned the ball over six times and shot the ball 12 times, his point contribution was noted and needed.
8 - Three pointers from the Bobcats. Ohio found a lot of its success from beyond the arc in the win against the Cardinals, even though it shot under 50 percent from the field. With the return of James Gollon to the rotation, the average number of 3s a game should rise.
6 - More Ball State turnovers. Ohio was able to have a grip of Saturday’s game from the start, and the turnover battle victory was one of the reasons why. Ohio forced 13 steals, as Ball State finished with 19 turnovers.
2 - Field goals from Gollon. Gollon continued play after he made his return last week at Bowling Green. He provides leadership and experience, something that Ohio could use in shooting with the absence of Jordan Dartis. Though it was only two field goals — one being a 3 — seeing Gollon playing is a plus.
1 - One-hand slam from Doug Taylor. A lob pass from Jason Preston was capped off by a Taylor dunk that was as high as No. 4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10. It was a good closing to Ohio’s most complete game to date.
