Ohio (9-7, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) lost 66-52 to Kent State (13-4, 2-2) on Tuesday night at The Convo.
What happened?
Ohio never led once in Tuesday night’s loss to the Golden Flashes, shooting 31.7 percent for the game and turning the ball over 15 times.
Kent State opened the game up on an 11-4 run and stretched its lead to 14 with 1:40 left to go in the half.
Ohio would tie the game at 41 halfway through the second half, but a 9-0 run from the Golden Flashes put the game out of reach for good.
Teyvion Kirk shot 4-of-22 from the floor, but led Ohio with 11 points. Jason Carter chipped in 11 points too, but was quiet for the first half. Doug Taylor finished with eight rebounds and a block.
Who stood out?
Junior transfer Antonio Cowart continues to impress in his first season with Ohio. He was 5-of-12 from the field and finished with 10 points in the loss, while also pulling down 5 rebounds. At times he was the study for an Ohio offense that sputtered for long stretches of time throughout Tuesday night’s game.
James Gollon continued to get minutes in his return from injury. He played 16 minutes and contributed four points off the bench.
When was it decided?
With 11:59 left in the game Doug Taylor rebounded his own missed free throw and made the second-chance layup, and was fouled on his way up. Taylor hit the following free throw to tie the game at 41.
Kent State followed with a 9-0 run, putting the game out of reach, with four points coming on Gollon turnovers’. The Bobcats went on small runs the rest of the game, but never recovered from the run and their opportunity to pick up the win.
Why does it matter?
The loss puts Ohio at 1-3 in conference play, dropping the Bobcats to second to last place in the MAC East. It’s the second straight loss for Ohio at home this season. The Bobcats had a chance to get to .500 in the MAC with a win Tuesday night, but will instead head to Toledo for a Friday night matchup against a Rockets team they haven’t beat since the 2017 MAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
