OXFORD — Ohio lost to Miami 79-59 on Saturday inside Millett Hall. The loss is the Bobcats’ third straight and their second consecutive to the RedHawks.
The Bobcats struggled early despite having a full week off. They started sluggish and trailed big at the half and tried to make a second-half comeback, but fell short.
Teyvion Kirk led the Bobcats (11-11, 3-7 Mid-American Conference) with 18 points, but they had trouble slowing down big man Bam Bowman, who had 23 for the RedHawks (13-11, 5-6 MAC).
Here are the stats that mattered:
18
Throughout the game, rebounding made the difference. The Bobcats were worked on the glass, and they were out-rebounded 47-29. Early in the season, Ohio was consistently out-rebounding opponents, and that resulted in wins. But lately, the Bobcats can’t seem to keep teams off the boards, and it’s playing a part in their current three-game losing streak.
20
The Bobcats trailed by 20, 47-27, at halftime, but roared back and cut the lead to six early in the second half on the back of defensive stops. Ohio worked its way back and gave itself a chance to make things interesting, but the comeback attempt fell short, showing again that the Bobcats dig themselves a first half hole in many games, most of them too tough to climb.
86:52
The Bobcats never led in the loss to Miami, and they never led against Akron last Saturday. The last time Ohio held a lead was Jan. 29 when it took a two-point advantage against Northern Illinois. The Bobcats went on to lose that game, the beginning of the current losing streak.
Slow starts have hampered the Bobcats. They had one field goal in the first eight minutes and 29 seconds against Akron last week, and they fell behind 21-10 early against Miami.
