Ohio hasn’t often hosted a nonconference regular season game as big as its matchup Tuesday against Purdue in the last two decades.
The Bobcats had a chance to prove their inexperienced roster was capable of hanging with some of the best schools in the nation in front of a lively crowd inside The Convo, which hosted a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 2001.
Instead, Purdue defeated Ohio 69-51 for the Bobcats’ fourth loss — all of which have come against major college basketball programs.
But the Bobcats still showed considerable growth in their young roster, which includes eight freshmen.
At the half, it appeared as though Ohio was headed for a blowout. The Bobcats went into halftime with a 37-17 lead. Ohio had 12 turnovers, and Purdue’s defense — which led the Big Ten in scoring defense with 56.3 points per game — was having its way with every part of Ohio’s offense.
But the Bobcats came alive for the second half. They built a 24-10 run to open the half, and raucous fans eager to see the possibility of an upset had gotten their wish — the score was 47-41 with 11 minutes left. After finishing the first half with 12 turnovers, Ohio didn’t commit another turnover until the seven-minute mark.
Purdue, however, was up for the challenge. The Boilermakers responded with a modest 16-9 run that gave them enough cushion to secure the win. The Bobcats ran into slight foul trouble with Sylvester Ogbonda, Ben Vander Plas and Nate Springs, who scored a career-high 12 points, each reached three fouls.
The Bobcats simply didn’t have enough to pull ahead against the Boilermakers’ stout defense, but Ohio deserves credit for avoiding the big blowout. Three players — Lunden McDay, Nate Springs and Dartis — finished with double-digit points. At the half, it seemed as though no players would hit that mark.
Ohio’s three previous losses came against Villanova, Baylor and Utah. Boals wanted his inexperienced roster to grow against some of the top teams in the country. So far, the plan has appeared to work.
The Bobcats showed their growth Tuesday, even if the only evidence came in a 10-minute stretch in the second half. Those scoring runs weren’t prevalent in their other three losses, and they found a way to claw back against perhaps the most talented team they’ll face all season.
Boals will see how much the tough nonconference opponents calloused Ohio for Mid-American Conference play. The Bobcats have two nonconference games against Morehead State and Campbell before opening their conference schedule on Jan. 4.
