The day after the Kent State loss, Jeff Boals and the Ohio basketball team had a film session so constructive that it could lead to a major turnaround in the second half of the season.
It would take a week to put in practice what the Bobcats learned about themselves, but the wait was worth it. Ohio defeated Ball State 85-77 in The Convo behind one of the best team performances of the season. The Bobcats outhustled, outrebounded and outplayed the Cardinals, and even though there’s still room for improvement, Boals liked what he saw from his team.
“We talked about making contact on the blockouts and second and third efforts on rebounds,” Boals said. “I think the carry over from last Sunday’s session was really big. That’s something we have to do on a game to game basis in order to win games.”
Ohio outrebounded Ball State 45-34 and it led to 26 major second chance points. Five Bobcats reached double-digit scoring total with freshman point guard Mark Sears leading all scorers with 19 points. Dwight Wilson III (18 points) and Lunden McDay (17 points) both carried a heavy load on offense, but it was junior point guard Jason Preston that left the biggest impression on the stat sheet.
Preston’s 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds were good enough for the third triple-double in school history and the second of his career. Preston was more concerned with his rough 19% shooting percentage but mostly just happy to secure another win.
“I missed so many layups,” Preston said with a groan. “It’s definitely humbling but I’d much rather take a dub.”
Ohio (8-6, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) as a whole was happy to just get the win. The Kent State loss left a terrible taste with the Bobcats. Ohio was supposed to play Northern Illinois on Tuesday before the game was postponed. The Ball State game was also postponed yesterday because of a campus-wide power outage.
By the time Ohio and Ball State finally tipped off Saturday afternoon, a full week had passed since the Kent State buttwhuppin’. It was time for redemption.
After being held in check last week due to double teams from both Miami and Kent State, Dwight Wilson was able to cut loose on a single defender. At the half, he had 16 points. He had 17 total last week.
“I thought DJ was awesome,” Boals said. “A big part of our offense is paint touches and I thought he did a great job of being strong and going through contact.”
Ohio led wire-to-wire but held a slim 46-40 lead at the half. The Cardinals weren’t just going to let Wilson destroy them inside all game, so someone had to step up. Mark Sears came through.
Sears was the offensive force Ohio needed in the second half to keep Ball State at bay. He was aggressive, causing multiple and-1s, and even hit big shots — like the 3-pointer he made right before being trucked by a Ball State defender.
Ohio’s eight-point win still left much to be desired. The Bobcats gave up 21 points to Ishmael El-Amin and let the Cardinals have way too many open looks on 3-pointers. Preston himself wishes he could’ve been more efficient, and players like Ben Roderick (two points) and Miles Brown (three points) were quiet.
But a win is a win. Cliché, but true. And Ohio’s ready to put some wins together consecutively. And Boals feels like that film session could be the start of it. He said that both players and coaches shared their thoughts and concerns. It was a learning experience for everyone.
“You know what’s not common?” Boals asked the media. “And this is nationwide, but players getting on players ... sometimes players don’t want to make their friends mad. But we’re trying to win so we don’t have that problem. And I think that’s a big step for us.”
Ohio returns to The Convo on Tuesday to face Western Michigan at 6 p.m.
