Ohio suffered its second loss of the season after being knocked off its feet by LSU 66-51 on Wednesday.
The Bobcats (5-2) fell into a hole early and never climbed out. Despite whittling down an 18-point deficit and tying the game midway through the second half, the Bobcats were derailed by dry spells on offense and their worst night of shooting in over five years.
Here are the numbers to know from Ohio’s 66-51 loss to LSU:
26.5
The Bobcats endured their worst night for shooting all season. They finished the game shooting 26.5% from the field and 50% from the free throw line. Nothing connected from the get-go. The Bobcats missed their first 12 field goal attempts, a streak only broken after Jason Carter made a layup eight minutes into the game.
Ohio’s had off-nights for shooting before, but Wednesday was rock bottom. It was Ohio’s worst night of shooting since it shot 22.8% against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 27, 2015.
4
As one of the most experienced Bobcats on the roster this season, Ben Vander Plas has taken over as the de facto leader on the court. He’s the most accurate shooter on the team and is consistently reliable from 3-point range.
When the Bobcats needed his accuracy the most, Vander Plas delivered. The redshirt senior opened the second half with four 3-pointers that tied the game at 37-37. That was the closest Ohio came to a comeback.
Vander Plas didn’t score for the remainder of the game and fouled out with just over two minutes left on the clock. Despite exiting early, the forward’s 12 points pegged him as the scoring leader for Ohio on Wednesday.
21
After Vander Plas’ final 3-pointer tied the game with 14:07 left in the second half, Ohio was presented with an opportunity to take the lead for the first time. Instead, it missed 13 of its next 16 field goal attempts.
While Ohio ran dry, LSU recovered. It all but sealed the game with a 10-minute, 21-7 run through the middle of the second half. LSU was 7-of-11 from the field while on its run. Ohio went 3-of-16 in that same span.
2
The Bobcats lost their second game of the season, once again at the hands of a Southeastern Conference team. Like its loss to then-No. 13 Kentucky two weeks ago, the Bobcats suffered from fatigue in the second half and burned out in the final minutes.
Every game Ohio has played thus far — victory or defeat — has been decided by double digits. Its offense either runs red hot for all 40 minutes, or it crashes as its bigger opponents assert control late in the game.
