TOLEDO — Ohio suffered its second loss in Mid-American Conference play when it lost to Toledo 77-62 inside Savage Arena on Tuesday night.
The Bobcats hung around with the Rockets out of the gate, but they quickly unraveled due to multiple scoring droughts and faulty defense. The Rockets dragged the Bobcats behind them and led by double figures for the vast majority of the second half.
Ohio entered Tuesday's game on top of the MAC standings and with a five-game win streak. It left Savage Arena with its fourth loss of the season.
Here are a few quick reactions to Ohio's loss to Toledo:
Slow unraveling
The Bobcats started out with promise. They were going point-for-point with the Rockets and shooting well enough to never fall behind by more than five points and even take the lead twice in two minutes. For the first 10 minutes, the Bobcats had kept up.
But it wasn't enough.
Ohio hit a wall, and its shooting suffered. It entered halftime after making just four of its final 16 field goal attempts. Toledo, on the other hand, made 10 of its final 16 attempts to end the first half with a nine-point lead.
No recovery
The Bobcats couldn't pull themselves together after halftime. Nothing connected. 3s clanged off the rim, and the Bobcats were shoved around in the paint.
Ohio was even beaten in the rebound battle. Toledo outrebounded it 26-14 in the second half, and the few opportunities Ohio got on the boards were squandered. It scored just two points off rebounds Tuesday.
Knocked down again
Ohio hasn't beaten Toledo in a regular season game in six years, and that's not going to change any time soon. The Bobcats were shown up in both matchups this season, and their only two conference losses came due to the Rockets.
Ohio's been able to reach the top of the conference standings, but it's never been able to stay there long. Toledo was always there to throw it back down. The regular season is winding down, and the MAC Tournament is fast approaching. If Ohio meets Toledo in the postseason, it might not stand a chance.
