Ohio's season has come to a close. Its run in the Roman College Basketball Invitational came to an abrupt end after a 91-86 loss to Abilene Christian on Monday night.
Aside from a few scant seconds early in the first half, the Bobcats trailed the Wildcats all night. They were hindered by a poor first half riddled with injuries, turnovers and poor shooting. Even when they smoothed out those problems after halftime, the Bobcats didn't have the strength to take the lead. The Wildcats kept the Bobcats on the backfoot and cut their postseason hopes short.
Here are a few fast reactions to Ohio's loss to Abilene Christian:
Carter out early
Jason Carter had been Ohio's offensive anchor in its win over Rice on Saturday night, but he made an early exit against Abilene Christian. On Ohio's first possession, Carter fell after driving to the basket and suffered an injury to his right wrist. The redshirt fifth year tried to shake the pain, but he walked off the court after missing a free throw attempt. Carter later reappeared on Ohio's sideline with his arm in a sling.
After Carter's early departure, the Bobcats were without one of their best starters. A.J. Clayton came in to fill the role of big man, but he didn't match Carter's production on offense.
Hard to gain ground
Ohio trailed for the majority of the game, and prevailing issues on the floor prevented it from cutting Abilene Christian's lead down to size. Ohio floundered beyond the arc, and it went just 1-of-9 on 3-point attempts in the first half. It struggled to crack Abilene Christian's defense in the paint. The Wildcats averaged the most forced turnovers in the NCAA ahead of Monday, and the Bobcats learned that the hard way. In the first half alone, the Bobcats turned the ball over 10 times.
The Bobcats never trailed by more than 10 points all night, but they couldn't get over the hump. The Wildcats wrestled control early, and the Bobcats were forced to play on their terms.
End of the road
The Bobcats revived their postseason hopes when they accepted a bid to the CBI. After two games, those ambitions are dead in the water.
A loss in the quarterfinals isn't how the Bobcats envisioned their trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, to end. The Wildcats had different plans. All the Bobcats can do is regroup and prepare for next season.
