Ohio (8-7, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) continued to struggle on the road Saturday with an 88-79 loss to Bowling Green (8-7, 2-0 MAC). Ohio, who only has two road victories this season, has yet to notch a win in the MAC this season. Both of its conference matchups so far have been on the road.
Here are the numbers to know from the loss:
17
A.J. Brown and Dwight Wilson III led the Bobcats with 17 points apiece on Saturday. Wilson and Brown have been relatively quiet lately, but they broke through against the Falcons.
Wilson averages 13.3 points per game and currently leads Ohio with 186 points on the season. He’s been the one to score when Ohio needs a point or to beat a buzzer. Brown, on the other hand, leads the freshmen with 131 points and 11.9 points per game.
5
Bowling Green played clean and it limited Ohio’s offense. Bowling Green committed five turnovers for six points, while Ohio had 14 turnovers for 21 points. Seven of Ohio’s turnovers were due to steals.
Turnovers have been a major issue for Ohio that hasn’t improved over time. Ohio coach Jeff Boals identified turnovers as something the team needed to work on within the first month of the season after Ohio’s exhibition against Capital. Ohio needs to focus on its defense and turnover ratio before conference play heats up.
14
Former Bobcat Sam Towns started for Bowling Green on Saturday. Towns contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. His 10 rebounds tied his career-high, which he previously reached against Ohio Dominican on Dec. 29.
Towns is averaging 6.5 points a game for the Falcons and has the second most rebounds on the team at 83. He has started their past 11 games.
2
Ohio started conference play on a two-game losing streak in the 2020-21 season. Later that season, Ohio won the MAC Tournament and went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
There’s still hope for the Bobcats even though they have their struggles. The Bobcats have time to figure it out before they experience intense pressure.
