Over the last few games, Ohio has shown off its depth, an area that has improved over the course of the season.
In its wins over Buffalo and Central Michigan, Ohio had five players score in double figures each time, and it wasn’t the same five in both games. On Tuesday against Northern Illinois, Ohio’s depth didn’t show up in the same way, as only three players were in double figures and the bench contributed just 10 points.
So Ohio went back to a tactic that has been all too familiar this season, getting the ball to Dwight Wilson III and getting out of his way.
“We have so many weapons, so you never know who’s gonna get it going,” Wilson said. “And it was looking like one of those nights where I told myself, ‘You’re going to have to carry, and the other guys will follow suit.’”
Wilson did exactly that, putting up 24 points and 10 rebounds, five of them offensive, on 11-of-19 shooting in 29 minutes.
Tuesday was his highest-scoring game since he dropped a career-high 31 points on Western Michigan, a game that bore many similarities to Tuesday’s 77-68 win.
Both games were close most of the way, with Ohio pulling away at the end, and both games featured Ohio’s opponent making what has proved to be a poor decision this season, going one-on-one with Wilson.
“They didn’t double,” Wilson said. “They thought their bigs could guard me one-on-one, so I had to take advantage of that.”
Tuesday’s performance wasn’t quite as clean as his game against Western Michigan. Wilson pressed a bit in the first half and committed a couple of turnovers.
But as he has done so many times this season, Wilson settled in for the second half and brought Ohio home with 14 points and zero turnovers while playing 15 of the 20 minutes.
“He had a couple of turnovers early, but I thought he settled down,” Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said. “In the second half, we basically ran everything through him.”
Wilson has been everything Ohio has needed him to be this year, and the fact that he grabbed his 1,000th career rebound Tuesday shows that his importance is not limited to scoring.
Averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, Wilson currently sits third in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding, and he knows how vital his presence on the glass is for Ohio.
“I don’t really get too into individual stuff,” Wilson said. “It’s more about how I can help this team win a championship, and rebounding just happens to be a part of that.
Tuesday night was Wilson’s 10th double-double of the season, with six coming in MAC play.
Over the course of this season, Wilson has proved that he can be relied upon for a 20-point, 10-rebound game at the drop of a hat.
The Bobcats haven’t needed it in a while, but they did on Tuesday. Wilson delivered to give Ohio its sixth straight win and secure a spot in the MAC Tournament.
