Ohio (7-6, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) started the new year 1-0 with a 57-55 victory over Central Michigan (6-7, 0-1 MAC) to kick off conference play. The game featured a preseason All-MAC First Team selectee on both sides, including the preseason MAC Player of the Year, senior Anthony Pritchard, for the Chippewas.
For Ohio, that player is senior AJ Clayton. Neither player led the way for their respective team Saturday night, with Pritchard scoring 13 points and Clayton collecting 6 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
For the Bobcats, it was redshirt sophomore AJ Brown and junior Jackson Paveletzke willing the team to victory, as the pair made all five Bobcat 3-pointers. The two teams combined to shoot 7-of-38 from three, making for an overall sluggish offensive outing.
For Central Michigan, alongside Pritchard, senior Jakobi Heady and junior Ugnius Jarusevicius pitched in double-digit scoring nights. Heady scored a game-high 15 points, though, on just 5-of-17 shooting, while Jarusevicius tallied a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Chippewas would hold an early lead through the first 10 minutes, though the Bobcats would keep it close. The two teams combined to shoot 0-of-10 from 3-point range up until the 11:04 mark when Brown took the lead, 13-12, with his first of four deep makes.
That first 3-pointer came as part of an 11-0 run from the Bobcats to take a commanding lead, which Ohio would hold until the 13:57 mark in the second half. Ohio would extend its lead to as much as 10 points on a fastbreak dunk from Aidan Hadaway with 4:38 left in the first half.
The Chippewas would take the lead back, 39-38, on an 11-3 run to open the second half, capped off by a pair of Heady free throws. Ohio would quickly retake control, bringing its lead back up to 10 points on a 14-2 run of its own.
Ohio would retain its lead for the remainder of the game, but not without some late-game dramatics. Over the next seven minutes, Ohio’s lead would be cut down to 1 point, at 56-55, with just 45 seconds to go.
On the very next possession, Jackson Paveletzke would turn the ball over, giving the Chippewas 12 seconds to get a score and retake the lead. However, off his own steal, sophomore Cayden Vasko would turn it over, forcing his team to foul Brown with eight seconds left.
Brown made just one of his two free throws, giving Ohio a 57-55 lead and Central Michigan a chance to tie or take the lead with a 3-pointer. However, the buzzer-beating attempt to tie by Vasko missed, and the Bobcats took a win in their first game of the new year.
Ohio will travel to New York this Tuesday to face off against Buffalo, the last-placed team in the MAC Preseason Poll. The Bulls have gotten out to a 5-8 start, losing its first conference game 93-79 to Miami, giving Ohio a perfect opportunity to start MAC play 2-0.
