Ohio crushed non-conference opponent Muskingum (5-6) to close out the calendar year at The Convo Monday. The Bobcats had five players with double-digit points en route to a 103-52 victory.
Despite the lopsided final, Ohio got off to an unexpectedly sluggish start. After the game's first four and a half minutes, Ohio trailed 11-6. It took some time for the Bobcat offense to get going, but once it did, it didn’t look back.
Ohio took its first lead midway through the first half after a Jackson Paveletzke steal led to a fast-break layup by Shereef Mitchell.
Mitchell had his first big game in almost a month after suffering an early-season injury. Against Muskingum, Mitchell tallied 12 points while collecting four assists and three rebounds.
Almost everyone who touched the floor for Ohio had a big game. Freshman Elijah Elliott stood out with his first career double-double, tallying 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Ohio’s top scorer for the game was once again senior standout AJ Clayton, who tallied 13 points and six rebounds despite seeing limited minutes.
All of Ohio’s starters were able to take some minutes off late in the game due to a massive lead.
Redshirt freshman Ben Nicol took advantage of some increased playing time, tallying career-highs in points and assists with 8 and three, respectively.
The Bobcats were firing on all cylinders in the second half, outsourcing Muskingum 55-27. Ohio’s 55 second-half points are the most it has scored in a half all season.
The Ohio defense was also on full display Monday night, forcing 22 turnovers from Muskingum. The Bobcats capitalized on the turnovers, scoring 22 points off them and 25 fast-break points.
With the win, Ohio wrapped up non-conference play with a 6-6 record that included a perfect 5-0 record at home. Back-to-back wins to close out the year give Ohio much-needed momentum heading into Mid-American Conference action.
