From the moment the ball was tipped, Ohio (15-12, 9-5 Mid-American Conference) was the best team on the court Saturday night against Akron (21-6, 13-1 MAC). In front of a crowd of 6,740 fans, the Bobcats put together their best performance of the season and dominated the conference’s best team with score of 84-67.
“The big thing for us is to continue to get better at playing our best basketball,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said. “This is a great step in that direction. This is the best team in the league, it's their first loss. Hopefully, we see him again at some point in the tournament, knowing that we have a chance to win.”
Akron came into the game on a 14-game winning streak— the longest in the country. The Bobcats not only broke that incredible streak, but they decimated one of their most talented opponents all season.
Ohio came out of the locker room hot, scoring 5 straight points while Akron struggled to get clean looks. Ohio's AJ Clayton's poster dunk on the game’s first play set the tone for an impressive Ohio offensive performance.
“We don't get off to the best starts in the first four minutes, so we were trying to emphasize that tonight,” Ohio guard Jackson Paveletzke said. “Coach Boals was saying, ‘Get out to a good start. Get the crowd involved and get our confidence up.’ I think our defense came out super strong tonight, and we just set the tone from the beginning.”
After the dunk by Clayton, a quick steal on defense turned into a transition 3-pointer by freshman Elijah Elliott that brought everyone in The Convo to their feet. After losing a tough game on the road against Akron earlier in the season, a raucous home crowd made all the difference in the rematch.
“It was a phenomenal, phenomenal atmosphere, the crowd was unbelievable,” Boals said.
By the game’s third media timeout, Ohio had already amassed a lead of 9 points; a lead that would only grow. The Bobcat’s success came in all kinds of ways. At the half, Ohio had seven players who had already converted on two or more shots from the field.
Despite everyone chipping in for a double-digit halftime lead, it was senior leader AJ Clayton who was able to score 10 points and lead the team. Clayton, who has been recovering from injury, is coming off one of his worst stretches of the season. With what would end up being an 18-point night, Clayton appears to be almost fully back from injury.
“I felt like what I’m used to,” Clayton said. “It's great to see (the shots) fall, but the win is more important.”
Clayton was joined by Jackson Paveletzke, who scored a game-high 21 points, 15 of which came in the second half. The Iowa State transfer guard has been one of Ohio’s best players all season and put his talent on full display Saturday night.
“I feel super comfortable out there, super confident, I’m just trying to stay that way,” Paveletzke said.
While Ohio’s offense made highlight plays and scored from every spot on the court, its defense was unwavering against the conference’s best-scoring team. The Bobcat defense was helpless in their first matchup with the Zips, allowing 92 total points after allowing 44 in the first half.
Ohio’s ability to shut down Akron’s best players was the key to a successful defensive effort. Isaiah Gray scored 22 points against Ohio in January and was held to 0 points in The Convo. Nate Johnson, who Boals thinks is the MAC Player of the Year, was held to just 4 points by the Ohio defense.
“I thought we did a really good job scrapping, fighting, clawing, limiting their offensive rebounds and getting the 50/50 balls, making those championship plays when we needed them,” Boals said.
Another key difference in the game was Ohio’s ability to be the more physical team. After the January loss to Akron, Boals said his team needed to be more physical. In The Convo against Akron, Ohio played its most physical basketball of the season.
“We did a better job finishing in the paint tonight than we did game one,” Boals said. “There were a lot of guys on the floor tonight both ways. The cold tub will be utilized a lot this week.”
With the win, Ohio became the first MAC team to beat Akron and clinched its spot in the upcoming MAC Tournament. With four games to play, Ohio will work to rise in the conference standings and secure a favorable seed at the tournament in March.
“This definitely boosted (our confidence) tremendously,” Clayton said. “Taking down the longest winning streak in college basketball, that's huge. Stacking wins together, especially late in February going into March, that’s huge.”
