Jason Carter had 19 points and six rebounds, and Ohio beat Radford 78-69 on Saturday afternoon at The Convo. It was the first time the two teams had played since Dec. 2, 1997, when the Highlanders beat the Bobcats 72-63 in overtime.
Teyvion Kirk added 17 points and Ben Vander Plas had 14, as the Bobcats (6-3) continued their dominance at home this season. All six of their wins have come at home this season.
Kirk didn’t waste any time ripping into Radford to start the second half, scoring six points for the Bobcats. They sustained multiple runs throughout the second half, the most threatening one came with 2:44 to play, when the Highlanders whittled down the deficit to just four points.
Doug Taylor didn’t score much, finishing with seven points, but led all players with 16 rebounds. The senior’s presence around the rim was felt around the rim for most of the game, and his ability to close down the lane forced Radford to hit outside shots. It only scored 22 points in the paint.
Taylor capped off his stellar day with a couple slam dunks on put-back opportunities. Both came with under three minutes to go.
Radford was led by Caleb Tanner, who finished the game with 16 points. 12 of his 16 points came in the first half when he knocked down four 3-pointers to put the Highlanders back into the game.
The Bobcats didn’t trail once all day. Jason Preston had his best game as a Bobcat, as the the freshman guard finished with eight points. Multiple times throughout the game Preston drove through the lane and made an acrobatic layup look simple.
Big picture
Saturday’s win is definitely one the Bobcats’ will boast on their resume this season. Radford won the Big South last season and won a game in the NCAA Tournament, defeating LIU Brooklynn in the first four in Dayton.
Entering this season, the Highlanders were picked to win the Big South. Early on they’ve lived up to the hype with road wins against Texas and Notre Dame. The Bobcats’ win is a confidence booster, too, after Wednesday night’s loss at Xavier.
Up next
This week marks finals week in Athens. Coach Saul Phillips won’t play a weeknight game, but will play at Detroit Mercy on Saturday, Dec. 15. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN+.
