Ohio defeats Western Michigan behind Jaaron Simmons and Gavin Block's solid performances.
Given the defensive struggles that Ohio has had during its conference season, a 14-0 first half run by Western Michigan appeared to be the continuation of a downward defensive spiral the team couldn’t snap out of.
Fortunately for the Bobcats, it turned out to be just a little Tuesday night rust. And when the rust was shaken off, it stayed off.
Ohio snapped a two-game losing streak with a commanding 82-64 victory over Western Michigan behind Jaaron Simmons' 24 points and nine assists. The win brings the Bobcats' record to 2-3 in the Mid-American Conference and 11-6 overall.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Ohio coach Saul Phillips said. “We held a team to 34 percent shooting, which is a positive, but their 26 free throw attempts really bother me. I have no disillusions about the type of improvement we need to make. That being said, if you can get an 18-point win in this league this season, you take it and you run.”
For a team that was coming off back-to-back losses, the game could have started better.
Each team was paced well offensively in the opening minutes, with Western Michigan (7-11, 1-4 MAC) gaining a 9-8 advantage less than five minutes into the contest. All eight of Ohio’s points came from forward Antonio Campbell, however, and when he left for the bench following the first media timeout, the Bobcats’ offense left with him. Even when he re-emerged on the court, Ohio struggled to find its footing. Campbell would eventually finish the night with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
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The Broncos used the Bobcats' struggles to mount a 14-0 run, and Ohio was flailing for a positive break.
It got that break in the form of a 3-pointer from freshman Gavin Block, who scored 16 points while battling a hamstring injury. Block came off the bench and finished the game 5-for-7 shooting, and was one of the main cogs in the machine that not only got Ohio back in the game, but allowed it to ultimately dominate.
The Bobcats used the final 5:40 of the first half to mount a 17-4 run that gave them the lead heading into the break.
“It gets confidence up for the whole team to see the ball go in,” Block said. “It gets that momentum going, and once we get momentum going, we’re really tough to stop. Jaaron (Simmons) did a great job finding people today.”
The two teams began the second half similarly to how they began the first, with a point-trading stalemate that spanned the first nine minutes of competition. The stalemate ended with Simmons scoring eight points in three possessions, lighting up the Broncos from behind the arc and igniting what became a 15-3 run for the Bobcats over the next five minutes.
“It just felt good today,” Simmons said. “They were keeping off of me. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but to see that ball going in the net felt great.
“We didn’t say it, but we knew today was a must-win game.”
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Simmons shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the contest, after shooting a combined 6-for-20 from long range through 16 games.
Kenny Kaminski added a solid 3-point night of his own, going 4-for-7 from deep to total 14 points, as the Bobcats move further into MAC play. Ohio will play Central Michigan next on Saturday.
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