CLEVELAND –- Ohio was hoping to avoid a Thursday-night Mid-American Conference Tournament game by grabbing one of the top two seeds, but the Bobcats showed why a warm-up game might not be a bad idea.
Ohio overcame a slow start to defeat Toledo 65-57 in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament and will advance to the semifinals, where it will face second-seeded Buffalo.
After taking a 2-0 lead to start the game, Ohio went cold from the floor and missed its next 13 field-goal attempts.
The Bobcats shot only 27 percent from the floor in the first half, but strong defense and rebounding allowed the Bobcats to take a 26-24 lead into the break.
Ohio turned a 12-2 advantage on the offensive glass into seven second-chance points in the first half.
“As I was walking to the locker room, I kept thinking, ‘Wow, we’re up two, and we’ve played as poorly as we’ve played offensively in a while,’ ” Ohio coach John Groce said. “As long as our defense and rebounding are there, you’ve got a chance.”
Ohio (25-7) hit its stride in the second half and scored 11 straight points to start the half.
The game turned out to be the opposite of what happened in the first meeting between the two teams, when Ohio took a 15-0 lead in the first half before eventually falling to the Rockets (19-16) on the road.
The Bobcats stretched the lead to 48-32 with less than 13 minutes to play in the game and never let the lead dwindle below seven.
“I knew it was just a matter of time before we started hitting some shots,” Ohio guard Walter Offutt said. “It was our first time on the floor. We were trying to get familiar with the gym a little bit. It could give us an advantage for tomorrow’s game.”
The Bobcats finished the game at 38 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Rockets 38-29.
“The story of the game was the start of the second half,” Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “We truly just didn’t compete for about eight minutes. We bounced back and made a run at them, but it was too little, too late.”
Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper led all scorers with 18 points while also adding five rebounds and five assists.
After scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the first game between the teams this season, Toledo guard Rian Pearson was limited to only eight points and four rebounds Thursday night.
Ohio changed its game plan to slow down Toledo’s leading scorer, and Pearson said it worked.
“It affected me pretty well,” Pearson said. “I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, and it got me frustrated a little bit. “
Not only does the win send the Bobcats back to the MAC Tournament semifinals for the second time in three years, but it gives Ohio its 25th win of the season, which ties the school’s all-time record for single-season wins.
Buffalo (19-9) will be coming off five days of rest when it faces Ohio on Friday. Ohio defeated Buffalo twice during the regular season. The Bulls boast MAC Player of the Year Mitchell Watt and last year’s MAC Freshman of the Year Javon McCrea in its frontcourt.
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