New building, same results.
A sloppy second half played by Ohio led to the Bobcats' fifth consecutive loss at Bowling Green and their first loss in the Falcons' new home, the Stroh Center.
Like its previous game, Ohio (12-3, 0-1) dug itself into a large second-half hole before climbing back into the game and eventually falling short.
Ohio trailed by 13 points at 52-39 with 7:50 to play in the game before going on a 17-4 run and eventually tying the game at 56.
But shortly after Ohio made its run, Bowling Green (7-7, 1-1) answered. From that point on, Bowling Green added 10 points while Ohio would only add one more — a free throw from Walter Offutt.
After Ohio tied the game, Bowling Green's Jordan Crawford found Torian Oglesby for an alley-oop which Oglesby scored and was fouled on.
He missed the free-throw attempt, but the Bobcats were unable to control the rebound and a jump-ball call went to the Falcons.
Oglesby scored again on the ensuing possession and the Falcons never looked back.
Ohio led 27-26 at halftime but was plagued by turnovers and missed opportunities in the second half.
After the game, Ohio coach John Groce said his team was too soft tonight.
"We’ve come back from Christmas and haven't defended worth a darn," Groce said. "We've got to defend better. If we're going to expect different results, we better get the defensive field-goal percentage down."
Ohio shot just 38 percent from the field compared to 52 percent from Bowling Green.
For the second consecutive game, the Bobcats shot very poorly from beyond the arc, converting on only four of 20 attempts.
The Bobcats were out-rebounded 36-28 despite pulling down 11 offensive boards.
"Those numbers are insulting, they’re embarrassing," Groce said. "They were tougher than we were tonight. They imposed their will. It’s disappointing. It’s really disappointing."
Cooper led Ohio with 15 points while Ivo Baltic and Walter Offutt also scored in double figures.
With the loss, Ohio falls to 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference for the third consecutive season.
ro137807@ohiou.edu
