Saturday was the seventh-consecutive game Ohio had 13-plus turnovers.
In the first half of Ohio's 81-68 loss to St. Bonaventure on Saturday, an in-bounds pass flew over the head of freshman Gavin Block and went out of bounds at the other end of the court.
Block attempted to run after the loose ball but couldn't gain possession in time.
Using the turnover — which Ohio (4-3) had 13 of — as a symbol, or sign, of what was to come later on in the evening, it just wasn't Ohio's night.
Without freshman Jordan Dartis, who didn't travel because of a stomach flu according to Ohio coach Saul Phillips, the Bobcats struggled in their first true road test in Olean, New York.
"What really concerns me is 13 offensive rebounds for them and how many balls that maybe bounded to the corner and were maybe 50-50 balls, which you've got to find a way to get, especially on the road, especially in a game where not a lot is going right for you," Phillips said. "Those are the ones you've got to seize, and we didn't do a terrific job of that tonight. I think maybe the battle in the trenches was won by St. Bonaventure."
Statistically, Ohio was sound, despite being out rebounded 37-32.
Junior forward Antonio Campbell led the Bobcats with 20 points and three blocks, providing a consistency on the block not seen earlier in the year. Forward Treg Setty garnered a double-double (16 points and 12 rebounds) Saturday, providing a mid-range game the Bobcats had also been absent from in the past few games.
James Gollon came off the bench in Dartis' absence, shooting 3-for-4 from the field and adding eight points.
But the Bonnies' 2-3 defense and offensive flow during the second half was too much for the Bobcats.
Jaylen Adams and Marcus Posley scored 22 and 19 points for St. Bonaventure, respectively, shutting the door on Ohio after a 23-6 run late in the second half.
“We didn’t do a good enough job on their best guys,” Phillips said. “(Adams) got us pretty good last year. He got us pretty good this year. That’s unfortunate.”
The Bobcats at one point led by five early in the second half, 45-40, until an Adams' 3-pointer gave the Bonnies a two-point lead at the 12:48 mark. From there, St. Bonaventure never trailed again.
The Bobcats' struggles on the offensive side of the court stemmed from some complacency behind the 3-point line and the Bonnies' usage of a 2-3 zone.
A concoction of turnovers, mental mistakes and lack of defensive rotation allowed St. Bonaventure to take advantage of a youthful-Ohio team still polishing some of its play seven games into the regular season. Saturday was the seventh-consecutive game Ohio had 13-plus turnovers — a trend Phillips is still attempting to nix.
"We’re living in Groundhog Day here,” Phillips said. “We had four turnovers in the first, then nine in the second, which led to them getting out in transition.”
Ohio will be off for a week for finals before traveling to Cleveland on Dec. 12 to play Cleveland State in the Quicken Loans Arena.
@Lukeoroark
Lr514812@ohio.edu
