During Saturday’s first half, Heidelberg looked like a team that belonged with Ohio in Division I NCAA basketball.
But the second half confirmed why the Student Princes are a Division III team, as the Bobcats (4-1) pulled away for an 85-57 victory Saturday at The Convo.
Heidelberg (1-2) came out of the gates aggressively against Ohio, employing a full-court trap defense and attempting a staggering 19 shots from behind the arc in the first half. To put that in context, the Student Princes only attempted 12 two-point field goals before the break.
The Student Princes converted on six of those three-point attempts and were within nine points at halftime, trailing just 38-29. Neither coach Jim Christian nor senior guard Nick Kellogg, who led the Bobcats with 18 points, were happy with the team performance in the first half.
The second half was another story, as Ohio outscored Heidelberg by a 47-28 margin and shot 60.7 percent from the field.
“When I look at everything, I look at the numbers,” Christian said. “I see 17 offensive rebounds … 26 assists on 32 baskets, which, the last few games we’ve been under 10. So I think, from that standpoint, those are things we can grow on and continue to get better.”
Perhaps the highlight of the game was the performance from senior forward Jon Smith, who scored a career-high 17 points and added eight rebounds.
“He’s just one of those guys who does a lot of things well,” Kellogg said. “He doesn’t have to get 20 (points) a night for us to be successful, but when he’s able to add that to his defensive presence and his vocal leadership, that really helps.”
The victory against Heidelberg completes the first five games of the season, which provides a bit of a sample size and context to what Ohio has shown in the early going.
One facet of the game the Bobcats have excelled in is interior defense.
The addition of junior forward Maurice Ndour to the frontcourt with Smith has provided Ohio with an inside defensive presence that is averaging 5.8 blocks per game and holding opponents to a 37.2 field goal percentage, which are each second-best in the Mid-American Conference.
And the defensive efficiency also has stretched to perimeter, as opponents are shooting just 29 percent from behind the arc this season.
Junior guard Stevie Taylor said that having Smith and Ndour inside to protect the rim has made his life much easier as a perimeter defender.
“At the end of the day, they make up for the perimeter guys’ mistakes,” Taylor said.
“If we get beat, I know that I can force them into the block and then Jon and Maurice can block shots very well.”
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This article appeared in print under the headline "Ohio turns initial struggle into win against D-III foe"
