Ohio redshirt junior guard Javarez Willis’ three pointer with 27 seconds remaining against Eastern Michigan on Saturday not only signaled Ohio’s first lead of the game but also a continuation of the Bobcats’ success in the second half, most notably on the road.
Ohio has now won five straight games on the road and has not lost a game away from The Convo since Dec. 7, 2013. The Bobcats have also won a program best 11 of 12 Mid-American Conference road games.
Their victory against the Eagles was the Bobcats’ latest road comeback. Ohio trailed by 13 with fewer than eight minutes remaining in the contest and outscored Eastern Michigan 36-26 in the second half to cap the dramatic victory.
Ohio coach Jim Christian said there is no definite answer as to why his team has excelled in the second half. He added that the Bobcats have put themselves in a position to be successful because they stay competitive in the first half and play strong in the second.
The Bobcats’ second-half success has been evident ever since Ohio’s second road game of the season against Morgan State in late November 2013. They shot worse than 35 percent from the floor in the first half and trailed heading into halftime before shooting better than 52 percent after the break and escaping with a three-point win.
The Bobcats also had similar games on the road against Richmond, UNC Asheville, Kent State and Northern Illinois. In each of those contests, save the one against Richmond, the Bobcats significantly improved their shooting and defensive effort in the second half.
Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor said the Bobcats’ second-half success can partially be attributed to the composition of their squad.
“We need to do a better job of playing in the first half of games, but we do know if we ever get down we can come back from anything,” Taylor said. “We showed that against Ohio State and other teams, so I think that’s just the makeup of our guys and how close we are.”
The Bobcats have averaged 32.1 points on 41 percent first-half shooting this season but have averaged five more points on 5.5 percent better shooting in the second half. Ohio has also shot 38.6 percent from three-point range in the second half of games — 11 percent better than it has in the first half.
Ohio redshirt senior forward Jon Smith said he couldn’t put his finger on why Ohio has excelled in the second half other than it has been a trend for the team, which could diminish at any time.
“You never really know the identity of your team right now,” Smith said. “We’re just a really good second-half team and an OK first-half team. Our defensive presence is felt on both sides, and that’s really what we focus on — defensive rebounding and our offense. I think we have such talented offensive players that it just pops in the second (half) — it just has to, shots just start to fall.”
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