PREGAME
The matchup in the Mid-American Conference Tournament has become all too familiar, as No. 5 Ohio (23-10, 11-7) squares off against No. 4 Akron (20-11, 12-6) in the quarterfinals Thursday night.
The Bobcats will play their third game in four days after dispatching Miami Wednesday night 63-55. Back to back 3-pointers from Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor and Javarez Willis spurred the Bobcats in the second half against the RedHawks. With a victory against Miami, Ohio’s senior class became the all-time winningest class in Ohio history, which bested the mark set by last year’s senior contingent.
While the Bobcats got the last laugh against their rivals in February, the team is drastically different now than when they last squared off. Zips senior forward Nick Harney and sophomore wing Reggie McAdams will suit up for the Zips tonight after missing the last meeting against Ohio. All-MAC senior forward Demetrius Treadwell paces the Zips with 14.7 points per game and ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding. A win against the Zips would pit the Bobcats against No.1 Western Michigan Friday night in the semifinals.
STARTING LINEUPS:
OHIO:
redshirt junior guard Javarez Willis, senior guard Nick Kellogg, senior guard Travis Wilkins, redshirt senior forward Jon Smith and freshman forward Antonio Campbell
AKRON:
senior forward Demetrius Treadwell, senior forward Quincy Diggs, junior guard Nyles Evans, junior guard Deji Ibitayo, freshman center Isaiah Johnson
FIRST HALF
It seems whenever The Bobcats and Zips compete, it is a dogfight and that was exactly the case in the first half as Ohio went into halftime with a 38-33.
The Bobcats entered the scoring column early and had an early 7-3 lead after a 3-pointer from redshirt junior guard Bean Willis and a steal and layup by senior guard Nick Kellogg. Akron then charged back to take the lead, with the help of a 3-pointer from sophomore wing Jake Kretzer. The Bobcats took an 18-14 lead after a put back basket by senior forward T.J. Hall following a missed acrobatic layup by Kellogg.
The Bobcats were able to get in the paint in the first half against the Zips, outscoring them 24-14. Freshman forward Antonio Campbell and junior forward Maurice Ndour each scored six points apiece.
Ohio furthered its lead to 22-15 after a layup by Ndour and poor free throw shooting by the Zips. Akron decreased Ohio’s lead to 22-19 after consecutive layups by senior forward Demetrius Treadwell. The Bobcats went on a 7-2 run at the 7:17 mark after Willis converted on a 3-pointer and Antonio Campbell hit a jump hook. Willis finished with nine points in the first half, shooting three of five from behind the arc.
Ohio scored five quick points with 2:36 before intermission after a 3-pointer by Kellogg and a steal by Stevie Taylor that turned into a basket from Hall. Akron then answered back with six points of their own before the Bobcats countered with four points. A Diggs 3-pointer before the buzzer cut Ohio’s halftime lead to five points.
SECOND HALF
Coming into Ohio’s matchup against Akron Thursday night, the Bobcats faced the arduous task of winning four straight games to advance to the MAC Championship final. Defensive breakdowns and missed baskets late in the second half culminated in an 83-77 loss that wiped away Ohio’s NCAA Tournament hopes. The Zips outscored the Bobcats 12-9 in the final two minutes. Akron junior Demetrius Treadwell finished with 19 points for the victorious Zips while Kellogg led all scores with 25 points.
The Bobcats came unraveled in the late stages of the game and Akron capitalized on several missed chances offensively and defensively. The Bobcats got in foul trouble with eight minutes left in the game as T.J. Hall picked up his third foul and Ndour was forced to sit with his fourth. Ohio also had late misses by Kellogg, Willis as well as a ball stripped from Ndour that hut Ohio down the stretch.
Akron started the second half energized, as they cut the Bobcats lead to two points at 45-43. The Bobcats made a run of their own with two straight 3-pointers from senior guard Travis Wilkins and Kellogg to give Ohio a 56-51 lead with 11:58 remaining in the game. The Bobcats held a slim 64-59 lead with 7:46 left in the contest.
Following a missed Campbell layup at the 6:52 mark, the Zips sophomore wing Reggie McAdams answered with a three pointer to trim Ohio’s lead to two points at 64-62 that forced Bobcats coach Jim Christian to use a timeout.
Treadwell had a key put back to tie the game at 67 points and then made a free
throws to give the Zips their first lead of the second half. The Zips held on and extended their lead to eight points with 1:14 left in the game that sealed the Bobcats fate.
BOX SCORE:
AKRON:
Quincy Digs 20 points and 2 rebounds
Treadwell 19 points and 11 rebounds
Reggie McAdams 10 points and three rebounds
OHIO:
Nick Kellogg 25 points and two rebounds
Javarez Willis 13 points and one rebound
Maurice Ndour 11 points and five rebounds
