No. 6 Ohio avoided a repeat of last season's one-and-done in the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament in Strongsville, Ohio, today, rattling off five unanswered goals in the final two periods and defeating No. 14 Liberty 5-2. Ryan Heltion got the start in goal for the Bobcats and picked up the win.
When Javarez “Bean” Willis hit a three from the “O” in “Ohio” at halfcourt, it looked to be a making of another dominating offensive performance.It was senior night for Willis and the Bobcats, and some who have watched Ohio for the past four years may have called his career-best 34-point night during his last game in The Convo a D.J. Cooper-type performance.He’s done it before, however, during his two seasons with the Bobcats. But Friday’s 95-65 win over Miami exemplified another level of domination by Ohio (10-19, 5-13 Mid-American Conference). Amid a seven-game losing streak, the team’s seniors — Willis, Maurice Ndour and Stevie Taylor — found a way to close out their careers with the Bobcats' largest senior night victory since 2006.After a 27-point loss against Buffalo on Tuesday, it was a complete flip in performances after just a three-day span. Friday, coach Saul Phillips commended the seniors, adding that they were a more collective unit compared to the past games when one problem would create a domino effect, ultimately leading to a discouraging loss.“I just thought we really shared the ball well regardless of what offense we were in,” Phillips said. “When that happens, it sure is much, much easier to feel good about yourself and your teammates.”The three seniors combined for 67 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, with Ndour finishing with a double-double (27 points, 11 rebounds). In the past, the Bobcats have been forced to live and die by individual performances, but on Friday they were fueled with an all-around showing that had the entire team clicking on all cylinders.Willis, a guard, hit a program fourth-best 10 3-pointers on 15 attempts and was 12-for-20 from the field. But he dished the ball around as well, which helped get his teammates into the game. He finished with six assists.“Pop it. If you’re open, by all means,” Taylor, a guard, said. “That’s just our relationship just as seniors and how we police each other and be OK with it.”Miami (13-18, 8-10 MAC) struggled to get things going out of the gate, as it shot just 32 percent in the first half and the Bobcats went into the locker room with a 23-point lead. Miami came out in the second half firing, but it ultimately resulted in a loss, as it finished shooting 36 percent from the field.But the outcome really came from an unmatched energy by Ohio, fueled from the three seniors’ final home games as Bobcats.“We made each other better today. We played off each other,” Willis said. “If I had to go out any way, then I wouldn’t take it any other way.”With the results around the MAC on Friday, Ohio will hit the road to take on Western Michigan (19-12, 10-8 MAC) Monday in the first round of the MAC Tournament.@Alex_Busch91ab109410@ohio.edu
No. 6 Bobcats’ strong schedule prepares them for national stage.
The Bobcats head to Missouri University to face off against the rest of the MAC in the MAC Championships.
Maurice Ndour, Stevie Taylor and Javarez “Bean” Willis will play their final game in The Convo of their careers as the Bobcats host the RedHawks on Friday.
Mariah Byard’s 17-point performance pushed Ohio past Kent State, as the Bobcat’s become the second-winningest team in program history.
Bobcats’ losing streak goes to four as it drops 12-inning effort against Yellow Jackets.
Injuries force Bobcats to adjust defensive lineup prior to ACHA National Tournament.
Ohio was again unable to stop the bleeding against the Bulls during its now seven game losing streak.
Junior guard Kiyanna Black was named MAC East Player of the week Monday following her performances against Bowling Green and Buffalo.
The Bobcats have two games remaining in the regular season and are looking to snap their six-game losing streak before the MAC Tournament hits.
@ThePostSports staffers try to predict senior night against the RedHawks.
@ThePostSports staffers try to predict Tuesday's road game against the Bulls.
The Bobcats won the Mid-American Conference regular season title for the first time since 1994-95. To put it into perspective one-third of the current roster wasn’t even born.
Bobcats plagued by big innings in first two games, before falling in pitchers’ duel in game three.
The swift change of schedule results in a Furman three-game sweep over the Bobcats.
All four days, Rachel Komisarz-Baugh looked past the score and overall standings and focused on how well the girls were doing in their events. With several personal best records broken and one swimmer getting swimmer of the meet, scoring had little value to Ohio.
The Bobcats lost their sixth straight game on Friday, begging the question: “where do they go now?”
The MAC Championships concluded Saturday night and Laura Dawson not only took two gold medals but also left Ypsilanti, Michigan with MAC Swimmer of the Meet.
The Bob Boldon Era began with a technical foul.Less than two years later, it’s produced Ohio’s first Mid-American Conference regular season title in two decades.The team’s 67-47 win over Bowling Green (9-18, 2-14 MAC), combined with Ball State’s 51-50 loss at Western Michigan, gave the Bobcats (23-4, 14-2 MAC) their first regular season title since the 1994-95 season.“It feels great to be the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament because you want to put you team in the best situation to succeed,” Ohio coach Bob Boldon said. “The fact that we guaranteed we only need to win two games to be in a national tournament is pretty exciting and a small reward for your body of work.”The title comes just two years after Ohio’s worst season in program history, when it finished 6-23 with a lone MAC victory.With two games remaining in the regular season, the Bobcats have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland. They were the 11 seed just a year ago.Securing the top seed means the team will have a triple bye in the tournament and won’t play its first game until the semifinals.Despite all the reasons to celebrate and relax, after the Bobcats’ victory on Saturday the second-year coach kept his stereotypical mantra of never being completely satisfied, reiterating that they still have two games remaining in the regular season.“These are usually accomplishments you get in the last game of the regular season, or something like that,” Boldon said. “It’s definitely uncharted waters for this program and myself, too. We’re just trying to be thankful for it but be dissatisfied enough to go to practice on Monday.”The Bobcats will close the season with the two of the three worst teams in the MAC East Division — Kent State (5-22, 3-13 MAC) and Miami (7-20, 4-12 MAC). Bowling Green sits at the bottom with a 2-14 conference record.“The irony of it, or what tempers my excitement about it is that we still have a week of regular season basketball left,” Boldon continued. “So you don’t want to start puffing out your chest and thinking you’re better than you are when you still have work to do in the regular season.”Satisfied or not, the Boldon Era has given a reason to update The Convo’s dusted women’s banners. Even he noticed that hasn’t been done recently.@charliehatch_gh181212@ohio.edu
Solutions by The State News