FOLLOW OHIO MEN’S BASKETBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men’s basketball team (1-1) had their first home game of the season on Saturday night (Nov. 9). Ohio took home an 82-76 win over UNC Asheville (0-2) in The Convo.
“I thought the crowd was awesome. We got into it, the crowd gave us a good boost. I’m proud of our guys, they found a way to win. We bent, we didn’t break, tied up at 62 all, and we made some key plays down the stretch and found a way to win,” head coach Jeff Boals said.
Overall, Ohio shot 44.6% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and was 24-of-31 from the line, while UNC Asheville shot 42.9% from the field, 44% from beyond the arc and was 11-of-22 from the line. Ohio out-rebounded UNC Asheville, 40 to 50.
Individually, senior AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) led Ohio with 19 points and 3 rebounds, going 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-9 from behind the arc. Graduate student Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) scored 12 points, going 5-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line.
Asheville won the tip and got on the board first. However, Mitchell scored the first basket for the Bobcats with a shot behind the arc assisted by Clayton. Hadaway kept the excitement going for Ohio with a driving layup off an opponent turnover assisted by Junior Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.). Both teams would trade baskets to keep the score tied 10-10 going into the first media timeout of the game. Out of the timeout, Asheville gained a five-point lead, but a layup from James and a three-point jumper from Clayton tied the game back up 19-19.
Out of the second media timeout, junior Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) went 2-for-2 at the stripe and a 3-point jumper to give Ohio the lead for the first time of the game. An exciting play was dunk by freshman Ayden Evans (Radcliff, Ky.) assisted by Paveletzke.
After halftime, the Bobcats found themselves with a decent lead. However, the Bulldogs came up late in the stretch to tie the game.
Ohio dug deep to regain the lead on a 3-pointer by Clayton with under six minutes to go. From there, the Bobcats added a few free throws and a dunk by Clayton to seal the deal.
“We were in a dogfight and we actually just played tougher,” Clayton said. “We just were trading baskets. They went on little run, and we just had to play tougher.”
Ohio will travel to Normal, Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 12 to take on Illinois State. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
#OUohyeah
