Ohio guard Jaivon Harris tested his range and found he could hit 3s on spots of the court that would make most coaches cringe.
But Ohio coach Tim O'Shea did not have to, as Harris nailed three 3-pointers - all nearing NBA range or beyond - in overtime of Saturday's 88-84 win against Ball State (9-10 overall, 6-5 Mid-American Conference).
The third 3-pointer was a gutsy shot from about 28 feet with 43 seconds left, giving Ohio (8-13, 5-6 MAC) a three-point advantage.
I probably would have been complaining it was a bad shot had it not gone in
O'Shea said. I was really happy he took it and showed the confidence to take it.
The shot came right out of a timeout, but guard Thomas Stephens and Harris said it was not a planned play. Stephens joked that Harris had made up his mind that he was going to take the shot, and that was probably true.
I knew where the zone was closing out on me and I just spotted up a little beyond that and
I don't know
it just went in
Harris said.
Harris accounted for 10 of Ohio's 13 overtime points, but he contributed on defense as well, blocking a shot by Ball State forward Dennis Trammell that would have tied the game with 15 seconds to go.
If it wasn't for (Harris) we wouldn't have won the game
Stephens said. He stepped up the whole time and took us on his shoulders.
Ohio gave up a 13-point lead in the second half. Stephens had helped boost the Bobcats with three 3-pointers of his own in a span of four minutes, but when Ball State's power man, center Cameron Echols, fouled out with 6:39 left in regulation, Ohio failed to take advantage.
Ball State guard Matt McCollom added nine points in the remaining minutes to chip away at the Bobcats' lead, and with six ticks left on the clock, forward Peyton Stovall made a lay-up to send the game to overtime, tied at 75.
We felt kind of deflated because we thought we had squandered a lead at home
O'Shea said.
The Bobcats once again struggled in the first half. They were down 34-32 at halftime, but that does not reflect their failures on offense. Ohio shot just 30.8 percent and had to rely on free throws to stay in the game. Forward Terren Harbut made 7-of-8 free throws in the first half to keep the game close.
Ohio was 31-of-38 from the line overall, but 3-pointers ended up being the key to the win. The Bobcats shot 13-of-30 from behind the arc and just 9-of-26 elsewhere on the court.
Six Bobcats reached double digits. Harris finished with career highs in points (26) and 3-pointers (seven). McCollom paced the Cardinals with 23 points.
Ohio hits the road again, after three straight wins at home, to face Bowling Green Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Anderson Arena
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