John Groce has repeatedly said that teams can go in two directions at this point in the season.
After the Bobcats' 75-41 loss to Bowling Green in the last game of the regular season yesterday at Anderson Arena, Groce's team is clearly moving in the wrong one.
The loss dropped the Bobcats to the No. 9 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. They will play the No. 8 seed, Western Michigan, in tomorrow's opening round.
(It's) the first time all year that I'm really disappointed and embarrassed
Groce said. We didn't represent the guys that played here in the past.
We just didn't get it done.
The Bobcats haven't gotten it done on the road all season long. Ohio's road record dropped to 2-13. It was their seventh consecutive road loss.
But after the Bobcats had lost a number of close games on the road Sunday's game got out of hand early.
Ohio (14-16 7-9 Mid-American Conference) fell behind 23-5 eight minutes into the game against the Falcons. By halftime
the Bobcats trailed 40-18.
Any adjustments Ohio tried to make to start the second half didn't work.
Bowling Green came out and threw a couple of punches at us early, Groce said. Our guys just didn't respond.
Bowing Green guard Joe Jakubowski made a jumper to increase the lead to 42-18 to start the half. Ohio forward Jerome Tillman made a free throw to give him his first and only point of the game
but Darryl Clements responded with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 26.
After Ohio couldn't convert on its end
Jakubowski made a free throw. Guard Michael Allen missed two shots on Ohio's end and Falcons' guard Scott Thomas made a shot to push the lead to 48-19.
Allen finally made the Bobcats' first field goal of the half
but it was five minutes too late. After his basket
Thomas made a 3-pointer that increased the Bobcats' deficit to 30.
From that point
a frustrated Groce sat his starters for the majority of the second half. Tillman
who Ohio has relied on for much of the season
had his worst game of the year.
He played only 20 minutes and attempted one shot from the field. Tillman's consecutive double-digit scoring streak ended at 34.
Fellow senior Michael Allen only scored two points in 23 minutes.
The Bobcats had 17 turnovers and shot 28 percent from the field.
But Ohio's struggles go beyond those numbers. Once Ohio fell behind
