Ohio University President Roderick McDavis and his wife Deborah sat several rows behind the scorer’s table during the Bobcats’ win against Toledo Saturday.
With 2:34 remaining in the game, the shot clock nearing zero and Ohio ahead by seven, senior forward Reggie Keely hoisted a jumper from 17 feet and knocked it down. No sooner had the ball gone through the net than McDavis rose from his seat. Many of those around him did the same, as a token for Keely’s career-high 24 points and the Bobcats’ 76-67 win — their fifth straight.
Two minutes later, when the O Zone began their “winning team, losing team” victory cry, McDavis smiled wide and clapped along.
There were plenty of reasons for him to do so.
He and the rest of The Convo’s second-straight crowd of 7,000-plus watched Ohio (13-5, 4-0 Mid-American Conference) knock down more than half its shots, commit only five turnovers and keep Toledo (6-9, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) to only 10 points from the foul line.
Three Toledo players racked up five fouls in the affair, one of which was junior guard Rian Pearson — the MAC’s leading scorer whom the Bobcats kept to 5-of-12 shooting and 14 points.
The Bobcats produced 31 points from the charity stripe. Ohio coach Jim Christian said that was a crucial difference-maker Saturday.
“The one thing we did really well tonight and haven’t done is we kept them off the foul line,” he said. “They only took 13 free throws. We’re one of the worst in the country at that, and that was a huge improvement.”
A team-high six of Ohio’s free throw points were Keely’s. He hit only six of his 11 attempts, but was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor.
Although Keely didn’t have an assist on the night, he said one of the keys to cashing in so efficiently on offense is being willing to dish the ball off to teammates as often as they feed it to him.
I know it’s not a selfish game, it’s a team game," he said. "But that part of the game you just try to help each other out. Once you do that they just look to you more and more and more.”
Every player on the floor was looking to Keely at Toledo’s end, but more often than not it was Ohio senior guard D.J. Cooper who found him in open space.
Cooper moved into the No. 21 slot on the NCAA all-time assist list with a nine-helper performance Saturday. And though he shot only 1-for-7 from the floor, Christian said his performance reflected a commitment to defense that has looked significantly better over the past several games.
“The whole team has improved, but more than anybody I think his defense and energy and effort have climbed,” Christian said. “Shooting the ball, he’s going to make shots — we all know that. We all know he’s going to find people. But those types of things are why we won the game.”
Ohio junior guard Ricardo Johnson led the Bobcats’ reserves with 13 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of action. His point total was a career-high.
Christian said that he has been especially tough on Johnson of late, being that he had seen him deviate away from the tough rebounding mentality that wins him time on the floor.
“He was one of our best rebounders, and then he went away from that,” Christian said. “Today he went after every ball, especially on both backboards, going to get it with two hands.”
After Ohio’s 13-point win against Northern Illinois Wednesday, Christian preached that the Bobcats let up late in the game, allowing the Huskies to even the margin much more than one would have thought at halftime.
That was anything but the case Saturday, as the Bobcats lead by their largest margin (10) with a minute remaining. He said the Bobcats played a complete game despite some offensive inefficiency, and were aided by very sound bench play.
“It was one of those nights where we had to find a way to win when some of our key components just didn’t play the game they normally have,” he said. “And in MAC play, over the course of 16 games, if you want to be in the hunt, these are the ones you have to find a way to win.”
OHIO (13-5, 4-0 MAC) 76, Toledo (6-9, 2-2 MAC) 67
— Ohio junior guard Travis Wilkins and redshirt sophomore guard Kadeem Green did not see time in Saturday’s game. Green has not played since spraining his ankle against Western Michigan on Jan. 12. Wilkins played against Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
— The Bobcats hit only four of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc
— Four Ohio players scored 13 points or more.
— The Bobcats return to game action Wednesday against Miami.
