Ohio (11-8, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) defeated Ball State (11-9, 2-5 MAC) 78-74 on Saturday afternoon at The Convo.
Gavin Block hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key with 39 seconds left to give Ohio the lead, and the Bobcats held on for the win.
How it happened:
With 18:33 remaining in the game, Jason Carter stole the ball at the top of the key and broke free for a slam dunk. It was just his second basket of the afternoon, but it set the tone for the half to come.
From there, Carter finished with 16 points after not scoring a single point in the first half.
Ohio opened up the second half on an 11-0 run, much of which was accounted for by Carter. But it was his dunk which ignited The Convo and the Bobcats. Along with Carter, Jason Preston finished with 10 points and Ben Vander Plas had seven.
Multiple times in the second half Ohio overcame deficits because of team efforts. Gavin Block’s charges were noticeable, he also hit three 3s. Doug Taylor was in foul trouble most of the second half, but when in the game was effective in the post. He finished with six rebounds.
The Bobcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, shooting 39 percent, 13-of-33 from the field. Their defense kept them competitive
Who stood out?
Jason Carter — the redshirt sophomore — is Ohio’s best player, and Saturday afternoon he reassured all that he is. He lit up the box score in points, but his effort also showed throughout. After a score in the post, it was Carter who hustled back to tip the ball to a Bobcat when a ball was on its way out of bounds.
Throughout much of the season Carter’s seemed to make his mark in games, but not like he did Saturday. Carter carried the Bobcats back from 37-30 halftime deficit, and in fashion.
Why does it matter?
The win gives Ohio a two game win streak for the first time since mid-December. More importantly, it puts the Bobcats at 3-4 in MAC play, keeping their hopes alive to compete for a title and a first round bye to Cleveland.
In the second half Ohio’s offense moved the ball with ease, and able to find good strong selection because of that. It takes its two game win streak on the road Tuesday night at Northern Illinois.
