Men's Basketball: Ohio falls 79-59 at Miami

OXFORD – Headed into Saturday’s game, Ohio was on a weeks worth of rest and in hopes of finding momentum to start the second half of Mid-American Conference play.

Instead, the Bobcats were handed their third straight loss and more questions to answer, falling to Miami 79-59 in the 204th meeting in the “Battle of the Bricks.” It was Ohio’s second-straight loss in the series and in Millett Hall.

Ohio (11-11, 3-7) struggled to generate offense for much of the game. In the first half the Bobcats were 10-of-26 from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. Within the first six minutes of the game, they had picked up six fouls. At the half, they were down 47-27.

Once the Bobcats offense started to heat up in the second half, they crawled back into the game. They opened up the second half on a 20-6 run, at one point down just six points to the RedHawks. The run was highlighted by 3s from Teyvion Kirk and Ben Vander Plas.

The offensive spurt didn’t last long though. After crawling back into the game, Miami (13-11, 5-6 MAC) responded with a 9-0 run and the Bobcats went 14 straight possessions without a score. The span included a Jason Carter dunk blocked and a fast break layup missed by Jason Preston.

In total, Ohio finished 21-of-59 from the field and 6-of-19 from 3-point range.

The Bobcats’ defense showed problems at times, something that hasn’t been seen much of this season. Guards Nike Sibande and Darrian Ringo gave Kirk fits all afternoon, and Bam Bowman controlled the boards from tip-off.

For coach Saul Phillips, Saturday marks the first time at Ohio he’s lost back-to-back games to the RedHawks.

Big picture

After a deflating loss to Akron last Saturday at The Convo, a bye week seemed as if it couldn't of come at a better time for the Bobcats. The week off gave them time to refocus and fix their offensive struggles. Saturday’s performance didn't show any of that off, and Ohio’s losing streak is now at three, the longest skid of the season.