A pair of streaks ended with Ohio’s 85-68 loss to Miami on Saturday. Ohio’s six-game winning streak was halted, as was its seven-game winning streak against Miami.
The Bobcats lost to the RedHawks for the first time since 2019 after a close game got away from them over the final few minutes.
The loss does not change much in the standings for Ohio, but it keeps Miami’s hopes of making the Mid-American Conference Tournament alive.
Here are the numbers to know from Saturday’s loss:
8
Ohio missed eight free throws Saturday, going 13-of-21 from the line. That may not sound like a lot, especially in a game Ohio lost by 17, but seven of the eight misses came in the first half when the game was still hanging in the balance.
The Bobcats trailed by just two at halftime, and the largest lead held by either team in the first half was six points. If the Bobcats had knocked down more of their free throws in the first half, it could have been a very different game.
This is not the first time Ohio has struggled with free throws in a road loss, as it shot a dismal 9-of-20 from the line in its loss to Eastern Michigan on Jan. 31.
60.8%
Miami shot 60.8% from the floor in Saturday’s game, the highest mark allowed by Ohio this season and the only time it has allowed an opponent to shoot higher than 60%.
The RedHawks also shot 52.6% from beyond the arc, the third-highest percentage the Bobcats have allowed this season. It was a rough day defensively for the Bobcats, as they allowed 85 points on efficient shooting to a RedHawks offense that ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring and 3-point percentage, and sixth in field goal percentage.
50
Mekhi Lairy and Morgan Safford combined for 50 points for Miami, with Lairy scoring 26 and Safford scoring 24. They combined to shoot 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 54.8% from the field.
The pair were too much for the Bobcats to handle, as their two top scorers, Dwight Wilson III and Jaylin Hunter, combined for just 38 points.
Ohio saw a similar performance from teammates Xavier Castaneda and Enrique Freeman, who combined for 55 points in Ohio’s 90-81 win over Akron. This time, Ohio could not overcome them.
8
The bench had a major impact on most of Ohio’s win streak, and Ohio showed off its depth. That depth was nowhere to be found Saturday as Ohio’s bench scored just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting.
It wasn’t just the bench performance that showed off the lack of depth, as the Bobcats had just two players, Hunter and Wilson, score in double figures.
Ohio will need its bench if it wants to make a postseason run, and Saturday was not an encouraging sign.
wc425318@ohio.edu
