In what can only be described as a gritty win, Ohio (11-8, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) outlasted Kent State (12-7, 3-4 MAC) in a season-defining victory. In a tough defensive battle, the Bobcats squeaked by with a 61-59 win that came down to the last shot.
The fate of the season looked bleak coming into Friday. Ohio had recently learned that two of its most productive scorers, AJ Clayton and Aidan Hadaway, would both be out for an extended period. Despite all the adversity in the past 10 days, a monumental home victory proved the identity of the Bobcats going forward.
“We can’t be negative, nobody is going to feel sorry for us,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said. “I thought our guys came out fighting from the tip all the way to the end.”
In the first half, Ohio leaned on redshirt sophomore AJ Brown, a still-inexperienced player who has proved to be one of the team's most skilled players on both ends at times. The redshirt sophomore out of Orlando, Florida, shot the ball four-of-eight from the field en route to a 15-point first half.
“We found a way,” Brown said. “Everyone stepped up and made a winning play. We were the grittier team.”
Both teams struggled to score the ball throughout the game, but where each team struggled on offense, each more than made up for it on defense. Brown, who led all scorers, created several scoring opportunities by forcing four turnovers.
“Coming in, we knew they were going to be great defensively,” Boals said. “We made some good plays against their defense to take advantage of the way they guard.”
For Kent State, the first half was defined by production off its bench, which created 22 of the team’s 29 first-half points. Golden Flashes big man Cli’Ron Hornbeak accounted for 8 of those points in a perfect half, where he shot three-of-three from the field and two-of-two from the free-throw line.
Hornbeak, standing 6-foot-9, had an easy time creating mismatches against an undersized Ohio team. Without Clayton and Hadaway, Ohio rolled out a lineup featuring only one player standing above 6-foot-4, senior big man Vic Searls.
Searls, who transferred from Ashland in the offseason, had one of his better games as a Bobcat in response to injuries. Making just his second overall start of the season and his first at home, Searls grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds to go along with 9 points.
Going into the half, Ohio trailed by just 1 point, 29-28. Ohio knew that it was going to have to play its toughest form of basketball for 20 minutes to get the win. The Bobcats did just enough and outscored Kent State 33-30 in the second half.
The Golden Flashes adjusted well to Brown’s impressive first half, holding him scoreless in the second. With Brown receiving extra attention, the Bobcats turned to junior Jackson Paveletzke and graduate student Shereef Mitchell.
Mitchell, who converted on just one basket in the first half, attacked Kent State in the paint and forced a handful of early fouls. Ohio was already in the bonus by the 14-minute mark in the second half.
Free throws became a big part of the game and were ultimately the deciding factor in the game’s final minutes. Holding onto a slim 3-point lead, Ohio guard Ajay Sheldon committed an untimely foul on Kent State’s Marquis Barnett which led to three free throws and a chance to tie the game.
As Barnett stepped up to the line, all 5,000 fans within The Convo rose to their feet and roared in hopes that Barnett would miss at least one of his three free throws. Barnett would miss two of three, thanks to the impact of The Convo.
“Shoutout to everyone at The Convo,” Paveletzke said. “Keep bringing that, we need that, we feed off that energy. The Convo is a hard place to play.”
A few anxious moments followed as Kent State would find one more chance to drain a half-court shot for the win. When the ball inevitably missed the bottom of the net, the crowd erupted again to make more noise than it had all season.
