Ohio (1-1 overall) rebounded from an opening night loss against Arkansas State for a huge 72-68 win over another high-level mid-major team in Illinois State (0-1 overall). The Bobcats had 50 points in the paint on the night after attacking all night long with intensity.
Ohio started the game with tons of energy coming off a close loss three nights prior against Arkansas State. On the defensive side of the ball is where the Bobcats especially came out of the gates flying, getting stops on Illinois State’s first five possessions and holding it without a field goal made for the first six minutes of the game.
Some early buckets from senior guard Jackson Paveltezke complemented the defense with some good offense, and an and-one from big man Jalen Breath got Ohio out to an early 11-2 lead.
“We always talk about getting off to a great start, setting the tone for the game,” Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said. “And tonight, we were able to do that.”
Redshirt freshman Kiir Kuany made his Ohio debut Monday against Arkansas State, but he made a real impact against the Redbirds, scoring a quick four points with both buckets being dunks coming off assists from Dior Conners.
The Redbirds' offense would start to click, however, as they started to find a groove from behind the arc, getting back into the game with the three-pointer.
While Illinois State started to heat up from deep, Ohio kept attacking the middle of the floor and inside the paint, routinely getting the ball to both Breath and fellow big man Javan Simmons. The strategy worked well, as both players were either able to score or get fouled.
Even with Ohio getting to the line in the first half, it wasn’t able to capitalize on the chances at the charity stripe, going just 7-13 from the line in the first 20 minutes.
The emphasis on scoring in the paint also nearly became a fault for the team as they went into halftime without a make from deep, going 0-6 in the first half. The issues shooting from deep and the foul line held Ohio back from a lead going into the half as Illinois State closed the gap and had the game tied at 31-31 going into the break.
“A lot of it is how they defend it,” Boals said. “They do a great job of taking the three away by their pressure. They got hard close-outs. So, for us, paint touches were going to be huge.”
The Redbirds took that momentum and did not let it go at halftime, as they went on a 10-2 run straight from the jump in the second half, scoring down low with 1st Team Missouri Valley Conference forward Chase Walker and from deep with guard Boden Skunburg.
Ohio was able to respond however, as Paveletzke started to flash his ability as a playmaker, diming fellow senior Adian Hadaway for a bucket, and then he found Breath down low for a string of easy makes, including two and-ones.
“(Jackson Paveletzke) was able to get around their five-man and have a pocket bounce pass, we call it, right to Jalen Breath,” Boals said. “And he had probably three or four great finishes.”
Breath had a real breakout game as a force in the paint for Ohio, dropping x points after going on a run of nine straight in the second half. He was able to muscle through and around opposing defenders for strong finishes that still had great touch.
“I think it was important for me, just coming off the bench, to just come in with the most energy and just be the spark for the team and just help anywhere I can to win,” Breath said on his performance.
Those buckets were needed as Ohio didn’t make a three until Dior Conners drilled a contested shot from behind the arc with seven minutes and 43 seconds left in the second half.
The inside pressure continued to come from the Ohio offense as Kuany got back in the game and back involved, getting the foul line before Paveletzke got downhill and finished for a tough and one.
One key player in the second half for Ohio was freshman forward JJ Kelly. The Chambersburg, Pennsylvania native got his first college minutes against Arkansas State after Elijah Elliott went down with an injury. With Elliott out against Illinois State, Kelly got a ton of playing time, and he made a real impact with the minutes.
He finished with only four points, but he made a huge impact defensively and on the boards, getting a crazy block on 7’1’’ Brandon Lieb and pulling down four rebounds.
“He's a very good on ball defender, and I think with his size and athleticism, he's going to really help us in these games guarding these bigger wings,” Boals said of Kelly. “JJ was really, really good tonight. That block was big time.”
It was more of the same down the stretch for Ohio, closing out the game with more solid defense and paint offense. Paveletzke came up big in the final minutes, scoring nine of his team-high 19 points in the final five minutes.
On a day when the Bobcats were ice cold from the free-throw line and behind the arc, they were able to earn a gritty win on the back of a whopping 50 points in the paint and some great defense on Chase Walker, holding him to just seven points.
Ohio will take that key win into another big stretch, this time on the road against Saint Mary’s and Louisville.
