The Ohio Bobcats (14-9, 8-4 Mid-American Conference) won a close matchup against the Toledo Rockets (12-10, 6-5 MAC) 71-67. Both teams shot around the same percentage, but 3-pointers proved to be the difference, with the Bobcats draining 11 of their 24 attempts. The Rockets, on the other hand, only made 8 of their 27.
Ohio also had four different players score in double figures, with junior guard Bailey Tabeling leading with 17 points. Graduate student guard Aliah McWhorter had 12 points, while graduate student forward Elli Garnett and redshirt sophomore guard Bella Ranallo both had 11. These points together helped overcome the poor rebounding from Ohio when compared to Toledo.
Ohio also only had 15 turnovers compared to Toledo’s 25. The Bobcats have struggled with committing turnovers, but this time they forced the other team to commit more.
The first quarter was equal for both teams. Toledo made more shots overall, but Ohio instantly shot many 3-pointers. This proved to be beneficial to Ohio, as it started out shooting 62.50% from the arc. Defense seemed almost nonexistent; both teams shot well, and it resulted in the first quarter ending with them separately scoring 21 points.
Both teams' shooting percentages dipped in the second quarter, but Toledo only managed to add eight more points. The Rockets didn’t manage to connect a single 3-pointer in the quarter while Ohio managed two, and ultimately missed 10 of its 14 shots.
The Bobcats got their way in this quarter, forcing lots of turnovers and playing good defense to force the Rockets to scramble. The defense was also disciplined, as Ohio didn’t give away any free throws to Toledo in the first half. Ohio took advantage of this quarter and built up its lead, going into halftime 37-29.
Toledo didn’t let up as it stormed back in the third quarter. Ohio’s defense faltered and allowed 17 shots from the Rockets, 7 of which connected. Toledo was able to get its first free throws of the game, attempting 6 shots in this quarter alone. The Rockets also racked up nine points off of 3-pointers, shooting 50% from deep.
Ohio’s offense still did OK in this quarter, but couldn’t match the output of Toledo. As the Rockets slowly crawled back, the Bobcats took more and more ill-advised shots. In a game where Ohio’s 3-point shooting started well, it took somewhat of a turn with more shots missing. The third quarter ended 53-51 with Ohio only up by two points.
Toledo played a lot more aggressively in the fourth quarter, but that turned out to be a detriment. Despite taking 16 shots, the Rockets only made four, with 10 being 3-pointers and only two finding the net. The saving grace for this Rockets team was the free-throw line, where they made six points, but they had already buried themselves.
Ohio also had a poor shooting quarter, but just enough to hold on and not choke the game away. The good 3-point shooting at the beginning of the game came in handy for Ohio, as neither offense seemed to be able to score, and the game was determined by whoever played better before the quarter.
Ohio had big faults in the fourth, besides field goal percentage. The Bobcats missed seven free throws, 11 in total, leaving double-digit points off the board that could’ve made the win a lot cleaner. When the final buzzer rang, Ohio won the game, the final score being 71-67.
With another MAC win, Ohio travels back to the Convo to play against Kent State as it continues to push towards the MAC tournament.
