Ohio (15-16 overall, 9-9 Mid-American Conference) fell in heartbreaking fashion to the nationally ranked Miami Redhawks (31-0 overall, 18-0 MAC) in its final game of the regular season. This rendition of the Battle of the Bricks was one of the best games of the year. It ended 110-108, but these teams needed overtime to decide a winner of this chaotic matchup.
“What an unbelievable college basketball game to end the MAC season,” Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said.
The Bobcats were the first team on the board on a turnaround hook shot by redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons. Miami answered with a 3-pointer.
Down 4-3, the RedHawks started finding it on both ends, going on a 7-0 run, capped off by another 3-pointer from Brant Byers. This began looking like a game of runs as Ohio came back with a 5-0 run of its own behind a 3-pointer from Simmons and a strong left-handed layup from senior forward Aidan Hadaway.
Hadaway kept rolling, hitting a second-chance 3-pointer to put Ohio out front 12-11. Countering, the RedHawks went on another 5-0 run, but Ohio shut it down, finding Hadaway again, this time at the top of the arc as he hit another one from deep.
The frontcourt was the early offensive motor for Ohio, but senior guard Jackson Paveletzke still got himself involved, hitting a stepback 3-pointer to put the Bobcats back out front 20-19. Paveletzke looked for another make on a fadeaway jumper, but missed. The miss was collected by redshirt freshman Kiir Kuany and put back up for an and-one and a four-point Ohio lead.
The crowd was on its feet all night, and freshman guard JJ Kelly gave it another reason with a ferocious putback dunk. The game then went back and forth for a while, as Miami’s Trey Perry and Ohio senior guard Dior Conners exchanged three-point baskets, keeping the score tied at 30.
Miami then went on another quick 8-4 run supplied by Eian Elmer, as Simmons scored a couple of buckets for Ohio. It now trailed 38-34 with four minutes remaining in the first half. Ohio was frazzled, and Miami took advantage, storming down the floor for a transition layup, which prompted a quick timeout from Boals.
The timeout helped the Ohio offense, as Paveletzke hit a three-pointer, but it could not stop the red-hot Miami offense that answered with one of its own. The RedHawks kept the pressure on with an and-one from Suder, who was awarded a technical foul.
Paveletzke single-handedly kept Ohio in it, first hitting a turnaround jumper and then finding Conners for a pair of 3-pointers in the corner on consecutive possessions, cutting the lead to 52-48. Both teams were still in the fight as Ohio tried 54-48 at the half.
The second started and immediately felt chippier than the first. Byers hit a 3-pointer to put the RedHawks up 59-48 as they looked to pull away.
Ohio found a rhythm. It started with a jumper from Paveletzke, followed by Simmons’ second 3-pointer of the night and the 8-0 run finished on an and-one from Paveletzke to cut the Miami advantage to 61-56.
The Bobcats kept pressuring Miami with another tough layup, followed by a technical foul on Byers. Paveletzke made the pair of free throws and then a jumper to cut the lead to 65-64 in favor of the visitors.
Miami responded with a 7-0 run, capped off by an Elmer 3-point basket, giving him 20 on 89% shooting. Miami was out front 74-65 and trying to pull away, but the whistles kept the scoring slow.
Simmons went hard to the rim and drew a foul on Miami’s Antwone Woolfolk, who was also given a technical foul. Ohio took advantage of the situation, making three of four free throws, and on the ensuing possession, senior guard Ajay Sheldon hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 77-73.
The next Ohio possession saw Simmons draw another foul, a flagrant on Miami’s Almar Atlason. This physical contest came to a crawl as both sides traded free throws, but the Redhawks still held a slim 81-79 edge after a Hadaway 3-pointer from the corner. The Bobcats continued chipping away, and a deep 3-pointer by Sheldon tied the game at 88 with six minutes in regulation.
Both teams exchanged runs, highlighted by Perry for Miami and Hadaway for the Bobcats.
After another Miami basket, Ohio trimmed the lead to two with a swift give-and-go between Hadaway and Simmons for a wide-open layup, which very quickly led Miami head coach Travis Steele to call a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Miami scored, but Paveletzke answered with a 3-pointer. Miami went up four just to be answered by a pair of Simmons buckets, the second coming off the heels of a Hadaway block.
“We were going to go into him,” Boals said of Simmons second half impact. “We knew he was either going to get a bucket, get fouled, or draw a double team to create opportunities for us.”
The score was tied at 100 with 35.7 seconds to play, but neither team scored, and the game went into overtime after a missed floater from Paveletzke bounced multiple times on the rim before missing the net.
Paveletzke led the way for the Bobcats in the extra period, hitting a couple of buckets, putting them up 104-103. After a couple of slow minutes, he hit a contested layup but missed the free throw that followed as Ohio still trailed 107-106. Simmons collected a Kuany miss and put it back up and in for the 108-107 lead.
Miami went up one after a pair of free throws from Suder. Paveletzke missed on the other end, despite having one more chance after Miami split a pair of free throws, Miami took down the Bobcats in The Convo 110-108 in one of the best games of the year.
“Jackson Paveletzke carried us there," Boals said. Every single game, I'll trust him to the hit to make a play to win the game.”
