Second half: Miami 76, Ohio 66
Bobcats looked pretty bad for the whole night. Half of it was their own troubles, and the other half was Miami being a very good team. Charlie Coles gets an A+ in preparation and coaching. Redhawks fed Winbush when he was hot in the first half and let Mavunga take over after the break. It worked without flaw. Ohio's defense never adjusted to anything Miami did.
Bobcats have an outside shot at a first-round bye in th MAC Tournament, but will most likely host a first round game against either Toledo or Eastern Michigan
1:07 Mavunga adamantly calls for the ball on an out of bounds play and gets it. Then he calmly hits two free throws. He put the team on his back in the second half. He should be MAC Player of the Year
1:44 Tommy Freeman finally hits a 3. Orlando Williams and Allen Roberts have locked him down. The shots Freeman has had have been rushed and off. The RedHawks did their scouting tonight
6:44 Bobcats are in the bonus but can't make a field goal. Free throws are the only reason this game is close. What happened to the dynamic offense? This is a horrible sign going into the MAC Tournament
10:55 Miami answeres Ohio's mini run and is keeping control of the game. The RedHawks are methodically breaking down the Bobcats. Great coaching job by Charlie Coles
14:10 Bobcats doing a good job of stopp Winbush, but now Mavunga killing them. He has three field oals this half and just abused Baltic
15:44 I don't know why Ohio didn't do this all game so far, but the Bobcats ae finally going to Baltic in the post to go at Winbush, who is defending him. Winbush has picked up two fouls, and Baltic is starting to get assertive
18:24 Bobcats started the half the way the needed. Two quick hoops and solid defensive rebounds led to a Miami timeout. Mavunga being crowded every time he touches the ball
First half: Miami 36, Ohio 26
Bobcats look nothing like team that has won nine of 11 games and just destroyed Akron. They can't score and have given up six 3-pointers. They're resorting to what they ddi in every game before two weeks ago. They need to change this to win.
:06 I hate Ohio's end of half play call ideas. Every time Cooper dribbles around and shoots a contested 3-pointer. It's so bad. Why not draw up an actual play? I just don;'t get it.
5:49 Winbush is on fire. He has 14 points already. The Bobcats have shut down Mavunga but Winbush is carrying the team
8:17 Bobcats getting killed by offensive rebounds. RedHawks have at least seven second-chance points (I don't know for sure, our stat machine is broken), but Bobcats just aren't boxing out the way they have in recent games
11:04 Miami looking to isolate Mavunga often. Baltic is holding his own so far. But Ohio can't collapse the middle, force a miss and give up an offensiive rebound. That's a recipe for a loss
14:37 DeVaughn Washington being looked for in the post often. His last trip to this building was forgettable, as he fouled out in six minutes. I'm sure he wants tp represent himself better this time around
18:10 One touch inside and I'm already impressed by Julian Mavunga. he just ate up Ivo Baltic, got to the line, almost hit the and-1, btu made both free throws. Player of the year.
Pregame:
Antonio Ballard gets incredible reception from crowd. Ballard, Miami's leader, is out for the season with a wrist injury. He is a Bobcat killer, and is really respected across the Mid-American Conference
It's senior night for the RedHawks. The Bobcats are sitting quietly on the bench.
I can't stop talking about how much I hate this place
The Miami cheerleaders and dance team are posted up right in front of us. Umm, let's just say theyy signify every stereotype anyone ever had about Miami
We are far closer to the court than we are at The Convo. This is great. The way media should be treated! (Just kidding, Ohio Athletics. You guys do a goobd job)
