KENT ' The reason was simple enough, Allen Hester said: No matter what the Bobcats did, they couldn't get defensive stops against Kent State at crucial times.
And for an Ohio team that has taken pride in its stingy defensive play all season, watching Kent State pick it apart for a 72-62 win with 55.6 percent shooting from the field was exasperating.
The Golden Flashes' 72 points are the most the Bobcats have allowed in Mid-American Conference play all season.
Yes, Ohio's offense failed to find much rhythm until the second half, but even then, I think (the loss) was more a lack of defense from us
Hester said. We just couldn't get stops when we needed them.
Ohio played catch-up the entire game, but appeared poised for a scoring run when it pulled within two points of the Golden Flashes midway through the second half. But then the Bobcats were unable to take advantage of three chances to tie when Bubba Walther misfired, Michael Allen saw his would-be lay-up batted down by Chris Singletary and Hester missed on a jumper.
It was very frustrating to get a game that close said Hester, who broke out with 12 points in the second half. And when it's a game you want so bad and is needed
it's real frustrating when you get a stop and you can't produce on your end
then when you can produce on your end and you can't get a stop.
Kent State (21-5, 10-2 MAC) took Ohio's miscues and went on a 9-1 run that the Bobcats (16-9, 7-5 MAC) would never recover from. The Bobcats have now lost three of their last four ' the sole victory being the only home game in that stretch ' and slipped to third in the MAC East after Akron's victory against Bowling Green on Saturday.
Stretched thin by six different Kent State shooters who hit at least one 3-pointer, Ohio's defense gave up uncharacteristically easy looks from close-in as the afternoon progressed and with each additional shot, the Golden Flashes' confidence grew.
Their offense is kind of like the option in football
Walther said. You make one mistake and it's a lay-up or a wide-open shot. We would trap them and then you go to deny the next pass and ' I think it happened three times in the second half ' they had a dunk.
Ohio didn't do itself any favors early on, missing its first four shots as Kent State jumped out to an initial 7-0 lead. The Bobcats didn't haul in a single offensive rebound in the first half, and their five starters struggled to find the basket, combining for just nine points before the break.
It was Walther who kept Ohio in the game through its early struggles, with 16 first-half points as he continued his strong play off the bench. Walther led the Bobcats with his game-high 22 points that included going 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Rather than wonder about what could have been, coach Tim O'Shea wanted to focus on the positives of Ohio's play and attaining the goal of a bye in the MAC Tournament ' something that he said should be possible if the Bobcats win out at home, where they will play four of their last five regular season games.
I thought (the Golden Flashes) were on top of their game
O'Shea said. But we fought back
and I thought we made it a competitive game. We won one. They won one. And from our standpoint
we hope there's a game three.
We've just got to win our home games and build some momentum going in to the tournament, O'Shea said. I think the biggest thing for us is to get a bye.
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23231,2008-02-18 00:00:00,Men's Basketball: 'Cats lose to Kent
fall in MAC standings,",KENT ' The reason was simple enough
Allen Hester said: No matter what the Bobcats did
