Two weeks ago, Ohio had just beaten rival Miami and was on top of the Mid-American Conference.
Now, that is just a distant memory.
After a 51-44 loss to Ball State on Saturday at Worthen Arena, the Bobcats have lost three games in a row and four of five.
It's been tough
coach John Groce said. Right now it seems like we're patching holes.
Ohio now finds itself in a hole in the MAC East.
The Bobcats are tied for last place in their division with Kent State.
When you are playing two of the last three on the road the margin for error certainly is small Groce said.
Ohio's margin in the MAC the rest of the season is now very small too.
The loss to the Cardinals followed a similar script to Ohio's recent losses - poor outside shooting.
The Bobcats shot just 1-of-19 from 3-point range and 7-of-13 from the free throw line.
We had great looks
Groce said. I thought it was the best we executed late game that we have all year.
Jerome Tillman was one of those that struggled.
He was 0-of-7 from behind the arc and 3-of-16 for the game. Tillman, who is shooting 77 percent from the line, was just 4-of-10.
I know the kid is certainly trying not to miss them
Groce said. We need him
especially when we're on the road
to be great.
Despite the struggles of their offensive leader, Ohio (10-10, 3-4 MAC) remained in the game. The Bobcats rallied late from a seven-point halftime deficit.
With 6:42 remaining, point guard Michael Allen made a layup to tie the game at 38-38. But then, Ohio hit a cold spell it could not overcome.
Ball State (10-9, 5-2 MAC) went on a 10-1 run.
Laron Frazier made a layup to give the Cardinals the lead. Tillman converted on 1-of-2 free throws on Ohio's possession, and guard Jarrod Jones made a layup to move Ball State's lead
to three.
Kenneth van Kempen couldn't convert on a layup, and Ball State padded its lead with clutch free throws.
Tillman missed another 3-pointer, and Brandon Lampley made two free throws to
move Ball State's lead to seven. Frazier made two more free throws to complete the nine-point swing.
We weren't good enough
Groce said.
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