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OU Topples Miami in Dads Weekend Shootout
< < Back to ou-topples-miami-dads-weekend-shootoutThe Convocation Center roared last Saturday as more than 13,000 fans gathered to watch the Ohio men’s basketball team defeat archrival Miami on “Gary Trent Day.”
This year’s addition of the “Battle of the Bricks” brought home a 69-65 victory for the Bobcats, but the game wasn’t decided until the very end.
The Bobcats struggled in the first half, trailing the Red Hawks by as many as 12 points. Ohio cut the lead to six at the half, however, and the near-capacity crowd had another reason to get fired up thanks in part to the halftime festivities.
Gary Trent, a former Ohio Bobcat known as the “Shaq of the Mac,” watched his #20 jersey unfurl from the rafters before the ‘Cats took the court for second half action. Trent, widely regarded as the greatest player to ever don an Ohio jersey, dominated the paint in the early 90’s before playing 11 seasons in the NBA.
The game boiled down to the final minutes and Ohio—which is ranked 230th in the nation in team free throw percentage—was able to seal the win by hitting clutch free throws. O-Zone members stormed the court, yelling and shouting the traditional “Winning Team, Losing Team” chant at the losing opponents.
Ivo Baltic led all scorers with 20 points and Walter Offutt chipped in 15, . D.J. Cooper and Reggie Keely also scored in double figures, dropping 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Over 13,000 students and their dads left the game smiling, and coach John Groce’s Bobcats won their second consecutive game.
Ohio will next take the floor on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Western Michigan.