Sports
Bobcats Look To Bounce Back
By: Michael Drapcho
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Ohio basketball (2-2) will once again look to bounce back from a loss Saturday when they take on St. Bonaventure (5-1) at home.
Last Time Out
Ohio is coming off a last-second 83-81 loss to the 7-1 Belmont Bruins. The Bobcats and Bruins traded baskets for most of the second half with the lead bouncing back and forth between the two teams. With Ohio down two with just six seconds left, Javarez “Bean” Willis drove the lane and finished a layup to tie the game at 81-81.
The game did not stay tied for long, though, as Craig Bradshaw raced down court and sank a runner in the lane as time expired to lift Belmont to the 83-81 win.
“It’s not lingering [in my mind], but I’m not going to say it’s gone away all the way,” Willis said in regards to the loss. “What makes stuff like that go away is getting a win.”
With Maurice Ndour struggling, Stevie Taylor and Ryan Taylor stepped up, scoring 17 and 16 respectively.
Perhaps the most impressive player in the game—besides Belmont’s Craig Bradshaw, who scored a game-high 42 points—was Javarez “Bean” Willis who continued his offensive tear, pouring in 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Willis leads the team in scoring with 19.3 points per game.
St. Bonaventure
Even though it was a tough loss, the Bobcats are not hung up on the loss to Belmont.
“The biggest thing is to get a win,” Willis noted. “We had a great week of practice. I don’t think we were affected by [the loss to Belmont], but I think it’s still in the back of people’s minds.”
The out of conference slate hasn’t been an easy one, and it likely won’t get easier with the matchup against The Bonnies. The team enters the game on a four-game winning streak with its last game resulting in a 72-63 win over Buffalo.
The Bonnies have undoubtedly been impressive thus far, but the only team with a winning record that they’ve played was Buffalo. In fact, the combined record of all their opponents is just 10-23.
Offensively St. Bonaventure is an extremely balanced team, as five different Bonnies average double figures points per game.
The main scoring threat for the Bonnies is a familiar face, though. Junior guard Marcus Posley, a former Ball State Cardinal, averages a team-leading 15 points a game. Posley, who stands at just 6-foot-1, has not been efficient this season, shooting just 36 percent from the field.
In addition to Posely, the Bobcats will have to keep their eyes on 7-foot center Youssou Ndoye, who like Ndour, is a Senegal native. The senior center averages a double-double with 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. In addition to being an offensive threat, Ndoye also blocks 3.4 shots a game. Ohio struggled against Florida Gulf Coast thanks to the Eagles’ shot blocking ability, so Ndoye’s length will be something to watch Saturday.
In The Lineup
Senior forward Chandler Thomas is now eligible to play for the Bobcats. Thomas transferred to Ohio this season after spending last season at Grambling State where he averaged eight points and 5.9 rebounds per game.