Sports
Ohio Men’s Basketball’s five-game win streak ends with loss at Toledo
By: Alex Michalec
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TOLEDO, Ohio (WOUB) — The Ohio men’s basketball team suffered yet another loss at the hands of MAC rival Toledo Tuesday night.
After losing to the Rockets a few weeks ago by 18, the Bobcats lost by 15 inside a loud Savage Arena.
Although Ohio cut it to single digits in the final two minutes, the high-flying Toledo Rockets won the game 77-62. This marks the first of three road games in five days for Ohio and by the twelfth, they will have played six games the past 12 days.
Toledo came out first scoring the first five points, but Ohio quickly responded with eight unanswered. The majority of the first half was back and forth as both teams exchanging points and answering the intensity of the other.
Around the six minute mark things changed. Toledo suddenly jumped eight points ahead of Ohio and had all the momentum to carry out the rest of the half.
Along with Ryan Rollins, JT Shumate had an incredible first half. He worked the midrange extremely well and also finished close to the rim. Shumate used his length to lock down Ohio’s big men Ben Vander Plas and Jason Carter. The late launch from the Rockets had as much to do with Shumate as it did with Rollins.
Looking to improve on an abysmal end to the first half, Ohio strung together a couple drives and scored seven points in the first two minutes of the half. A Bobcat comeback started to look possible.
Then the two least likely players for Ohio, Mark Sears and Jason Carter, ended the idea for the moment. The two superstars went 1-of-6 over a span of six minutes while Toledo capitalized on almost every possession during the crucial minutes.
Another player who usually is viable on offensive, Ben Vander Plas, was nowhere to be found Tuesday. BVP has been a very good 3 point shooter over the course of the season but has not shown that the past two games. Against Western Michigan and Toledo he has gone 2-14 beyond the arc.
Even though these shooting woes continued for the Bobcats the entirety of the game, they managed to bring the lead to seven under two minutes to play. Ohio wanted to stun Toledo even though the Rockets had dominated almost the whole game.
Setric Millner Jr. had other plans. Millner Jr., who finished as the leading scorer for either team, erupted Savage Arena after a monstrous dunk that fully crushed the hope of beating Toledo.
Although Ohio has not beaten Toledo in the regular season since 2015-2016, Ohio found a bright spot in senior Tommy Schmock from Findlay.
He was the leading Bobcat scorer with 17 points, all off the bench. Schmock is most utilized as a 3-and-D type of player and that was his role on Tuesday evening. He is quick and can “pick your pocket” as he pokes and prods at his matchups throughout the game. Schmock has a quick release and can easily drain a long ball if he needs to. He has been a vital role and a great addition to Ohio as a player who is reliable if Mark Sears needs a rest.
After the game Schmock spoke on what Toledo does so well and why that makes them so hard to beat.
“They know our strong suits in the post,” Schmock said. “They’re really good at those tip-out rebounds. They do a really good job of sending two guys. I think we’re going to get better at that.”
Coming off a 27-point performance against Western Michigan Saturday afternoon, Jason Carter cooled off Tuesday night. Carter shot 3-of-9 from the field in the entirety of the contest, numbers that are unusual to Carter this season. He started the second half cold and missed multiple easy layups that led to Boals only playing him eight minutes in those final 20. Carter, who consistently gives the Bobcats a solid statline, had an off night but will look to bounce back Thursday against Central Michigan.
Preluding Tuesdays matchup the battle for MAC Player of the year was a duel between sophomore guards. Both Toledo’s Ryan Rollins and Ohio’s Mark Sears have made clear arguments that they should take home the impressive award. However, Rollins most likely jumped ahead of Sears after posting a spectacular 15-point, 16-rebound, and 8-assist performance. Rollins plays smooth, rarely showing any emotion. It does not matter if he hits a 3, a crazy fadeaway jumper, or a dynamic layup, he keeps his cool and just plays basketball. What is surprising about Rollins’ performance on Tuesday is that he had more rebounds than points. This alone shows how he dominates on both ends of the hardwood for every minute he is on the court. Although Rollins is clearly the main threat for the Rockets, Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said that stopping not only Rollins but also the rest of their starters.
“If you look at their offense they’ve got five guys in double figures, they play those five guys heavy minutes. Those guards are really good.” Boals said.
Ohio will continue its stretch of road games when it takes on Central Michigan on Thursday. Rounding out the trip at Eastern Michigan, the Bobcats will hope to be 21-4 by the time they make it back to Athens. Tip-off Thursday is at 7 p.m.