Sports
Ohio Men’s Basketball escapes with 57-55 win on the road against Central Michigan
By: Marc Goldstein
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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (WOUB)– There are some losses that are not made equal to others. A buzzer-beating loss is different from a blowout. If that holds true, conversely, all wins are made equal. All wins count the same in the standings at the end of the season. Ohio (7-6, 1-0 MAC) was able to survive and hang on for a 57-55 win on the road against Central Michigan (6-7, 0-1 MAC). The win might not create a lot of confidence outside the program, but winning in ugly fashion is something that can be beneficial later in the season.
Ohio sleepwalked into the first couple of minutes of the game. Central Michigan jumped out to a 10-4 lead just over four minutes into the game. The theme of the opening minutes were offensive rebounds leading to Central Michigan points. In the first four minutes of the game, Central Michigan grabbed three offensive boards.
Out of the media timeout, Ohio got a stop after surrendering another offensive rebound and then parlay that into an easy bucket by Jackson Paveletzke. The teams would go cold from the field and Ohio was only aided in its comeback attempt by a technical foul on Central Michigan, resulting in a pair of free throws for Ohio. A layup by Ajay Sheldon would make it 12-10, Central Michigan and Ohio took its first lead of the game on a three by AJ Brown, making it 13-12.
That lead would last for the rest of the first half. Ohio got it going offensively, getting into the paint more and getting high-percentage looks closer to the rim. AJ Clayton was involved in the next six points for Ohio, getting an assist on another Sheldon basket then scoring two of his own from the paint. Suddenly, Ohio’s advantage stretched to 22-15 after Brown made his second triple of the half.
Central Michigan would continue to battle, though, cutting the lead to three after Anthony Pritchard nailed a jumper. At this point, his six points and Kyler VanderJagt’s seven made up nearly all of the scoring output for Central Michigan. Brown would give Ohio more breathing room after he grabbed an offensive rebound and cash in a trey.
Down the stretch, the Bobcats and Chippewas continued to struggle offensively with nearly two minutes elapsing between Brown’s three and Paveletzke making a layup to extend the Bobcat lead to eight. Paveletzke would push the lead into double figures on a lob to Aidan Hadaway, making it 29-19.
The second half was just as sloppy as the first. Through the first three minutes of the second half, the teams only scored three points apiece, making the score 38-31 in favor of the Bobcats. The Chippewas would lean on their leading scorers, Jakobi Heady and Pritchard, to get them back in front as a three from Heady was followed by a pair of three-point plays from Heady and Pritchard.
The Bobcats and Chippewas would go back-and-forth with the lead going to the Chippewas only for the Bobcats to tie it shortly thereafter. By tying the game at 42, Vic Searls started one of the few consistent offensive stretches for the Bobcats, a 12-2 sprint that made it 54-44 with 7:58 remaining.
For every haymaker Ohio delivered in the game, Central Michigan was there with an answer. Pritchard scored twice to close the gap to six points before the teams embarked on yet another cold stretch. Nearly two minutes passed before Another point was on the board and it came from the charity stripe for Central Michigan to make the game a two-possession affair. Shereef Mitchell made a layup to push the advantage back to 56-50.
The Chippewas continued to make a comeback attempt from the free-throw line, making another pair to shrink the lead for the Bobcats. The score moved to 56-53, but an offensive rebound led to a tip in for the Chippewas, making it a one-point game, adding some stress to a game that seemed to be out-of-reach a few minutes ago.
Paveletzke would turn the ball over on the subsequent Ohio possession, but Brown regained possession for Ohio and was fouled with nine seconds left. Brown would hit the first free throw to make it, 57-55, and, after a Central Michigan timeout, missed the second free throw. Central Michigan grabbed the miss and had a chance for a game-tying bucket, but Cayden Vasko’s attempt did not find nylon, giving Ohio a narrow win on the road.
The game will count as a win for Ohio; that is probably the only good thing that can be taken away. However, the fact that this kind of a game resulted in a win for Ohio should instill some confidence that, in conference play, this team can find ways to emerge with a win. That being said, Ohio should refrain from only scoring three points over the last 7:58 of game time. As the team continues to trek through the conference slate, having a baseline for what it takes to win ugly games might allow it to escape other venues with hard-fought triumphs.