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[Grant Kiefer | WOUB]

Toledo outlasts Ohio, earns rare road win in Athens

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Playing at the Convocation Center as the visiting team has been tough. Ohio defends its home court advantage as well as any team. However, one team has had the road magic over the last two seasons.

Toledo (12-8, 6-2 MAC) earned its second-straight victory in Athens over Ohio (11-9, 5-3 MAC) in a shootout 86-83.

Just over a year before the Rockets win Tuesday night, they fought and triumphed 86-77 to open the 2024 MAC season.

The win this season gave Toledo a leg up on Ohio as they came in tied at third in the MAC standings. The Rockets got out to a quick start with a pair of buckets and then a triple by Sam Lewis a 7-0 lead put the Bobcats behind 1:22 in.

They did score their first points after Lewis received a technical foul following his make. Shereef Mitchell made just one of the two free throws, but it got Ohio going. Jackson Paveletzke added a layup and Mitchell put a three on the board and just as quickly as the Bobcats were down, they took the lead on a 13-2 run.

Toledo regained its balance as Seth Hubbard started to score. He put 15 points on the board in the first half coming off the bench and providing a spark for the Rockets. As the first half moved on, Toledo outpaced Ohio’s offense and quietly built a 10-point lead.

The Bobcats did nothing to help themselves as they missed layups and shots inside. Ohio finished 16-32 (50%) on layups, something that stood out in a three-point loss.

Shereef Mitchell battling through contact in Ohio's loss to Toledo.
Shereef Mitchell battling through contact in Ohio’s loss to Toledo. [HG Biggs | WOUB Public Media]

“We know we have to be better at finishing,” a deflated Shereef Mitchell said. He added that Ohio’s shooting from inside the arc was ‘abysmal’.

Despite the slow stretch rounding out the first 20 minutes, the Bobcats still converted late free throws to trail at the break just 47-39. In the opening half, Ohio was notably without AJ Brown because of foul trouble. That changed as the game moved into the latter half.

Brown scored the first points and got the Ohio offense rolling after a rough patch. He continued to play a factor as the game moved along. After trailing for the majority of the game, the Bobcats hit on a 10-0 run to take a 49-47 lead.

Elijah Elliott, making his second career start, made a pair of great defensive plays including a chase-down block and then a steal. His energy was felt throughout, and although he scored just five points, Elliott took another strong step in his development.

“These experiences that he’s going through, he’s going to learn from, the good and bad,” Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said. “He’s done a great job of stepping into his role.”

That role also included pulling down big rebounds all night. With six total, and two offensive, he finished second on the team.

Ohio’s strong play to begin the second was halted by Bryce Ford when he made a three holding Toledo ahead. Ford was one of the six players who finished with 10 or more points and was also one of four who had 15.

Another one of the Rockets’ double-digit scorers was Isaiah Adams who traded threes with Brown for four consecutive possessions. After the chaotic sequence, Toledo still possessed a slim 76-72 lead.

Brown’s last three started a cold period for the Bobcats offense. Following the make, Ohio went 2:38 without scoring and the clock ticked to less than five minutes remaining with the Rockets still clinging to a lead.

There was never a moment when Ohio was out of the game, but the Bobcats couldn’t quite get over the hump and ended up failing to score enough late to reclaim the lead.

“Next time we’re in that position, we’ll be better, we’ll make those shots,” Mitchell said.

As in any conference, the schedule doesn’t slow, and Ohio will be on the road facing rival Miami on Saturday.

“Deflating. We fight all the way to get back, and then we still come up short,” Brown said. “We’re definitely going to learn from it and not make the same mistakes.”

The first Battle of the Bricks meeting of the season will be part of a double header with the Ohio Women’s team also facing Miami.