Sports
Ohio Men’s Basketball: Bobcats Win at CMU for First Time Since 2013, Extend Win Streak to Four
By: Zach Paquette
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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Mount Pleasant hasn’t been too kind for the Ohio Bobcats, but a four-game losing streak at McGuirk Arena came to an end Tuesday night as the Ohio Bobcats defeated Central Michigan 83–69 to secure their first win in Mount Pleasant since February 13, 2013.
It took a whole-team effort with all six players scoring in double figures to get the job done. Jason Preston led the way for the Bobcats scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, which was good enough for his 12th career double-double. Preston also added 6 assists as well.
Dwight Wilson III had a very impressive game, scoring 14 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting from the field. Wilson also tallied a double-double after getting 10 rebounds as well.
“We should probably get the ball to (Wilson) more. He is probably top three or four in shooting percentage in the country, Head Coach Jeff Boals said in a postgame radio interview, “He is a big part of our offense.”
Lunden McDay and Ben Roderick each added 12 points while Ben Vander Plas scored 13 points as all five starters scored in double figures.
Ohio led by as much as 18 in the second half thanks to a 20-4 run to start the second half. The Bobcats forced the Chippewas to take tough shots and kept them off the free throw line in the second half. Central Michigan didn’t shoot the ball well at all, shooting just over 38% for the game.
“Defense has been the key these last four games. I’m really proud of our guys for their defensive efforts,” Boals said.
Down the stretch, freshman Mark Sears added some solid minutes for the Bobcats and scored 11 points of his own off the bench, making him the sixth Ohio player to score in double figures. Sears also added a team-high three steals in the game.
“I thought he was really good defensively. He had three steals in the second half,” Boals said, “He’s a phenomenal free throw shooter. When he gets in the paint, he can hang in the air, draw contact and get the free throw line. His defense and free throws were big down the stretch.”
With the loss, Central Michigan falls to 6-11 (2-8) on the season. They’ll look to end their four-game losing streak when they take on Ball State at home next Tuesday.
With the win, the Bobcats have won four games in a row, improving their record to 11-6 (7-4) on the season. Currently the Bobcats sit at fourth in the MAC standings, and they’ll look to ride the momentum when they take on Bowling Green on Saturday. The Falcons currently sit one game behind Ohio in the MAC standings.
“I’m really excited for our guys. The biggest thing is they’re doing a good job preparing and coming into games and executing the game plan,” Boals said, “We have a big one coming up on Saturday against Bowling Green who beat us the first time.”
