Sports
Ohio makes its court debut in 67-49 exhibition win over Otterbein
By: Payton Brooker
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Ohio made its debut in the Convo on Thursday in an exhibition game against Otterbein.
The Bobcats were successful to start the season on a positive note in the 67-49 victory.
Ohio started the first half on a slow note with it missing shots from both the perimeter and the paint. Jaylin Hunter came out of the gate for the Bobcats as picked up 9 points and wasn’t shy to put his name out on the scoring sheets.
In total, the Bobcats shot for 48% from the field in the first half alone as they began to correct their mistakes on offense.
The defensive game was also a plus with the Bobcats picking up 9 steals and only allowing the Cardinals to shoot 31% from the field. Hunter led the team in the scoring for the night with 12 points. AJ Brown scored 10 points, and Elmore James and Shereef Mitchell both scored 8 points. James and Brow both led the team in rebounds with them each grabbing 7 boards.
After the game, AJ Brown discussed that even though this is an exhibition game, the team still must give it their all.
“There are nameless and faceless opponents,” Brown said. “We need to work on our preparation and just staying in the moment and giving it 100%.”
The Bobcats will now prepare for a big matchup in their official home opener on Nov. 8 as they will take on Troy.
Head Coach Jeff Boals said that every year is different as they return some veteran players, but also having new faces in the program.
“We got some returners and some new guys that haven’t played a whole lot,” Boals said. “There is a mix that we need to get some of those new guys that don’t have a lot of experience up to speed and doing things how we need them to do it.”