Sports

Disastrous first half leads to Ohio Men’s Basketball’s first loss of new season

By: Grant Kiefer
Posted on: Monday, November 4, 2024

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HARRISONBURG, Va. (WOUB) — No season has had as much anticipation leading up to it in recent memory as the Ohio Men’s Basketball season. Picked to win the MAC regular season and MAC Championship in the preseason, expectations have understandably been high for the Bobcats. However, they could not live up to them on the opening night of the college basketball season, as Ohio fell to James Madison on the road, 88-78.

Ohio came out with a quick start, leading 8-4 thanks partly to a pair of steals from Shereef Mitchell that turned into points. After that, it was completely downhill. James Madison stormed out to a 13-0 run over the ensuing several minutes, which quickly drained Ohio’s confidence. The Bobcats passed up on shots they took in large quantities last season and couldn’t keep up with James Madison’s efficiency, as the Dukes shot 52% from the field in the first half. James Madison fed off its opening night crowd and rode the momentum to a 41-26 halftime lead.

Coming out of the half, Ohio showed signs of life, getting out to a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to just seven. While the Bobcats kept the deficit manageable for most of the second half, they just couldn’t compete with the Dukes down low. Ohio was outrebounded 39-22, including 13-6 on the offensive glass. Second chance points were easy to come by for James Madison down low, and it was easy to take advantage of an Ohio team still struggling with size.

The score may seem deceiving to some, as Ohio still played a very good second half, the first half was just too detrimental to the team’s chances of winning the game. The Bobcats were down as much as 18 points early on and threw in some awful shooting splits–going 35% from the field, 22% from three, and an abysmal 40% from the free throw line. Free throws were a problem all game for Ohio, as it shot just 55% from the stripe in the game.

The second half was more of what to be expected from this Ohio team this season, as it shot 68% from the field and scored 52 points while doing so. This season looks like it could be yet another major one for junior forward Aidan Hadaway, as he finished with a game-high 17 points and shooting 3-7 from three. Despite going 0-4 from the line, Hadaway played with nice physicality that the Bobcats sorely needed coming into the second half.

Four out of five starters scored in double figures for Ohio, highlighting just how well-rounded the team is this year. The main problem on offense during the first-half drought was when the Bobcats needed a bucket, they had no one to go to. Last year, that role would’ve been assumed by Jaylin Hunter, but so far, no one has stepped forward as the go-to player for a bucket.

Ohio will have the chance to bounce back on Nov. 9 in its home opener vs UNC-Asheville at 7 p.m., with the game streaming on ESPN+.