Ohio University’s wrestlers finished 1-3 after the first session of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday. The team was 40th out of more than 50 teams after the four matches.

Cameron Kelly pulled off a close win in the first round. The 141-pounder beat University of North Carolina’s A.C. Headlee. It came down to the final seconds, where Kelly got a takedown, winning 6-4. He moves on to face returning All-American and MAC champion, Jaydin Eierman. The last time the two wrestled was in 2016, and Eierman pinned Kelly.

Mario Guillen kicked the tournament off with a hard-fought match against the 10th seed, Roman Bravo-Young. Guillen kept it close with the Penn State wrestler up until the third period. However, Bravo-Young took Guillen down and earned back points to win 8-1. Guillen is now in wrestle-backs. He will wrestle Appalachian State’s Codi Russell. They went against each other earlier in the season, and Guillen pinned Russell.

157-pounder, Zac Carson, also lost his first-round match. Ke-Shawn Hayes dominated Carson on both feet and on top. The Ohio State wrestler earned a riding point to defeat Carson 7-1. Carson falls to the wrestle-backs, and will be up against Purdue’s Jacob Aven.

At Heavyweight, Zack Parker had a rough start too. He lost to the third seed, Minnesota’s Gable Steveson, by technical fall in the second period. Parker now faces A.J. Nevills in wrestle-backs. They have not gone against each other yet.

Session 2 starts at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

 

133

First Championship Round: Mario Guillen lost 8-1 to Roman Bravo-Young (PSU)

 

141

First Championship Round: Cameron Kelly won 6-4 against A.C. Headlee (UNC)

 

157

First Championship Round: Zac Carson lost 7-1 to Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State)

 

285

First Championship Round: Zack Parker lost by technical fall to Gable Steveson (Minnesota)

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Four Ohio wrestlers will compete in the NCAA Championships on March 21st. Cameron Kelly (141) and Zack Parker (HWT) earned automatic bids at the Mid-American Conference Championships this past weekend. Tuesday, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee gave both Mario Guillen (133) and Zac Carson (157) at-large bids for the tournament.

Cameron Kelly locked in a spot for nationals when he placed 3rd at the MAC Championships in the 144-pound bracket. This is will be the third appearance for Kelly at the national tournament. At 285 pounds, Zack Parker earned an automatic bid when he challenged a match for the last allocated spot in the MAC Championships. He won the match for fourth place. Parker qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2017

Mario Guillen will make his first NCAA tournament appearance after being awarded an at-large bid. Guillen finished fourth at 133 pounds at the MAC Championships, which was one spot away from an automatic bid. The committee also gave 157-pounder Zac Carson an at-large bid. Carson placed 6th, also one place away from an automatic bid, at the MAC Championships. This will be Carson’s second time at the national championships. He competed last year while he was a part of Eastern Michigan’s team.

The NCAA Championships will be held in Pittsburgh, PA March 21st- 23rd.

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The Ohio Bobcats returned to Spartanburg, South Carolina for the second time in two weeks and just like their first visit with Wofford, They return with one win and two losses on the weekend.

Ohio (2-8) dropped a 12-inning contest at USC Upstate (5-6), 3-2, in the series opener.

USC Upstate scored the game-winning run in the 12^th inning with a bases-loaded single from Drake Harris.

Kenny Ogg threw 6.0 innings allowing just one earned run. Ogg struck out eight batters while walking just one.

USC Upstate grabbed an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. The Spartans had two runs on three hits and one error while stranding two runners.

Ohio climbed back with a run in the fifth inning.

Zyon Avery started things off with a single. After moving over to second base on a ground out, Dan McCauley moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and Ryan Sargent scored Avery with a sacrifice fly.

The Bobcats tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning.

Due to impending weather on Sunday, Ohio and USC Upstate played a double-header on Saturday with each team winning one game apiece.

Ohio dropped the first game of the series to the Spartans, 10-7, and won the second game, 2-1.

Senior Rudy Rott had three RBI’s while going 3-for-5 with a home run and double.

Ohio jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Rott doubled to score Trevor Lukkes.

The Spartans took a 3-2 advantage in the bottom half of the fourth, but Ohio tied the game in the fifth.

USC Upstate answered with two runs of their own and went up 5-4. It was Ohio’s turn for two runs, as Rott hit a two-run home run, his second of the season.

The Spartans put up five runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

In game two, Jack Liberatore was exceptional.

Liberatore threw 7.0 innings, allowing just five runners to reach base. in the second game of the doubleheader. Liberatore earned the first victory of his career and improved to 1-1 this season.

Ohio scored in the first inning when Lukkes started off the game with a bunt single. Lukkes advanced to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a flyout. Rott brought Lukkes home with a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Bobcats scored again in the second inning.

Next up for the Bobcats, they return to the state of Ohio to play Dayton, Wright State, and Canisius.

The Bobcats will travel to Dayton, Ohio to play Dayton, Wright State and Canisius.

Ohio will face Dayton on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m., play a doubleheader with Wright State on March 9 at noon and wrap up the series against Canisius on Sunday, March 10 at 11 a.m.

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Ohio Wrestling wrapped up its dual meet season with three matches the last two weekends. They went 2-1, finishing with an overall record of 8-6 and a conference record of 4-3 this season. Here’s a quick recap of all three matches.

Bloomsburg

The Bobcats started off last weekend with a dominant win 34-9 against Bloomsburg. Ohio only lost two matches, at the top and bottom of the lineup. Not only did they win eight out of the ten matches, but Ohio also racked up bonus points in multiple matches.

Bloomsburg’s Willy Girard pinned Trevor Giallombardo in the second period at 125 pounds. However, the Bobcats picked up the next eight matches. At 133 pounds, Mario Guillen defeated Shawn Orem by major decision. Cameron Kelly followed up with even more bonus points for the Bobcats. Ohio’s 141-pounder won by technical fall (18-2) against Lewis Williams. Then, Alec Hagan received a forfeit at 149 pounds. 174-pounder Logan Stanley also earned six points for the team when he pinned Gavin Hale. At 197 pounds, Aaron Naples

Zac Carson (157), Nick Vestal (165), and Hunter Yeargan (184) all won by decision in their respective bouts.

The match did end on a bad note for the Bobcats. Zack Parker lost a close match at 285 pounds to Bruce Graeber.

Buffalo

Ohio lost its first and last bouts again against Buffalo the next day. Instead of winning the meet, the Bobcats only won four of the matches. They lost to Buffalo 26-12, finishing its MAC dual season 4-3.

Trevor Giallombardo lost in overtime to start off the dual at 125 pounds. It did not get better for the Bobcats when Shakur Laney was pinned by Derek Spann.

141-pounder Cam Kelly defeated nationally-ranked Bryan Lantry 7-2. Then, Alec Hagan defeated his opponent 5-2 at 149 pounds.

The Bulls earned some bonus points when Bobcats forfeited at 157 pounds and Nick Vestal lost by technical fall.

174-pounder Logan Stanley and 184-pounder Hunter Yeargan tried to get the Bobcats back in position to win. Both won by decision in their respective bouts. But, Ohio lost the next two matches, 197 and 285 pounds, by decision too.

Gardner-Webb

The Bobcats bounced back from the Buffalo loss with a win this weekend. Ohio defeated Gardner-Webb 31-15. Just like their Bloomsburg win, the Bobcats had multiple match wins with bonus points.

Ohio forfeited to the Bulldogs for the first bout, 133 pounds. The Bobcats, however, dominated the next two matches. Cameron Kelly won by major decision against Gardner-Webb’s Blake Mulkey. 149-pounder Alec Hagan followed up with a second period pin. Ohio’s Kade Kowalski scraped by with a 3-2 in overtime at 157 pounds

The Bulldogs came back with their own two bout wins. In a close 3-2 match, Colt Yinger lost to Gardner Webb’s Tyler Marinelli. 174-pounder Logan Stanley then lost 10-7 to Kyle Homet.

Hunter Yeargan gave the Bobcats some more bonus points at 184 pounds. In the first period, Yeargan pinned Christan Salter. Gardner Webb won the next match. 197-pounder Derek Hillman lost to Anthony Perrine 3-2.

The last two matches fell in Ohio’s favor. At 285, Aaron Naples went up a weight class to pin his opponent in the first period. Ohio got its final bonus points at 125 pounds when Trevor Giallombardo received a forfeit.

Up Next

While the dual meet season is done, the individual season is only starting to pick up steam. Ohio will travel to Norfolk, Virginia to compete in the MAC Championships March 8th and 9th. If any Bobcats get an automatic or at-large bid, they then will compete at the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh March 21-23.

 

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The Ohio Bobcats traveled west to Riverside, California for a four-game series against the California Baptist Lancers. The Lancers (9-0) recently made the jump to Division I in 2018 and took all four games this weekend for a sweep over the Bobcats (1-6).

On Friday, Ohio jumped on the board early with a run in the first inning.

Sophomore Aaron Levy started the game off with a double to left field. Levy advanced to third on a wild pitch before senior Rudy Rott drove him in with a single.

Rott finished 2-for-4 with one RBI. Through four games, Rott is 6-of-17 (.353) with two doubles and three RBI. Levy ended the day with Ohio’s only run scored and was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Cal Baptist answered in the second inning with three runs of their own.

The Lancers added a run in the fourth and sixth to give CBU a 5-1 lead. Cal Baptist scored two more runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning earning the 7-1 victory.

Senior Kenny Ogg earned the Friday start striking out a season-best seven batters in 4.2 innings pitched. Ogg allowed four earned runs and walked two batters while falling to 0-2 on the year.

On Saturday, The Bobcats and Lancers played a double-header. Ohio lost game one 7-4 and the second game 4-1.

In game one, Ohio once again got on the scoreboard in the first inning, but Cal Baptist answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Freshman Lefty Joe Rock was given the loss after tossing 5.0 innings as Ohio’s starter. Rock allowed four earned runs and five overall while striking out four batters. Rock is now 1-1 this season.

Ohio allowed just one earned run in the 4-1 loss to Cal Baptist in game two.

Redshirt freshman Jack Liberatore took the loss for the Bobcats after throwing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run. Liberatore struck out seven batters and allowed four hits, but three runs scored with Liberatore on the mound. Liberatore dropped to 0-1 on the season.

The Bobcats broke open the scoring in the top of the third.

With one out, Ryan Strittmather was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a Levy single. Strittmather scored to take a 1-0 lead when Rott reached on an error by the second baseman.

CBU answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and was able to tack on one run in the bottom of the eighth.

Then on Sunday, Ohio fell 8-2 in the series finale.

They were held to just four hits while surrendering 11. The Bobcats hit two home runs during the game. Rott put the Bobcats on the board in the seventh inning with a solo home run.

Rott was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, one RBI and one run scored today. Rott now has a team-high four RBI and 15 total bases.

Redshirt sophomore Dan McCauley hit a home run to left field in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter.

Cal Baptist opened the scoring in the bottom of the first two runs scored and added one run in the second inning. CBU extended their advantage to 6-0 in the sixth inning. Ohio’s home runs in the seventh and eighth inning made it 6-2, but the Lancers scored two in the bottom half of the eighth inning.

Ohio’s starter freshman Eamon Horwedel dropped to 0-2 this season. Horwedel went four innings and struck out two batters while allowing three earned runs.

The Bobcats return to the diamond on Friday when they begin a three-game series with South Carolina Upstate back in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

 

 

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Baseball season is back and the Ohio Bobcats (1-2) were in Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend for a three-game series with the Wofford Terriers (2-1).

The Bobcats dropped its season opener 2-0 on Friday and split the doubleheader on Saturday with Ohio winning 6-2 in the first game and then losing 5-2 in the second game.

On Friday, Wofford scored twice in the first inning.

Starter Kenny Ogg tossed five innings, allowing two earned runs, striking out four batters with six hits. Sophomore Eddie Kutt threw three innings of relief.

Ohio had multiple chances to get on the scoreboard but never put a complete offensive inning together.

The Bobcats outhit Wofford 8-7.

Trevor Lukkes led the way for Ohio going 2-for-4.

On Saturday, the Bobcats got their offense clicking early. Led by Ryan Sargent, going 2-for-5 with two RBI’s and two runs scored, Sargent’s double in the third inning plated two runs.

Freshman Lefty Joe Rock earned his first collegiate win after coming in the fourth inning and tossing 2.2 innings.

Wofford scored two runs in the first inning just like Friday, but this time, The Bobcats answered and tied the game up in the second inning.

The Bobcats blew the game open with three runs in the third.

Junior Jack Longo went 3-of-5 with one RBI.

In game two, Ohio jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Rott doubled to left center that scored Aaron Levy and Sebastian Fabik.

Wofford responded with two runs in the home half of the first inning. Wofford continued scoring runs in the third, fourth and sixth inning, going up 5-2.

Freshman Braxton Kelly tossed two innings to close the game for the Bobcats.

Starter Eamon Horwedel suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched.

Up next for seventh-year head coach Rob Smith and his Bobcats is a west coast trip to Riverside, California to face Cal Baptist in a four-game series.

The series begins Friday, February 22 at 9 p.m.

The Bobcats will play two on Saturday starting at 5 p.m. then wrap up the series on Sunday at 4 p.m.

 

 

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MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan – Ohio led by as many as 19 points in the second half, but Reyna Frost made a lay-up that brought the Chippewas within two points with 4:49 left, bringing crowd at McGuirk Arena back in the game. However, Ohio quickly took back the momentum as CeCe Hooks made a lay-up of her own about 25 seconds later and shortly after, Amani Burke hit a three-pointer to make it a 74-68 game, guiding the Bobcats to arguably their biggest win of the season.

Ohio (20-2, 9-2 MAC) led for the entire game and defeated Central Michigan (16-6, 7-3 MAC), 78-75, avenging an 18-point loss to the Chippewas earlier in the season.

CeCe Hooks paced the Bobcats with 28 points and eight rebounds. Four other players also reached double-figure point totals for Ohio – Erica Johnson (14), Gabby Burris (13), Amani Burke (11), and Dominique Doseck (10). The Bobcats shot 41 percent from the field and were 10-of-30 from three.

Defensively, the Bobcats and Chippewas each had 42 rebounds. Ohio held Central Michigan to just 5-of-22 from three and 42 percent on field goals.

The Bobcats held a 45-33 lead at the half behind Hooks’ 14 points.

After an Erica Johnson free throw made it a 19-point game about midway through the third quarter, it seemed like the Bobcats would cruise to a big victory.

However, Central Michigan stormed back and went on a 13-0 run to make things interesting in the final minutes, but Ohio made key shots and escaped with the win.

The win gave the Bobcats only their second win in Mount Pleasant in their last 26 games. Also, the Chippewas lost back-to-back home conference games for the first time since 2015.

Ohio has now won 20 games for the fourth time in Bob Boldon’s six-year tenure.

The Bobcats seek their 21st win on Wednesday when they travel to Toledo. Tip-off is at 7 p.m

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Ohio Wrestling held off Central Michigan’s attempt to come back in the last couple bouts to win 19-15 Sunday. Ohio improved its conference record to 3-1 and its overall record to 5-4. Despite having a few usual starters for the Bobcats out of the lineup, Ohio won half of the bouts.

The dual started off with Central Michigan forfeiting at 125 pounds to Shakur Laney. At 133 pounds, the Chippewas closed the gap of the team score a little. Brock Bergelin defeated Trevor Giallombardo 6-3.

The Bobcats bounced back the next three matches. 141-pounder Cameron Kelly won by major decision against Central Michigan’s Drew Marten. Alec Hagan defeated Dresden Simon 9-6 at 149 pounds. Then, Zac Carson beat Central Michigan’s Logan Parks for the second time this season. This time he won 7-4 in the 157-pound bout.

After the intermission, Ohio’s true freshman Colt Yinger continued the success. At 165 pounds, Yinger won 8-4 against Brandon Montrie. The Bobcats put in another true freshman at 174 pounds. However, Ohio’s Logan Stanley lost his match 11-4 to Central Michigan’s Collin Lieber. Central Michigan won the rest of the dual’s bouts. Ohio’s Jake Walker lost at 184 pounds to Central Michigan’s Jordan Atienza. At 197 pounds, Central Michigan’s Landon Pelham defeated Derek Hillman 9-3. To end the match, nationally-ranked Matt Stencel won 6-3 against Zack Parker at Heavyweight.

The dual meet was not the only action for Ohio this weekend. Other Bobcats wrestled at the Edinboro Open Saturday. Mario Guillen was the champion in the 133-pound bracket. At 157 pounds, Nick Vestal was runner-up after he lost to Jaden Mattox of Ohio State. Kyran Hagan placed fourth in the 141-pound bracket.

Ohio returns home for its next two matches. The Bobcats face Old Dominion on Friday, and then Southern Illinois Edwardsville Saturday.

Results

125: Shakur Laney received a forfeit

133: Trevor Giallombardo lost 6-3 to Central Michigan’s Brock Bergelin

141: Cameron Kelly won 13-4 against Central Michigan’s Drew Marten

149: Alec Hagan won 9-6 against Central Michigan’s Dresden Simon

157: Zac Carson won 7-4 against Central Michigan’s Logan Parks

165: Colt Yinger won 8-4 against Central Michigan’s Brandon Montrie

174: Logan Stanley lost 11-4 to Central Michigan’s Collin Lieber

184: Jake Walker lost 7-2 to Central Michigan’s Jordan Atienza

197: Derek Hillman lost 9-3 to Central Michigan’s Landon Pelham

HWT: Zack Parker lost 6-3 to Central Michigan’s Matt Stencel

 

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The Bobcats had a barn burner with their match against the Northern Illinois Huskies Sunday. In a dual full of overtimes, wins by less than 2 points, and pins, it came down to the final bout. Ohio pulled it off, winning the match 21-18.

The dual started off with a close match between Ohio’s Zac Carson and NIU’s Mason Kauffman. With a score of 3-2, Carson won at 157 pounds. NIU tied up the team score with a win at 165. NIU’s Kenny Moore defeated Colt Yinger in overtime.

The Huskies continued the winning streak with back-to-back pins. Brit Wilson pinned Ben Schneider at 174 pounds, and Will Feldkamp pinned Arsen Ashughyan at 184 pounds.

In his first match for the Bobcats, Derek Hillman defeated NIU’s Max Ihry 3-1 in overtime. However, the Huskies kept the lead high with a close win at Heavyweight. NIU’s Caleb Gossett won 6-4 against Zack Parker.

Ohio’s lightweights were able to squeak out the win for the Bobcats. In another match that was decided in less than two points, 125-pounder Shakur Laney won 6-4 against Bryce West. In the 3^rdovertime of the dual, Mario Guillen defeated Alijah Jeffrey at 133 pounds. Then, Cameron Kelly racked up bonus points for the Bobcats. The 141-pounder pinned Drew West.

The exciting dual was in the hands of Alec Hagan for Ohio in the end. The teams were tied with 18 points each. Following a pattern, the 149-pound bout went to overtime (the fourth one of the dual). Hagan won 8-6 in overtime against McCoy Kent.

Ohio will travel again to face Central Michigan next on February 3^rd. The team then will return home to compete against Old Dominion February 8^th.

 

125: Shakur Laney won 6-4 against Bryce West

133: Mario Guillen won 3-1 against Alijah Jeffrey in OT

141: Cameron Kelly pinned Drew West

149: Alec Hagan won 8-6 against McCoy Kent in OT

157: Zac Carson won 3-2 against Mason Kauffman

165: Colt Yinger lost 3-1 to Kenny Moore in OT

174: Ben Schneider was pinned by Brit Wilson

184: Arsen Ashughyan was pinned by Will Feldkamp

197: Derek Hillman won 3-1 against Max Ihry in OT

HWT: Zack Parker lost 6-4 to Caleb Gossett.

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Ohio Wrestling began the weekend with a solid win against a conference and in-state foe. The Bobcats defeated Kent State 24-12 Friday night. However, Ohio was not able to continue the success on Sunday in a 29-9 loss to Virginia. 

Kent State Dual

The Bobcats started off the weekend by avenging a loss. Last year, Ohio lost to Kent State 18-13. However, the Bobcats won seven out of ten matches this year to get the dual meet win.

Aaron Naples started off the match with a solid win for Ohio at 197 pounds. The dual took an unexpected turn when Heavyweight Zack Parker was caught in a cradle by Spencer Berthhold. With the pin, Kent State took a 6-3 lead.

The Bobcats quickly bounced back with six straight wins. The most notable win came from 133-pounder Mario Guillen. The redshirt-sophomore avenged last year’s loss to Tim Rooney. Guillen controlled the match with a 10-1 major decision win. Shakur Laney (125), Cameron Kelly (141), Alec Hagan (149), Zac Carson (157) and Colt Yinger (165) all won their matches.

Kent State put more points on the board at the end of the match. Dylan Barreiro defeated Arsen Ashuygan (174), and Andrew McNally (184) defeated Hunter Yeargan.

Virginia Dual

The dual began with a lot of close matches. Zac Carson won 15-14 against Virginia’s Jake Keating at 157 pounds.

Colt Yinger failed to hold of Virginia’s Cam Coy in the last period. Coy was able to get a takedown in the final 30 seconds, winning 5-4. 174-pounder Arsen Ashuygan was winning when Virginia’s Robert Patrick took Ashuygan straight to his back in the second period. Hunter Yeargan also lost a close match at 184 pounds. Virginia’s Chance McClure beat Yeargan 2-0.

Virginia’s Jay Aiello was the most dominant wrestler in the match. The nationally ranked Cavalier defeated Aaron Naples 17-6, which is a major decision.

Heavyweight wrestler Zack Parker was 20 seconds away from getting a win for the Bobcats. However, Virginia’s Tyler Love got a late takedown to win 6-5. The Cavaliers continued its winning streak at 125. Nationally ranked Jack Mueller beat Shakur Laney 9-1. The Bobcats then gave up six points by forfeiting at 133 pounds.

Cameron Kelly and Kade Kowalski were able to finish the match strong. The 141-pounder, Kelly, defeated Scott Kiyono 8-3. Kowalski won 7-3 against Michael Murphy at 149 pounds.

Up Next

Ohio will travel for its next match against Northern Illinois. The Bobcats will face the Huskies at 1 p.m.  on January 27^th. The team will also travel for its Central Michigan match on February 3^rd. The Bobcats return to the Convocation Center on February 8^thfor its match against Old Dominion.

Scores

Kent State

125: Shakur Laney won 10-4 against Jake Ferri

133: Mario Guillen won 10-1 against Tim Rooney

141: Cameron Kelly won 18-3 by technical fall against Cory Simpson

149: Alec Hagan won 4-3 against Kody Komara

157: Zac Carson won against Richard Jackson

165: Colt Yinger won 3-1 against Isaac Bast in Overtime

174: Arsen Ashuygan lost 2-1 against Dylan Barreiro

184: Hunter Yeargan lost 3-2 against Andrew McNally

197: Aaron Naples won 3-0 against Shane Mast.

HWT: Zack Parker gets pinned by Spencer Berthhold

Virginia

125: Shakur Laney lost 9-1 against Jack Mueller

133: Ohio forfeited to Louis Hayes

141: Cameron Kelly won 8-3 against Scott Kiyono

149: Kade Kowalski won 7-3 against Michael Murphy

157: Zac Carson won 14-13 against Jake Keating

165: Colt Yinger lost 5-4 against Cam Coy

174: Arsen Ashuygan was pinned by Robert Patrick

184: Hunter Yeargan lost 2-0 against Chance McClure

197: Aaron Naples lost 17-6 against Jay Aiello

HWT: Zack Parker lost 6-5 against Tyler Love

 

 

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The Ohio Wrestling team showed a lot of potential for the second half of the season during the Southern Scuffle tournament. The team ended  in 8^th  place with a field of 30+ teams in Chattanooga, TN. Two Ohio wrestlers placed 4th, Zac Carson and Cameron Kelly.

Zac Carson surprised many with his path to the 157 pound semi-finals. He upset the 2-seed, Paul Fox from Stanford 7-5. He then lost in the semis to Penn State’s Bo Pipher. However, it was not from a lack of effort. Carson initiated and continued the action through scrambles. He was only pinned after multiple scrambles in the match.

He bounced back from the loss to win a close consolation final against Oklahoma State’s Jonce Blaylock. He then continued his offensive approach in the 3^rd place match. It was not enough though, losing 12-10 to Stanford’s Dom Mandarino.

Senior Cameron Kelly had a strong showing at 141 pounds for his first performance this season. He lost to Pittsburgh freshman Cole Matthews the first day, where he was dominating until the final seconds. He bounced back all the way to the 3^rd and 4^th place match with five wins, including a pin against Lock Haven’s Kyle Shoop. However, he lost 3-2 to Navy’s Nick Gil to get 4^thplace.

Four other Bobcats were only one match away from placing in the top eight. 125-pounder Shakur Laney medically forfeited for his first match on the second day. Nick Vestal (157), Colt Yinger (165), and Hunter Yeargan (4-0) also lost in the Blood Round.

The Bobcats return to the Convocation Center January 11th. Ohio will take on Missouri at 7:00 p.m. in a MAC matchup.

Results

Shakur Laney, 125

won 12-5 against Arien Leigh (Duke)

lost 4-3 to Brody Teske (Penn State)

won 11-3 against Harrison Campbell (Duke)

won 8-3 against Jacob Allen (Navy)

medical forfeited to Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga)

 

Trevor Giallambardo, 125

Lost 8-6 to Gabriel Townsell (Stanford)

Won 12-11 against Joe Manchio (Columbia)

Lost 14-4 to Jacob Allen (Navy)

 

Cameron Kelly, 141- 4^thplace

Pinned Josh Scott (Campbell)

Got pinned by Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)

Won 8-2 against Travis Layton (Rider)

Won 12-5 against Angelo Martinoni (CSU-Bakersfield)

Received a medical forfeit from Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State)

Won 3-2 against Dj Fehlman (Lock Haven)

Pinned Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven)

Lost 3-2 to Nick Gil (Navy)

 

Alec Hagan, 149

Won 11-8 against Zach Shareef (Chattanooga)

Lost 12-3  to Brady Berge (Penn State)

Won 16-1 against Selwyn Porter (Citadel)

Lost 3-1 in SV against Tejon Anthony (George Mason)

 

Kade Kowalski, 149

Was pinned by Kaden Gfeller (OK St)

Lost 3-2 to Collin Glorioso (Lock Haven)

 

Nick Vestal, 157

Lost 8-4 to Wyatt Gerl (CSU-Bakersfield)

Won 8-3 to Tim Suter (Edinboro)

Won 5-4 against Scout Skidgel (Navy)

Won 4-0 against Jordan Robison (Northern Colorado)

Won 9-2 against Evan Schenk (Gardner Webb)

Lost 11-3 to Ben Anderson (Duke)

 

Zac Carson, 157- 4^thplace

Pinned Felix Belga (Drexel)

Won 9-3 against Alex Rivera (Campbell)

Won 8-3 to Tim Suter (Edinboro)

Won 3-2 against Alexander Mossing (Air Force)

Won 7-5 in SV against Paul Fox (Stanford)

Got pinned by Bo Pipher (Penn State)

Won 3-2 against Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma State)

Lost 12-10 to Dom Mandarino (Stanford)

 

Colt Yinger, 165

Won 11-5 against Cameron Pine (Campbell)

Got pinned by Chandler Rogers (OK St)

Pinned Macoy Flanagan (Northern Colorado)

Won 10-2 against Dazjon Casto (Citadel)

Was pinned by Shane Griffith (Stanford)

 

Arsen Ashughyan, 174

Won 9-4 against Kyle Kretzer (Citadel)

Lost to 7-2 Trent Hidlay (NC State)

Lost 12-10 to Foster Karmon (Stanford)

 

Joe Terry, 174

Lost 10-0 to Jacob Oliver (Edinboro)

Lost 5-4 to Barrett Blakely (App St)

 

Logan Stanley, 174

Lost by technical fall, 17-2, to Mark Hall (Penn St)

12-0 to Christian Bahl (Oklahoma St)

 

Hunter Yeargan, 184

Won 5-4 against Brian Bonino (Columbia)

Won 10-2 against Dominic Lampe (Chattanooga)

Lost 11-0 to Shakur Rasheed (Penn St)

Lost 4-0 to Alan Clothier (Appalachian State)

 

Jake Walker, 184

Lost 9-4 to Alan Clothier (App St)

Pinned Lance Armenta (North Carolina)

Lost 11-0 to Dalton Robertson (Northern Colorado)

 

Aaron Naples, 197

Lost 6-4 to Paul Carson (App St)

Lost 10-1 to Ethan Laird (Rider)

 

Nate Hall, 197

Lost 16-0 to Nathan Traxler (Stanford)

Lost 18-4 to Kaden Sauer (Iowa State)

 

Jordan Earnest, 285

Lost 18-4 to Anthony Cassar (Penn State)

Pinned Gabriel Pickett (Gardner Webb)

Lost 6-1 to David Showunmi (Stanford)

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On Saturday, both Ohio and American looked to keep win streaks alive. The Bobcats were looking to keep a ten-game winning streak alive, while American looked to extend a 23-game home winning streak. Ohio (11-0) made sure that they would not lose their first game of the season and defeated American (4-7), 77-67.

Ohio held a 29-17 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to Dominique Doseck’s 16 points. Doseck was an impressive four-for-four from three-point range and six-of-seven from the field. Gabby Burris added nine points.

The Bobcats were outscored by American by a single point in the second quarter and went to the locker room with a 42-31 halftime lead. Doseck had 20 points at the half and Burris scored 14 points. As a team, Ohio shot 47.1 percent from the field and were seven-of-15 from beyond the arc.

CeCe Hooks paced the Bobcats in the third quarter with 11 points. Additionally, Hooks had four steals in the quarter. Ohio led American 65-46 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, American outscored Ohio 21-12 and cut the lead down to ten points with 1:46 left, but that was as close as the Eagles got.

Doseck finished the game with 27 points – tying a career high. Burris had a double-double – she scored 19 points and grabbed ten rebounds. Hooks finished with 11 points and seven steals. As a team, Ohio shot 48.3 percent from the field and was 11-of-25 from three-point range. Ohio forced 24 turnovers and scored 32 points off turnovers.

Ohio is the only unbeaten MAC team heading into conference play and is one of nine teams in the nation without a loss.

The Bobcats start conference play on Saturday when they travel to Buffalo. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

Ohio returns to the Convocation Center on January 9th when they host Central Michigan.

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The Ohio Bobcats (4-2) came into the game Tuesday night with a perfect 3-0 record at the Convocation Center. They had to beat a tough Iona Gaels team to keep this record on the season.

The Bobcats used their length to pound the ball inside all night and finished the game with 50 points in the paint as a team.

They outscored Iona (2-4) 46-28 in the second half including a 13-0 run with nine minutes left to play to help propel them to an 89-65 victory.

The Gaels struggled against Ohio’s defense as they only shot 32.3 percent from the field as a team.

Leading scorer E.J. Crawford who came in averaging 17.7 points per game was held to just four points on the night.

“Can’t say enough about the job we did particularly in the second half, Iona is a good team from a good conference with good players,” said Coach Saul Phillips about his team’s defensive effort.

“We took three offensive players who scare you watching them on tape and we took them out of the game, so I’m very of our guys for that.”

In the first half neither team could take control of the game. There were two ties and seven lead changes, and the Bobcats headed into the locker room with just a six-point lead. A big play in the half came with five minutes left when Jason Carter stripped the ball away from Andrija Ristanovic and went coast to coast and threw it down with his left hand to give the Bobcats a big jolt in the half.

Carter finished the half with 11 points and was a very efficient 5-7 from the field. Another Bobcat who had a big first half was Ben Vander Plas who coming off the bench had 13 points and was lighting up the floor form outside shooting 3-5 from beyond the arc.

In the second half, the defense stepped up in a big way for Ohio. The Bobcats held the Gaels to just 24.1 percent from the field and 7.1 percent from three. Ohio also drew several charges throughout the half that would slow down any momentum the Gaels could gain.

“It’s definitely a big energy boost for the guys on the floor and on the bench,” said Ben Vander Plas on drawing all the charges.

The bench also played a key role in the victory for the Bobcats. They finished the game with 36 points off the bench and the balk of those came from Ben Vander Plas and Gavin Block who finished the game with 18 and 13 points respectively. The redshirt freshman Vander Plas has been a force of the bench for the Bobcats so far this season.

“With that kind of production, we’re going to have to get him more minutes,” Coach Phillips said about getting Vander Plas more minutes. “Even when we haven’t been shooting it well, he’s been shooting it well.”

The Bobcats look to keep their win streak at the Convocation Center on Saturday against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Tip off is set for 3:30 PM.

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The Ohio Womens’ Basketball team start the 2018-2019 season against UNC-Wilmington on Sunday. The Seahawks held the Bobcats’ lead within 15 points in the first three quarters. The Bobcats pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 95-72.

“It’s a good start,” Bobcats head coach Bob Boldon said. “We’ve had plenty of games where we couldn’t score this many points so it’s nice to see the ball go in the basket and the kids execute the way they did.”

Ohio had the lead at the half, 49-36.

Amani Burke led all scorers with 13 points at the half, 11 of which came in the first quarter. As a team, the Bobcats shot 62.5% from the field and hit seven of 12 three-pointers in the first two quarters.

The Seahawks started the second half with an 8-2 scoring run, bringing the score within five points with 7:19 left in the third quarter. However, that is as close as the Seahawks would get for the rest of the way, as the Bobcats had the 72-58 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Sophomore Gabby Burris, one of six players to reach double-figures paced the Bobcats with 23 points, which is a new career-high. Amani Burke, CeCe Hooks, and Dominique Doseck added 20 points, 16 points, and 17 points, respectively. Additionally, Erica Johnson scored 11 points off the bench.

Johnson led the Bobcats with five rebounds and Hooks led the team with nine assists.

The Bobcats were 21 for 27 (77.8%) from the free-throw line.

“We spent a ton of time (on free-throws),” Boldon said. “I’m a firm believer in that you get what you work on. When you work on something, you’re usually pretty good at that part of the game.”

The Bobcats next game is on Thursday as they host Binghamton at the Convocation Center.

Tip-off is set for 11 a.m.

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For the first time since 2004, the Ohio Bobcats advance to the semi-finals of the Mid-American Conference tournament with a 2-1 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes.

It was win or go home at Chessa Field on Sunday, and the Bobcats look to avenge their loss on Thursday against Kent State.

The game on Sunday was full of momentum swings, and the teams found themselves tied at 1-1 with just over 20 minutes left in regulation.

In the 68^th minute, the Bobcats broke the deadlock.

Abby Townsend had the ball to the right of goal and fired a shot that was deflected away by Kent State’s goalie Faith O’Neill. There was a scramble for the ball in the middle of the box, but Ohio junior Sydney Leckie came streaking in to the box and flicked the ball past the keeper into the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season and arguably her biggest.

“What a game winner it was to really have a great service in have the goalkeeper block it and then everybody fighting for that ball and we came out ahead scored the goal, so it was a fitting goal for a very gritty game,” Head coach Aaron Rodgers said.

The Bobcats back line held off the Golden Flashes the rest of the way and secured a 2-1 victory.

The Bobcats (9-7-3, 6-3-2) put Thursday’s game against Kent State (10-8-2, 6-4-1) behind them and pull out the victory in their rematch in the MAC quarterfinals.

After getting outshot by the Golden Flashes 12-11 on Thursday the Bobcats changed that narrative Sunday and outshot the Flashes 16-14 on Sunday.

Sydney Malham played strong in between the posts saving five shots. Kent State battled with Ohio all day long but came up just short and were ultimately eliminated from the MAC tournament.

After not scoring in their last game, Ohio looked to start off fast in the game on Sunday.

Following a Kent State shot from Cameron Shedenhelm hit the post the Bobcats started to click on offense. Ohio generated six shots before finally finding the back of the net.

After a Kent State foul Olivia Sensky whipped the free kick right in front of goal and Mandy Arnzen was on the other end of it as she slotted it past the Faith O’Neill to give Ohio the 1-0 advantage, and they would take that lead into halftime.

Kent State battled back in the second half and knotted the score at one when Vital Kats scored off a free kick for her eight goal of the season.

Ohio remained calm despite this and gtt the decisive goal from Leckie that propelled them into the semi-finals.

When asked about going on to play the top seeded Bowling Green in the next round, Coach Rodgers was confident in his team’s chances. “We know when we played them the score line wasn’t really indicative of how close the game was” Rodgers said. “We’re full of confidence and belief in each other, and we know we can go in their and get a result no doubt”.

The Bobcats will take on Bowling Green at Cochrane Soccer Stadium on Friday November 2^nd and the time is TBA.

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A strength of this Ohio Bobcats (5-3, 3-1) team has to be their high powered offense. After a slow start to the game, the Bobcats used their running game to pound away at the Ball State Cardinals (3-5, 2-3) defense, as Ohio wins 52-14 on the Thursday night Blackout game.

The last time Ohio rushed for over 400 yards was in 2005 against Ball State and they would do it to the Cardinals again tonight.

The Bobcats running game was on full display in primetime, as the team tallied over 411 total yards rushing and scored six touchdowns on the ground.

Three players had two touchdowns: quarterback Nathan Rourke and running backs A.J Ouellette and Maleek Irons. Rourke would also add on a touchdown through the air, as he went 11/19 with 127 passing yards in the game.

Their first touchdown of the night came on a Maleek Irons six-yard touchdown run, and they didn’t look back. The Bobcats scored 52-unanswered points in the contest and many of their starters were pulled after the first drive of the third quarter.

If there was an issue for the Bobcats tonight, it might have been keeping Nathan Rourke out of harm’s way.

Air Canada took a couple of hard hits in the second quarter, one resulting in a flag for targeting and the ejection of a Cardinal defender. Rourke would stay in the game and would be subbed out for Quinton Maxwell in the third quarter.

After a struggle for most of the season, the Bobcat defense did a nice job of slowing the Cardinals down.

They gave up only 242 total yards of offense, also using an interception by sophomore linebacker Jared Dorsa, which was followed up by their sixth rushing touchdown with 4:47 left in the third quarter. They would only allow two touchdowns that would be scored almost 40 minutes apart.

Head coach Frank Solich has seen this defense grow all year long, but he is still looking ahead to the tougher part of their schedule

“We’re gonna try and continue to play our best football,” Solich said, ”We have gotten better as we have matured on defense, but we will get tested.”

Ohio’s string of tests will begin next week on the road when they face a cross-division rival in the Western Michigan Broncos (6-3, 4-1) on another Thursday Night game on November 1st. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

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The Ohio women’s soccer team clinched a top-four seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament over the weekend, but there were still tournament implications for their game against the Kent State Golden Flashes on Thursday.

The Bobcats (8-7-3, 6-3-2 MAC) were shutout for the first time since Oct. 4 and fell to the Golden Flashes (10-7-2, 6-4-1) 1-0.

The game was physical from the outset, with both teams struggling to get chances early on.

Sydney Leckie registered the only shot on goal for either team in the first half. Kent State did manage some chances with five corner kicks, but Ohio’s defense managed to hold.

A foul with three seconds left in the half gave the Bobcats a free kick from just outside the box, but the shot was blocked, leaving the game at 0-0.

Following the half, Kent State did not waste much time getting on the board. Maddie Holmes converted on a rebound off a free kick just four minutes into the half to put the Golden Flashes in front 1-0.

Ohio’s offense managed to get for the rest of the game, but a superb performance from Kent State redshirt freshman goalkeeper Faith O’Neill kept the Bobcats off the board.

O’Neill deflected a shot from Sarina Dirrig off the post in the 59th minute. She saved all seven shots sent her way as the Golden Flashes notched their second shutout in a row and sixth on the season.

The loss dropped the Bobcats from third to fourth in the conference standings, as Western Michigan jumped ahead by defeating Northern Illinois. This means for the tournament game on Sunday, the Bobcats and Golden Flashes will meet once again in Chessa Field.

Bobcats head coach Aaron Rodgers expressed optimism with the rematch just three days away.

“Now we know what to expect,” Rodgers said. “We’ve seen what their very best was I think, and I think we can raise our game a little bit and get back the rhythm and momentum we had the past few weeks.”

On Sunday, the Bobcats look to win their first MAC tournament since 2004. This is also their first time hosting a tournament game since 2009.

Their rematch against the Golden Flashes kicks off at 1 on Sunday at Chessa field.

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The Ohio Bobcats won the second half by two points.

The only problem is the played their worst half of the season in the first half.

Ohio (14-17) could not over come their bad start and fell to the Miami Redhawks (16-16) 68-55.

Halftime could not have come any sooner for Ohio. At the break, the Bobcats were 8-33 from the field and just 1-12 from beyond the arc. Only four players scored for Ohio. Meanwhile, Miami shot 48 percent and buried five threes.

“We weren’t patient. We didn’t reverse it. I don’t know if we were a little hyped,” head coach Saul Phillips said. “But certainly, when you had so much success so much off the pass, using curls, that type of thing, it was disappointing to come out like we did offensively. We started to look a little familiar there in the second half.”

A few minutes into the second half, Ohio looked like a different team. They attacked the basket and were moving the ball. Gavin Block had four assists on six baskets at the first media time out. After just four minutes 43 seconds of second half action, Ohio scored 15 points: just three less than they scored in the first 20 minutes of the game.

Ohio continued to try and mound a comeback. A layup by Teyvion Kirk put Ohio down seven, 46-39. Ohio was on a 21-13 run to start the half. After a layup by Darrian Ringo, Block found Mike Laster for three with 11:15 left, making the score 48-42.

Ohio once again made it a six-point game with 8:48 left, 50-44, with a layup from Doug Taylor. But that is the closest Ohio got. Over the next two minutes, Miami scored six straight points and the lead was back to 12.

A three by Isaiah Coleman-Lands with 2:03 left put away all doubt and gave Miami the win.

Injuries have been the story for this team all season and the injury bug bit one last time. Late in the first half, Jordan Dartis reaggravated his nagging hip injury. Dartis fell to the floor in the right corner. Dartis had to be helped to the floor and was on crutches for the rest of the game.

“Yeah, I couldn’t keep guys fresh with [Jordan Dartis] out,” Phillips about guys hitting a wall in the second half. “That [Dartis injury] was kinda the wave that capsizes the boat.”

The loss ends the careers for Laster, Kevin Mickle, Sam Frayer and Antonio Bisutti. In his last game, Laster led the way with 16 points. Block had three points, five rebounds and seven assists. Taylor had 13 points and eight rebounds. James Gollon chipped in 12 points. Teyvion Kirk had a game to forget with 11 points on 4-14 shooting and fouled out. He did have team-high nine rebounds.

“He had a great season, this wasn’t his finest hour, he’ll be back. Played some great ball this year and to lump it all on him in one loss would be a mistake by me,” Phillips said.

Ringo was held to just four points on Friday but got his revenge, scoring a game-high 21 points.

“He was super aggressive, right from the get go. You could see something different in his eye, just really played well,” Phillips said. “I think a guy that good that struggles as mightily as he did last game against us probably had a chip on his shoulder.”

Ohio will use these next few months to finally get healthy, while Miami will travel to Cleveland to take on the Toledo Rockets on Thursday.

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The Ohio Bobcats (14-16, 7-11) overcame 17 turnovers and took down the Miami Redhawks (15-16, 8-10) 75-66 to cap a season sweep in the Battle of the Bricks.

The victory is Ohio’s seventh straight against Miami and their 14^th win over the Redhawks in their past 15 matchups. The Bobcats shot 58 percent from the field in the first half but somehow found themselves trailing 35-32 at the break. Ten first-half turnovers told the whole story.

“This has been a journey, obviously we’d like to be healthy but we just won four of five with what we have so I’m confident in what we can do going forward,” head coach Saul Phillips said postgame.

Basketball can be a simple game and the Bobcats made it easy on themselves in the second half: control the ball and let Jordan Dartis go to work. Ohio only gave up the rock seven times in the second half, all while Dartis went 4-of-5 from deep in the last 20 minutes on a bum hip, finishing with 21 points and five rebounds. Mike Laster cooled off a bit following 13 points in the first 20 minutes but his tear drop bucket with less than a minute to play sealed the Bobcats fourth win in five games. The senior made his presence felt in what could be his final matchup against Miami, tallying 22 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 10-of-17 shooting.

“We changed what we were running, got the ball out of TK’s (Teyvion Kirk) hands, I took the point to get some pressure off of him,” Dartis said about the difference between the two halves offensively.

Ohio took control of the ball game during a four-minute stretch without a turnover late in the second half. Miami head coach Jack Owens sealed the Redhawk’s fate after receiving a technical foul with under three minutes left. Owens wasn’t too happy with a call made on the floor and Ohio never looked back.

Kirk struggled shooting the rock, his seven points on 3-of-9 shooting ended a 21-game double-digit scoring streak, but he still pulled in seven rebounds, and dished out four assists to combat his seven turnovers. Kirk’s impact was really felt on the defensive end, holding Darrian Ringo to 1-of-5 shooting and just two assists. Ringo came into the game leading the Mid-American Conference in assists, averaging 7.4 per game.

“TK struggled on offense but he did a great job of forcing (Darrian) Ringo to go wherever he wanted on defense,” Phillips said.

The young talent for Miami shined in the loss, breakout freshman Nike Sibande finished with a game-high 23 points and four assists on 5-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, fellow freshman Jordan Adaway complimented him with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

Ohio now awaits the result of Saturday’s contest between Central Michigan and Western Michigan. Depending on the result, the Bobcats will travel to Bowling Green or Miami for the first round of the MAC Tournament.

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The first time these two teams met, the Ohio Bobcats scored 50 points and just 19 in the first half.

On Tuesday, Ohio (13-16, 6-11) scored 75 points and defeated the Bowling Green State Falcons (16-14, 7-10) 75-59 on Senior Night.

Ohio seized control of the game early, by going to Doug Taylor early and often. In the first matchup in January, Taylor had just one-shot attempt. At the first media time out, Taylor had six points and two dunks. With 14:26 remaining in the half, the game was tied at 8.

From there, it was all Ohio.

Over the next seven minutes, Ohio went on a 19-5 run and led 27-13. During the run, Ohio got points from seven different players, showing just how far the offense has come.

“Overall just our execution was better,” head coach Saul Phillips said. “I saw it coming actually before the wins. We talk about that all time. Usually you can see start to see trends and things start to click. If you’ve got five, six guys in double figures that means your team is becoming more and more unselfish and understanding its easier if everyone pushes together.”

Last time these two teams played, Ohio had three assists for the game. Tonight, Mike Laster had seven assists by himself.

“The stat line that really jumps out to me tonight is Mike Laster’s seven assists and one turnover,” Phillips said. “Passing hasn’t been his forte since he’s been here but he has been one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever been around. He goes out, helping his teammates win a game. That’s pretty neat.”

A triple by Laster extended Ohio’s lead to 32-15, with 5:41 remaining. Ohio kept their foot on the gas. A three by Teyvion Kirk gave Ohio a 37-17 advantage.

Bowling Green went on a 5-0 run at the end of the half but was still down 12, 39-27.

The Bobcats led by double figures for the entire second half. Demajeo Wiggins hit a pair of free throws to put Bowling Green down 44-33 with 16:42 remaining. The lead hovered around 15 until there was 5:17 remaining.

Four points by Wiggins and a free throw by Antwon Lillard made it a 10-point game, 61-51. But that’s the closest they got. Ohio got it back up to 20 before subbing in seniors Sam Frayer, Antonio Bisutti and the rest of the walk-ons.

“Not only him [Laster] but Frayer. For gosh sakes, the guy’s been there to do anything for us, whenever we wanted,” Phillips said. “Even the last couple of days, doing a little extra duty with [Ben] Vander Plas on the other end.”

“Antonio, all he’s done is work and take elbows from Doug. One time I thought he got his whole mouth, all of his teeth knocked out by Doug on an elbow, back the next day, not complaining. And then Kevin, who really engrained himself so quickly to this program. It seemed like he was around a lot longer than nine months or so.”

Wiggins led the way with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Turner had 14 points. No other Falcon was above six.

For Ohio, it was the fourth straight game that at least five players were in double figures. Laster and Kirk had 16 each. Taylor added 14, Jordan Dartis had 11 points and James Gollon chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

The win, moves Ohio to 4-0 on senior night, under Phillips.

“Not pressure, just more like insuring. That we have to get the job done, just because we love our teammates and it wouldn’t be fair to send them out with an L,” Taylor said about senior night. “Just because we can comeback next year, we should go as hard as we possibly can for the guys that can’t.”

It was announced at the press conference tonight was career win number 200 for Phillips. Phillips goes for win number 201 on Friday in the season finally against the Miami Redhawks. Tipoff is set for 7p.m.

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Kent State was on a 9-0 run and Gavin Block was sitting on the trainer’s table with a hand injury.

Then Block returned, sparking a 12-0 run to give the Ohio Bobcats (12-15, 5-10) a much-needed 88-76 victory Tuesday night over Kent State (13-15, 7-8).

With about 12 minutes remaining in the game, Block had to be helped to the trainer’s table outside of the locker room with what appeared to be a serious hand injury. In the three minutes Block was off the floor, Kent State made a 62-51 deficit a 62-60 deficit.

Block checked in with 9:12 remaining in the game. Two minutes and 40 seconds later, Ohio led 74-60. During the run, Teyvion Kirk scored eight straight points.

“All of the sudden we got super efficient offensively,” Phillips said of Block’s return. “Guys didn’t try to do things on their own, scored off the pass, made good cuts.”

Four minutes later, Jaylin Walker made a crazy, falling to the floor, spinning layup and was fouled. Walker made the free throw and Kent State trailed by just five, 79-74.

But Ohio had an answer.

Free throws by Kirk, Jordan Dartis and four points by Doug Taylor put Ohio up 12, 86-74 with just 57 seconds remaining.

The victory is Ohio’s second in a row, something they have not done since late December. Head coach Saul Phillips has said all season that he thinks his team is close to making a run. Two wins in a row and back-to-back good offensive performances, that run could be in happening.

“We worked as hard as we can on it [offensive end of the floor] given our minutes,” head coach Saul Phillips said. “We’ve allocated a lot of practice to that end of the court. But I think the biggest thing you’re seeing is a better understanding of how to run a team out of a freshman point guard and boy it’s starting to look pretty fun out there. We’re edging towards being a type of team you don’t want to see in a hurry.”

Ohio used a balanced attack on offense Tuesday. Everyone who played, scored and six of the eight players were in double figures. Ohio hit 10 three-pointers and shot above 55 percent from the field for the game.

“The last two games it’s been five and six in double figures. That’s a lot of things, it’s a better understanding of what we’re trying to get done offensively,” Phillips said. “But it’s also the maturation of a point guard. It flat out is.”

The way the game started, it looked like there was another special night in store for Dartis. Dartis hit four from beyond the arc and had 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first 6:37 of the game. Around 30 seconds later, Dartis found Kevin Mickle for a layup, giving Ohio a 24-16 lead with 12:40 remaining.

Dartis then checked out of the game and was off the floor for three minutes. When Dartis checked back in, the game was tied at 27 (11-3 run for Kent State).

After trading baskets, Ohio got the lead up to nine when Zach Butler found Kevin Mickle in the right corner for a three, giving Ohio a 41-32 lead. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the half.

Ohio and Kent State traded points to start the second half until the Block injury occurred.

Last time these two teams played, Kevin Zabo torched Ohio for 24 points. This time around, Kirk held him to 4-14 shooting and just 12 points.

“TK was on him most of the night and he took it pretty personal. He didn’t guard him the first time and I said okay you’ve him,” Phillips said. “For two games in a row, he torched us pretty good, so that was a good focal point of what we talked about.”

Along with Dartis, Kirk had 17 points Mickle and James Gollon had 13 each. Mike Laster added 11 points and Taylor finished with 10. For Kent State, Adonis De La Rosa had 13 points, Walker, Zabo and Desmond Ridenour had 12 points each.

Ohio travels to New Rochelle, New York to take on the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:30.

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In a season full of injuries, tough losses and bad luck, the Ohio Bobcats (14-13) finally got something to go their way, as they were able to hang on over their rival, the Miami Redhawks (10-14), 92-87 in overtime.

With the Bobcats down one with a little less than a minute left in the game, Teyvion Kirk got a good look at a three pointer, but it was off the mark. Then James Gollon, in his second start on the season, crashed the offensive boards and was able to tip the ball to Jordan Dartis, who proceeded to grab the ball and lay it in to give Ohio their final lead of the game.

“The ball just came to me, and I just put it in,” said Dartis when talking about the final shot to give Ohio the lead.

Ohio proceeded to get a stop, were able to make their free throws, which they have had troubles with in the past, and get a much needed win.

Even though the final score was close, Ohio dominated a majority of this game, as their biggest lead was 15 points. With the game getting closer to the end of regulation though, the Redhawks kept chipping away with big three after big three and finally knotting the game up at 79 with two free throws.

“When a team hits 13 threes, normally that game is going into the win column,” said head coach Saul Phillips when talking about the Redhawks comeback.

That is how Miami was able to find their way back in the game, with the three-ball, as the Bobcats were up 10 points with 4:19 left in the game.

“I’m happy for my wife, she doesn’t have to put up with me,” said coach Phillips when talking about getting the win tonight and not having to deal with another close loss.

The game was good offensively for the Bobcats as they shot 52 percent from the field, but struggled with some careless turnovers in the backcourt. While the Redhawks, who started very hot to start the game, even hitting six of their first nine threes, finished shooting 42 percent. Hitting the 13 three pointers is what kept them in the game.

Prior to the game, the Bobcats made a switch that hasn’t been seen in 56 straight games as Phillips decided to bring Gavin Block off the bench and start James Gollon. James Gollon had been playing very well in his last five games, averaging 29 minutes per game and shooting 47.4 percent from the 3-point line. Block was just coming off of a game where he went 0-7 from the field.

It didn’t end up effecting Block though as he played one of his best games of the season putting up 16 points, five boards and three assists.

“I don’t know. I don’t really care, either, you know? I’m going to get my minutes and James Gollon is going to do what James Gollon does,” said Block when talking about coming off the bench as the season continues.

Gollon also played very well, as he was able to basically get the game winning assist with the tip pass to Jordan Dartis. Gollon also had seven points, seven boards and two assists.

Dartis continued his fantastic play as he had a team high 23 points, making three of four threes, grabbing six boards and two assists.

With the season coming closer and closer to an end, this is almost the last chance for the Bobcats to grab some momentum before the MAC tournament. There are only four regular season games left on the season.

The Bobcats will be staying at home in their next matchup, as on Tuesday they host Kent State (13-14).

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ATHENS, OH- Coming down to the last 25 seconds of the game, everyone is on the edge of their seat, both benches full of energy as the two teams battle it out to the last couple points; that was the atmosphere in the Convocation Center Wednesday night.

The Bobcats fought hard to make up for the lack of energy in the first half, but a missed three-pointer from Katie Barker with seconds left in the game seals the Bobcats (12-9, 6-4 MAC) fate, falling short to Central Michigan (18-3, 10-0 MAC) 74-72.

Earlier this season when these two teams met, the Chippewas defeated the Bobcats 82-58.

The first half was filled with poor defense, on OHIO’s end, combined with a slow start on offense. CMU outshot OHIO from field goal range 46.9 percent compared to the Bobcat’s 33 percent. The Chippewas lead the Cats’ in rebounds; assists and three-point shooting come halftime.

However, OHIO looked like a new team in the second half.

The team went neck and neck with the Mid-American Conference leaders.

The Bobcats did what they do best and utilized their energy and tenacity to close the scoring gap, including a ten-point deficit with three minutes left of game action.

Freshman guard, and leading scorer for the Bobcats, Cierra Hooks proved why she is the freshman to watch, dropping 30 points on the night. Hooks has totaled 58 points combined from their previous standout win against Ball State and tonight’s game.

Junior guard Dominique Doseck added to the team’s momentum as well by firing threes, shooting 4-4 in the second half alone. Doseck ended the game going 7-11 beyond the arc, adding a total of 24 points for the team.

At the end of the night, the Bobcats made all the right moves but just did not end the way the envisioned.

Even though the night ended with the defeat, the team is content with how they played and the resilience they continue to show when they need to fight back the most.

Head Coach Bob Boldon notices the growth this team has shown since the beginning of this season, as well as their last meeting with CMU.

“I’m happy with where we are,” Coach Boldon says about the team’s growth. “Disappointed with this one, this hurts a little bit, but we’ve certainly shown some maturity.”

Even with key players Taylor Agler and Amani Burke still not at 100 percent, Doseck is pleased with how the team handled the MAC leaders.

“I feel pretty good, I’m confident in this team,” Doseck says. “But I have confidence in any five that we put out on the floor.”

Doseck believes another matchup with the Chippewas may have another outcome.

“I have confidence we can come back, maybe see them in the tournament. I’ll take our chances.”

With a win and a loss after a bye week, Ohio is looking for a win to keep the momentum moving against MAC foe Kent State Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN 3.

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After missing Saturday’s game with an injury, Jordan Dartis returned to the line up.

And he made his presence felt.

Dartis had a career-high 38 points in a 99-75 victory over the Akron Zips (10-13, 3-8) Tuesday night.

The win snaps a four game losing streak for Ohio (10-13, 3-8).

“Greatness,” Dartis said, about getting the win. “But I still have that sour taste in my mouth. When you lose that many games, especially when you’re not used to it, it’s hard to grasp. So winning that one right there, it feels good, but it won’t feel as good until you take care of business each day.”

“We got points to prove,” Gavin Block immediately followed up with.

What are those points?

“Winning,” Dartis said first.

“We’re better than 3 and whatever we are. Three wins in the conference, we’re better than that,” Block followed up with. “We gotta show people that we’re better than that and we’re not letting anybody think differently. Just gotta keep that mindset and go out there and do what we did tonight.”

Dartis got hot early and stayed hot for the game.

Ohio led 28-22 with 8:12 left in the first half. Then Dartis took over. Dartis hit back-to-back triples. A Laster jumper put Ohio up 36-26 with 5:43 remaining. Then, Dartis went back to work.

Dartis hit an NBA range three from the left wing and then 30 seconds later he hit a transition three from the left wing to put Ohio up 42-28 and Ohio was off and running. Dartis’ threes sparked a 14-2 run for Ohio.

“We lost him a couple of times early, and I felt like that got him going, then some of the shots he made after that, I mean they were so deep that I felt they were from Columbus,” Akron head coach John Groce said.

Dartis hit his sixth and final three of the first half, with 42 seconds remaining. Ohio led 56-34 at the half.

“I thought we played pretty well offensively and then you had Jordan take it to a ridiculous level is basically what it amounted to,” head coach Saul Phillips said. “Fifty six points in a half is {really good}”

The second half was more of the same. Ohio led by at least 25 points for almost the entire half.

Dartis scored six of Ohio’s first eight points in the second half. He had a career high 38 points and hit a career high 10 threes.

The two teams traded points until another three by Dartis put Ohio up 71-43. Teyvion Kirk put away all doubt when he got a pass in transition from Zach Butler and threw down a dunk to put Ohio up 73-45 with 12:30 left.

Dartis’ final three of the night came in style. Dartis hit one as the shot clock was winding down, from the O in Ohio.

“I thought honestly, if he has more of an average night, I still think we had more than a fighting chance to win it. I really do,” Phillips said. “But he was the separation tonight.”

The win spoiled former head coach John Groce’s return to the Convocation Center. In his time at Ohio, Groce took the program to the NCAA tournament twice, including a trip to the Sweet 16.

“Today when I came into shoot around, that was the first time I’ve been in the building in about six years, so that part for me was probably a little bit emotional,” Groce said. “After that it was trying to coach our team and get our team ready to go,”

“It’s the first time I saw the banner. I wanted to see the banner when I walked in and it brought back a lot of great memories,” the coach continued.

Gavin Block had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kirk had 13 points and seven rebounds. James Gollon had 13 points, including three threes, and Mike Laster added 10. Daniel Utomi led the way for Akron with 21 points. Jimond Ivey had 15 and Eric Parrish added 13 points and six rebounds.

The win certainly lifted Ohio’s spirits. During the post game press conference forward Sam Frayer came in and took a selfie with Dartis and said, “When we average 40 points, we’re pretty tough to stop.”

Ohio travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan to take on Western Michigan on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 4:30p.m.

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