With 39 seconds remaining, graduate guard Shereef Mitchell drilled a clutch 3-pointer, bringing Ohio within two points of Toledo on Tuesday night. The Bobcats had a chance to steal a victory in the final moments — and a plan to make it happen.
But the Rockets (12-8, 6-2 MAC) had one of their own, executing in crunch time to hand Ohio (11-9, 5-3 MAC) a hard-fought 86-83 defeat at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
“That’s the one thing we kept on talking about, just fighting to get the lead. We had to get stops. I give (the Rockets) credit. They made a lot of tough shots, especially in the shot clock, and we didn’t make one play enough, but I give them credit,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said.
Coming into the game, Toledo and Ohio sat in a tie for third in the MAC, but Ohio had two particularly heavy weights on its shoulders. Ohio was missing their 6-foot-8 forward Aidan Hadaway and star 15.5 points-per-game scorer AJ Clayton.
Boals, when asked after the game about how much the team misses the effort of these two, responded by saying, “How much do you think?”
The other weight on Ohio? Ohio had not won against Toledo in Athens since 2013. The 12-year streak continued as a combined effort put Toledo on top.
The first half began with nets blazing, Toledo starting off on a 7-0 run. Ohio’s Jackson Paveletzke sent his defender flying, marking the beginning of a 13-2 Ohio run. The Bobcats were missing key players but didn’t look like it early on.
However, Toledo exposed one of Ohio’s biggest issues throughout the night — rim protection. Ohio’s center Vic Searls struggled on both sides of the floor. His shot contests were often unsuccessful. Getting into the paint for a quick layup was not only the best shot but also the easiest one for Toledo to get to. He also struggled to score, going 2-of-7 shooting from the floor.
However, both teams just couldn’t miss in the first 10 minutes.
Ohio’s continued fouling proved to be an issue, amassing five fouls before 10 minutes of game time passed. There was not any specific player. Ohio was simply paying the price for its aggressive defense, which Toledo also picked up on. The offense slowed for Toledo and began sluggish for Ohio.
Rebounds became imperative in this stretch, where Ohio lagged.
“We have got to scrape and claw for every rebound we can get,” Boals said.
The Rockets went on a 19-9 run to end the half leading 47-39, with Ohio making two of its last 11 shots.
Despite this, Jackson Paveletzke was a bright spot in this game, clearly benefiting from his co-stars being out.
In the second half, Ohio came out of the gate hot, scoring off of an offensive rebound, a rare occasion for the Bobcats. A missed Toledo layup, a lob, a steal and a Toledo miss brought Ohio back and within two points, clawing back and eventually leading. The lead was partly because of AJ Brown’s efforts, playing all 20 minutes and ending his night with 22 points.
Toledo wouldn’t let Ohio get a lead, though, as six of its players scored in double digits. Junior Seth Hubbard finished with 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Rockets.
The game truly came down to the final stretch. With six seconds left and Toledo leading 86-82, Ohio made the first free throw and purposefully missed the second. The Bobcats didn’t end up with the ball, though, as the referees called them for a lane violation.
Toledo then completely missed an outlet pass down the court, throwing it out of bounds.
With 3.5 seconds left, Ohio still had a chance to send the game to overtime. But its last-second heave fell short. It marked Ohio’s first home loss of the season.
The Bobcats will now try to return to the win column against a talented Miami (OH) team at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, with the game broadcasted on ESPN+.
“Know our personnel and come up with a good game plan, especially on the road,” said Brown on the key against Miami (OH).
Toledo takes on NIU at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN+, which aims to extend its winning streak to three games.
