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ATHENS, Ohio – Led by a 24-point, 11 rebound performance by redshirt sophomore Ben Vander Plas and a 25-point performance from redshirt senior Jordan Dartis, the Ohio men's basketball team (8-4) defeated Morehead State (5-7), 82-76, Saturday afternoon (Dec. 21) inside the Convocation Center.
"I think the biggest thing is we got off to a good start," head coach Jeff Boals said. "We let them back into the game because of lack of defensive intensity and at halftime I basically told them that was the most disappointed I've been in this group from an effort standpoint and an energy standpoint. We're not good enough to just roll out and beat someone man-to-man straight up five on five. We have to bring it every possession, and pretty much all year we've done that. I really felt we let out guard and it wasn't on the offensive end, but was more defense."
Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) finished the day tying a career high with 24 points, going 10-of-15 from the field, and went 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Vander Plas also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out four assists. Dartis (Newark, Ohio) finished with 25 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range, while hitting all four of his free throws. Sophomore guard Jason Preston (Orlando, Fla.) finished with 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while graduate transfer Sylvester Ogbonda (Port Harcourt, Nigeria) finished with seven points.
Overall, Ohio shot 54.7 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and went 14-of-18 from the free throw line, while Morehead State shot 57.4 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the free throw line. Ohio out rebounded Morehead State 32-27, while Ohio dished out 18 assists to Morehead State's eight.
For Morehead State, Jordan Walker scored 24 points and grabbed three rebounds and went 6-of-10 from three-point range, while Djimon Henson scored 22 points.
Ohio opened the game with the first four points on layups from both Preston and Vander Plas. After Morehead State cut the lead in half, Ohio went on a 5-0 run with a three from Dartis to put the Bobcats up seven. After a three from Morehead State, a jumper from Vander Plas put the Bobcats up 11-5 going into the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, Morehead State cut the Ohio lead to two, however, a jumper from Vander Plas and a thee from Ogbonda helped spark an 11-0 run for the Bobcats to give them a 25-13 lead going into the second media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Morehead State went on a 7-0 run to cut the Ohio lead to 25-20. A layup from Vander Plas stopped the Morehead State run, however the Eagles brought the game to 27-26 before a three from redshirt freshman forward Nate Springs (Charlotte, N.C.) gave the Bobcats a four-point lead. However, back-to-back buckets from Morehead State tied the game at 30-30 going into the under-four media timeout.
A three from Dartis out of the timeout gave the Bobcats the lead back, however the Eagles matched it with a three of their own. Five-straight points from Morehead State gave them a 35-33 lead, however redshirt freshman forward Mason McMurray (Stow, Ohio) hit a three to put the Bobcats up 36-35. After a free throw tied the game at 36-36, Dartis put Ohio up two with free throws of his own, however Morehead State hit a three at the buzzer to give the Eagles a 39-38 lead going into the half.
At the half, Ohio shot 54 percent from the field, 47 percent from three-point range and were perfect from the free throw line, while Morehead State shot 50 percent from the field, 64 percent from three-point range and 86 percent from the free throw line. Ohio out rebounded the Eagles, 14-12, while Ohio dished out nine assists to Morehead State's eight.
Morehead State took a three-point lead to open the second half, However, a 6-0 run sparked by a Vander Plas layup put the Bobcats up 44-41 with 17:42 left. However, Morehead State retook the lead moments later, however, a jumper from Preston and a layup from Vander Plas gave Ohio a 48-45 lead going into the first media timeout.
A layup from Vander Plas out of the timeout put Ohio up five, however, the Bobcats and Eagles traded baskets over the next few minutes, with a three coming from Morehead State to cut the Ohio lead to 56-54 with 11:18 to go in the game. After free throws from Ogbonda put Ohio up four, Morehead State and the Bobcats traded baskets, with the Eagles taking a 61-60 lead into the under-eight media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Vander Plas drained two free throws to give the Bobcats a one-point lead, however a jumper from Morehead State put the Eagles back up one. However, back-to-back threes from Dartis and freshman guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) put Ohio back up three with 5:16 left in the game. A three from Dartis with 4:27 left put the Bobcats up 71-65, however a bucket from Morehead State cut the lead to four going into the final media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Morehead State cut the Ohio lead to three with 1:04 left, however, the Bobcats responded, hitting their free throws to help secure the 82-76 victory.
Up next, Ohio conclude their nonconference slate on Sunday, Dec. 29 when the Bobcats host Campbell. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
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