Box Score FOLLOW OHIO MEN'S BASKETBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
PDF Gamebook
Champaign, Ill. – Led by a career-high 22 points from sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio), the Ohio men's basketball team (2-0) picked up a Thanksgiving Day victory, defeating North Carolina A&T (0-2), 84-72, inside State Farm Center on the campus of Illinois.
"We're really happy to get the win," second year head coach Jeff Boals said. "We talk about adversity all the time and one of our mantras is bend but don't break. At the 11 minute mark we were up 12-13 points. Then to end the half, we had nine turnovers and they made a run at us, tying the game at halftime. We made a couple of adjustment at the half and Ben [Roderick] broke the thing open in transition with a couple of threes and give a lot of credit to him and our guys for staying with it and executing."
Roderick led the way with 22 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and 6-of-9 from three. Junior guard Jason Preston (Orlando, Fla.) added 21 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-7 from three, while grabbing nine boards and dishing out seven assists. Senior forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 14 points and six rebounds, while redshirt junior Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) added 11 points and eight boards.
Overall, Ohio shot 45.3 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from three and 61.9 percent from the free throw line, while N.C. A&T shot 39.7 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three and 86.7 percent from the free throw line. Ohio out-rebounded the Aggies, 44-31, and dished out 18 assists to their 13.
Ohio won the tip and opened the game on a 13-2 run, forcing an Aggies timeout after a Roderick layup. Out of the timeout, the Aggies cut the lead to 13-7 before a layup from junior Rifen Miguel (Luanda, Angola) put the Bobcats up 15-7. A three from Roderick and free throws from Preston put the Bobcats up 20-9 with 11:09 left in the half.
The Aggies cut the Ohio lead to nine before a three from sophomore guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) gave the Bobcats a 23-11 lead. The Bobcats and Aggies traded baskets, including jumpers from sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) and Preston, however, N.C. A&T cut the lead to 30-26 entering the final media timeout. With the Bobcats up three with 44 seconds left, a three from the Aggies tied the game at 32-32, before Brown drained his second three of the game to give Ohio a 35-32 lead with 29 seconds to go. However, three made free throws from N.C. A&T tied the game up and sent the game to the locker room with it knotted at 35-35.
At the half, Ohio shot 42.9 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from three-point range and 63.6 percent from the free throw line, while the Aggies shot 40 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Ohio out-rebounded the Aggies, 21-14, while both teams dished out five assists each.
Individually, Preston led the way with nine points, four rebounds and one assist, while Roderick, Wilson III and Brown all had six points.
The Aggies took a one-point lead out of the half on a free throw, however, that was the only lead they would hold, as Roderick and the Bobcats caught fire behind the arc. After a Roderick three, Preston hit one of his own, giving Ohio a 41-38 lead early in the second half. After N.C. A&T cut the lead to 45-41 with 16:01 left, back-to-back threes from Roderick and Vander Plas increased the Ohio lead.
Two more Roderick threes sparked a 14-4 run for Ohio, putting the Bobcats up 63-48 with 11:29 to go. Then, free throws from Vander Plas and McDay and two layups from Preston increased the Bobcats' lead to 70-50 with eight minutes to go.
After a few traded baskets, threes from Roderick and Preston once again pulled that Bobcats way to bring their lead to 78-59 going into the final media timeout. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, however two free throws from freshman guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) with a minute to go was the finishing touch on the Bobcats 84-72 victory.
Up next, the Bobcats wrap up the Illinois MTE when Ohio takes on No. 8 Illinois (2-0). Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and can be seen on BTN.
#OUohyeah
