FOLLOW OHIO MEN'S BASKETBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram  

Final Scorebook (PDF) 

AKRON, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (4-3, 0-1 MAC) was unable to overcome a hot shooting Akron (3-1, 1-0 MAC) squad, dropping its Mid-American Conference opener, 90-70, to the Zips Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 22) inside James A. Rhodes Arena. 

"Number one, it was a disappointing effort from the start," second year head coach Jeff Boals said. "We talked about getting off to a good start in the first war, and we were down 11-4. I really thought that set the tone for the whole game. We'd use so much energy sometimes and we'd have them with the shot clock down to six and eight seconds, and they'd make a play. The fight wasn't there that we needed to win on the road against the defending champions. I think that's the most disappointing thing."

Individually, the Bobcats were led by junior guard Jason Preston (Orlando, Fla.) who scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) added 11 points and four rebounds, while sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) scored 11 points. 

Overall, Ohio shot 41.9 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from three and were 10-of-16 from the line, while Akron shot 63.6 percent from the field, 56.0 percent from three and were 6-of-9 from the line. Akron out-rebounded Ohio, 37-25 and dished out 18 assists to the Bobcats' 14. 

For Akron, Bryan Trimble, Jr. scored 22 points and was 6-of-6 from three, while reigning MAC Player of the Year, Loren Cristian Jackson added 21 points and eight assists. 

Akron opened the game up on a 5-0 run before the Bobcats' first point came from sophomore guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.). Akron took a 13-6 lead until free throws from Preston cut the lead to 13-8. Out of the media timeout, the Bobcats went on a run, with Preston and McDay helping tie the game at 15-15. Akron retook the lead, but a layup from senior forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) tied the game back up at 17-17 with 8:54 left in the half. The teams traded baskets until the Zips took a 27-19 lead with 5:27 left in the half. 

Vander Plas hit back-to-back threes, however, Akron matched them. Sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) closed out the half with back-to-back threes of his own, sending the game to the half with Ohio trailing 44-34. 

At the half, Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and were 3-of-5 from the free throw line, while Akron shot 62.1 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from three and were 1-of-1 from the line. Akron out-rebounded the Bobcats, 18-11, while the Zips dished out 10 assists to Ohio's eight. 

Individually, Preston led with 10 points and five assists, while Vander Plas and Roderick added eight points. 

The second half went just about the same way the first half did, with the Bobcats unable to get anything going on offense, as the Zips shot 65.4 percent from the field and 70 percent from three in the half. Akron led by as many as 27 points before Ohio was able to cut into that lead, falling 90-70.

The Bobcats next game was originally scheduled for Dec. 29 at Miami, however, due to COVID-19 concerns with the RedHawks, that game has been postponed. For now, Ohio's next game is scheduled for Jan. 2 at Ball State. Stay tuned to OhioBobcats.com for anymore schedule changes over the next week. 

#OUohyeah