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ATHENS, Ohio -- Twenty points from sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) led the way for the Ohio men's basketball team (7-5, 3-3 MAC) as they defeated Miami (4-4, 1-2 MAC), 78-61, in the 'Battle of the Bricks' Tuesday night inside the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats have now 17 of the last 20 matchups with the RedHawks.
"The defensive effort was there, the communication was there, the gaps were there," said second-year head coach Jeff Boals. "That's what we got to continue to do. I told our guys we were dead last in the MAC in defense. In order to win a championship, you got to defend and rebound and execute the half court. I thought we did all three very well tonight."
Three Bobcats scored in double-digits. Roderick added three assists. Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists. Junior guard Jason Preston (Orlando, Fla.) scored 10 points alongside six rebounds and eight assists in his first minutes back after missing four games. Senior forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) put up eight points and three rebounds. Sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) added nine, while off the bench, freshman guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
The Bobcats shot 57.4 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from three-point range, and 100 percent from the free throw line. Miami went 40.4 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three-point range and 70.0 percent from the line. Ohio grabbed 30 boards to Miami's 28 and Ohio led in assists 23-16. Both teams had two blocks and five steals each.
For Miami, Dalonte Brown had 16 points and five rebounds, while Mekhi Lairy and Dae Dae Grant put up 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The RedHawks won the tip, but Roderick opened the game with a wide-open three. Roderick sank another three before Preston stole the ball for an open layup, giving the Bobcats a 12-3 lead with 16:43 to go in the first half. Miami went on an 8-0 run to bring the game within one with 12:00 to go. After a three from Vander Plas, Sears had a steal and scored on the fastbreak going into the under-12 media timeout.
Redshirt sophomore forward Mason McMurray (Stow, Ohio) drained a three and junior forward Rifen Miguel (Luanda, Angola) added a jumper to extend the lead to seven with 8:34 to go in the half. After a back-and-forth flurry of buckets, Miami sank a three, but Roderick would answer with one of his own, bringing the score to 29-24 Ohio with 5:23 remaining. Vander Plas and Preston combined for a trio of baskets in the last 1:37 of the half to give the Bobcats a 38-29 lead going into the locker room.
At the half, Ohio shot 55.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. Miami went 40.7 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three-point range, and 50.0 percent from the free throw line. Both teams grabbed 15 boards a piece. Ohio dished out 14 assists to Miami's five, and Ohio led in steals with four compared to Miami's two.
Roderick led all Ohio players with nine points at the half, going 3-of-5 from three-point range. Vander Plas added seven with five boards and five assists, while Preston put up six points with three rebounds and four assists.
The RedHawks opened second-half scoring with a pair of free throws and Roderick answered by draining a pair of buckets from beyond the arc. Preston launched a pass from the other end of the court to McDay who hit a jumper giving the Bobcats a 48-31 lead going into the first media timeout of the half. Miami went on a 6-0 run after the under-16 media timeout. Ohio and Miami traded threes, giving Ohio a 53-42 lead with 11:50 remaining.
Ohio made their first trip to the free throw line, sinking both, with 9:19 to go. Roderick hit his sixth three of the night on the fastbreak bringing the score to 64-47 at 7:37. Out of a media timeout, Wilson III slammed home a dunk before hitting back-to-back free throws. A behind the back pass from Preston found Roderick under the basket, who passed the ball to a wide open McDay for three, giving the Bobcats a 73-55 lead with 2:54 remaining. Ohio would go on to seal the victory, 78-61.
The Bobcats return to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 with a Mid-American Conference match-up with Kent State. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
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