ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio men's basketball (3-1) returns to action on Monday, Nov. 22 in the final game of the Kentucky Classic when the Bobcats host Mount St. Mary's (2-3). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. Monday's game can be seen on ESPN+ where Marty Bannister and Jacki Windon will be on the call. 

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 14th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station network's flagship. 

STORY LINES
• This is the second all-time meeting between Ohio and The Mount. 
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 1-0. 
• The Bobcats and Mount St. Mary's last met on Nov. 11, 2017 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 96-77 in Athens. 
• Ohio has opened the season with victories over Belmont and Cleveland State, two teams that were selected to win their respective conferences. 
• Mount St. Mary's enters the matchup with Ohio with a 2-3 overall record and are coming off of a victory against Robert Morris on Nov. 19. 
• The game against The Mount is the final game of the Kentucky Classic, which will see the Bobcats take on RMU, Kentucky and Mount St. Mary's over seven days. 
• Mark Sears was named the MAC Player of the Week after he opened the first week of the season averaging 21.0 points per game. 
• Third-year head coach Jeff Boals currently sits with 92 career wins. 
• Ohio was selected to finish 2nd in this year's MAC Coaches Preseason Poll. The Bobcats did not earn any first place votes. 
• Ben Vander Plas earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAC First Team
• Jason Carter earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAC Second Team. 
• Ohio has registered an impressive 528-176 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

SCOUTING MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Mount St. Mary's enters the matchup with the Bobcats with a 2-3 overall record and is coming off of a 17-point come-from-behind 74-70 overtime victory against Robert Morris on Nov. 19. 

Just like the Bobcats, Mount St. Mary's also advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. 

The Mount averages 71.4 points per game while shooting .439 from the field, .333 from three and .738 from the line. The Mount averages 34.2 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.6 blocks a game. The Mount also averages 13.8 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 76.6 points a game and are shooting .480 from the field, .398 from thee and .743 from the line. Opponents also average 34.2 rebounds, 15.0 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.0 blocks a game, while averaging 12.2 turnovers a game. 

The Mount is led by Jalen Benjamin who averages 12.6 points a game and is shooting .400 from the field and .320 from three. He is also 15-of-16 from the line. Malik Jefferson adds 10.8 points a game. He is shooting .581 from the field and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds a game. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio enters the matchup with Mount St. Mary's with a 3-1 record and is coming off of a 77-59 loss at No. 13 Kentucky on Friday. 

The Bobcats average 75.8 points a game, while shooting .427 from the field, .373 from three and .804 from the line. The Bobcats grab 31.0 rebounds a game while dishing out an average of 15.5 assists and registering 6.7 steals a game. Ohio is averaging 8.5 turnovers a game. 

Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 71.0 points a game, while shooting .457 from the field, .282 from three and .776 from the line. Opponents are averaging 37.3 rebounds, 14.5 assists and 14.0 turnovers a game. 

Individually, Ohio is led by guard Mark Sears who is averaging 17.0 points a game, while shooting .533 from the field, .667 from three and .875 from the line. Forward Jason Carter is adding 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, while forward Ben Vander Plas is averaging 16 points a game and 8.0 rebounds. 

ALL TIME VS. THE MOUNT
This is the second all-time meeting between Ohio and The Mount. 

Ohio leads the all-time series, 1-0. 

The Bobcats and Mount St. Mary's last met on Nov. 11, 2017 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 96-77 in Athens.  

LAST TIME AGAINST MOUNT ST. MARY'S
The Bobcats and Mount St. Mary's last met on Nov. 11, 2017 in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 96-77 in Athens.  

Five players finished in double figures in points as the Ohio men's basketball team (3-2) asserted itself in a dominant 96-77 victory over Mount St. Mary's (2-4) on Friday (Nov. 24) at the Convocation Center.

The Bobcats shot a season-best 54.9 percent (39-of-71) from the field and held the advantage in rebounds (35-28), assists (19-15), steals (8-1), points in the paint (50-39), points off turnovers (23-5), second-chance points (11-8), fastbreak points (8-3) and bench points (20-9). Ohio came out on top in the first-ever meeting with the Mountaineers, who qualified for the NCAA Championship field in 2016-17 by winning the Northeast Conference tournament and achieved a 20-win season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio men's basketball team (3-1) returned to action Friday night in the second game of the Kentucky Classic, falling to No. 13 Kentucky (3-1), 77-59, inside Rupp Arena. Redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) led Ohio with 19 points. 

Vander Plas finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds and went 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from three. Redshirt fifth year forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) finished with 15 points, five rebound and went 7-of-16 from the field. Sophomore guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) wrapped up the game with 10 points and a team-leading five assists.

Overall, the Bobcats shot 36.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 70 percent from the line, while UK shot 48.3 percent from the field, 18.8 percent from three and 94.1 percent from the line. The Bobcats were outrebounded 53-17, however, the Bobcats forced 15 Wildcat turnovers while only turning the ball over five times.

For Kentucky, the were led by Keion Brooks, Jr. who has 22 points and eight rebounds, followed by TyTy Washington, Jr. with 20 points and 11 boards. The Bobcats held Oscar Tshiebwe to no points and 10 rebounds.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
Ohio has registered an impressive 528-176 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore guard Mark Sears was named the MAC Player of the Week on Nov. 16. 

Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) was stellar for the Bobcats during the opening week of the season. Overall, Sears averaged 21.0 points per game. He went 15-of-22 (.682) from the field, 5-of-6 (.833) from three and 7-of-8 (.875) from the free throw line. He added 4.0 assists per game, 4.5 rebounds a game and one steal per game.

Sears opened up the season is spectacular fashion against Belmont on opening night. Sears scored 27 points, going 10-of-11 from the field, 4-of-4 from three and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He grabbed six boards, dished out four assists and had two steals in 31 minutes on the court in Ohio's 90-82 victory. 

BVP AND JC MASTERFUL AT UK
Ben Vander Plas and Jason Carter used their experience to excel at Kentucky on Nov. 19. 

Vander Plas led the Bobcats with 19 points, while grabbing six boards. He was 8-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from three, while dishing out three assists. 

Meanwhile, Carter added 15 points and five rebounds, while going 7-of-16 from the field and registering one block. 

MILES STEPPING UP
Junior guard Miles Brown is stepping up in his new starting role. 

In four games, Brown is averaging 6.8 points and is shooting .375 from the field, .333 from three and is .800 from the line. 

IT'S LIKE HE NEVER LEFT
In his first game back in Athens, Jason Carter was back to his old self. 

Carter registered his first double double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the victory over Belmont. 

After four games, Carter is averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. He is also shooting .443 from the field, .333 from three and is 2-of-2 from the line. 

He also has two double-doubles early on this season. 

SEARS LEADING THE WAY
Since taking over point guard duties at the start of the season, Sears has quickly proven that he belongs. 

Over four game, Sears is leading Ohio with 17.0 points per game. She is shooting .533 from the field, .667 from three and .875 from the line. 

He also averages 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals a game. 

BOALS MARCH TO 100
Third-year head coach Jeff Boals currently sits with 92 career victories. 

BVP STILL STEADY
Ben Vander Plas picked up right where he left on in 2021-22 on Nov. 9. 

The forward scored 19 points and grabbed six boards in Ohio's win against Belmont. He also tied a career-high, dishing out seven assists. 

BVP is currently second on the team in scoring with 16 points per game. He also averages 8.0 rebounds, while dishing out 3.2 assists a game. Vander Plas is shooting .510 from the field and .407 from three. 

UP NEXT
Up next, the Bobcats has a few days off before returning to action on Friday, Dec. 26 when the Bobcats host Concordia for a Black Friday matchup. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. inside the Convocation Center. 

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