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ATHENS, Ohio – Despite having a 12-point lead with just under five minutes to go, the Ohio men's basketball team (6-2) was able to hold off a St. Francis (3-4) comeback, downing the Red Flash, 78-75, inside the Convocation Center. 
 
"We were very fortunate to win the game," head coach Jeff Boals said. "We knew coming in they were a good team, that they put a lot of pressure on you on the offensive and on the defensive end by driving the basketball. And I've known Coach Krimmel for a long time now and he does a very good job. They are a very well coached team, and you know, just feel fortunate to win. made enough plays at the end to get it done."
 
Ohio was led by sophomore guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) who finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes. Redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) added 13 points, while fifth year forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) and junior guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) added 10 points each, with Carter grabbing six boards and Brown dishing out three assists. 
 
Overall, Ohio shot 53.6 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three and were 9-of-14 from the line. Meanwhile, St. Francis shot 50 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from three and hit 16-of-17 free throws. Ohio outrebounded SFU, 31-27, while the Bobcats dished out 19 assists to SFU's 15. Unfortunately, the Bobcats committed 20 turnovers and St. Francis capitalized, scoring 20 points off those turnovers. 
 
The Bobcats won the tip and took an early lead with a layup from junior forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio). After SFU tied the game and took an 8-5 lead with 17:35 left in the half, back-to-back threes from Sears out the Bobcats up 11-8 entering the first media timeout. The Bobcats continued their run out of the timeout, stretching it to a 12-0 run before an SFU three and layup cut Ohio's lead back to four with 12:14 left. 

The Bobcats and Red Flash traded baskets over the next few minutes, but two threes from senior guard Tommy Schmock (Cleveland, Ohio) and Carter pushed the Bobcats to a 27-17 lead entering the under-eight media timeout. After SFU cut the Ohio lead to six, back-to-back three from Schmock and sophomore forward Sam Towns (Columbus, Ohio) pushed the Bobcats to a 12-point lead, forcing St. Francis to burn a timeout with 4:53 left in the half. 
 
After a three from Brown and a layup from Towns, the Bobcats extended their lead to 18 with 1:18 left. However, with the help of a technical foul called on Carter, SFU was able to cut the Ohio lead to 41-30 going into the half. 
 
Overall, Ohio shot 62 percent from the field, 53 percent from three and were 1-of-5 from the line. The Bobcats outrebounded St. Francis, 20-11 and dished out 11 assists, however the Bobcats turned the ball over 14 times. Meanwhile, SFU shot 39 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and were 6-of-7 from the line. 
 
Individually, Sears led Ohio at the half with 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from three. Schmock added eight points and was 2-of-2 from three, followed by Towns with seven points. 
 
Ohio opened the second half with the first points, a layup from Vander Plas. SFU then went on to cut the Ohio lead to 10 going into the first media timeout. Over the next five minutes, SFU was able to chisel away at the Ohio lead, cutting it to two with 10:47 left.  Out of the timeout, layups form Sears and Vander Plas and a dunk from freshman forward AJ Clayton (Duncan Falls, Ohio) built Ohio's lead back to 65-58 with 8:22 left in the game. 
 
Over the next four minutes, the Bobcats were able to build their lead back to double digits thanks to a three from Brown and a layup from Vander Plas, bringing the Ohio lead to 74-62 with 4:57 left in the game. Out of the timeout, SFU drained a deep three to cut the lead to seven with just under four minutes to play. 
 
Out of the media timeout, things got dicey for the Bobcats. SFU went on a 7-0 run to cut the Ohio lead to five with 2:36 to go. After a jumper from Sears put Ohio back up seven, another 6-0 run from the Red Flash cut the Ohio lead to one with 11 seconds to go. 
 
The Bobcats had possession with 11 seconds to go, before turning the ball over in SFU's zone. As time ticked down, SFU made three attempts under the basket to take their first lead since early in the first half. However, Sears was able to grad the defensive board and draw the foul, draining his two free throws and securing the 78-75 victory. 
 
"In that type of situation, we're trying not to foul and put them on the line, so we just go straight up," Sears said. "And then we just got to find a body and box out and we got to come up with that 50/50 ball, which we did and then we won the game."
 
For St. Francis, the Red Flash had five score in double figures and were led by Myles Thompson who finished with 19 points. Maxwell Land finished with 15 points and three rebounds, while Josh Cohen finished with 14 points and five boards. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats have the week off for finals and are back in action on Saturday, Dec. 11 when they head to DeLand, Fla. to take on Stetson. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. 
 
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