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ATHENS, Ohio -- After a three-week hiatus, four Bobcats scored in double-digits to power the Ohio men's basketball team (12-6, 8-4 MAC) to a 90-73 victory over Akron (14-5, 12-4 MAC) on Tuesday (February 23) afternoon at the Convocation Center.

Ohio didn't miss a beat in its return to action for the first time since February 2. The victory extended a season-high win streak to five games. The game also marked the 700th game in the Convocation Center.

Ohio scored 40 of their 90 points in the paint and held Akron to shooting 38.8 percent from the field, including just 25 percent (8-of-32) from three-point range. The Bobcats also forced 12 turnovers. 

"I give our guys a lot of credit for playing with a lot of confidence," said second-year head coach Jeff Boals. "Rebounding in the second half was really big."

Sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) was one of four Bobcats to score in double-digits, scoring 17 points, with 13 coming from the first half. Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) also added 17 points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) put up 12 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven boards while sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) added 10 points and four rebounds. Off the bench, sophomore guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 12 points. 

Akron won the tip, but Roderick got the Bobcats on the board first with a three from downtown. Threes proved to be critical early on as Ohio drained four of them as well as a pair of free throws to open the game. The Bobcats held a 16-9 lead with 11:01 remaining in the first half. A 9-0 run by Akron put the game within five with under nine minutes to go. Freshman guard Jalen White (Pasadena, Texas) re-entered the game and hit his second three of the day to keep the lead at seven before Akron sank back-to-back threes. A layup by junior forward Rifen Miguel (Luanda, Angola) with under a minute to go put the Bobcats up 41-32 at halftime. 

Vander Plas got things started in the second half, scoring the first six points. Ohio pushed its lead as high as 18 points before the Zips began battling back. A layup from sophomore guard Mikal Dawson and jumper from senior guard Loren Christian Jackson brought Akron within 11 with 11:30 remaining. The Bobcats went on a 13-2 run to push their lead to 22 with under nine to go. Akron went on a 9-0 run, which Ohio countered with a 9-0 run of its own with just over three minutes remaining. Ohio never let off the pressure, going on to seal the victory.

"The bench stepped up and gave good energy," said Vander Plas. "If we have the same energy as this afternoon, a lot could change."

The Bobcats return to action on Thursday (February 25) with a Mid-American Conference match-up with Eastern Michigan. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center. The contest can be watched on ESPN3.

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