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ATHENS, Ohio -- Redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) scored his 1,000th point as the Ohio men's basketball team (13-6, 9-4 MAC) defeated Eastern Michigan (4-11, 1-10 MAC), 86-67, and clinched a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday (February 25) afternoon at the Convocation Center.
"I actually didn't know I was that close until a couple weeks ago," said Vander Plas. "It's a blessing. I'm grateful to have been here the last few years and be able to hit that milestone. As cool as all that is, that's not what we're looking for as a group. The goal is to win a MAC Championship."
Vander Plas scored his 1,000th point with 9:59 left in the second half. The Bobcats extended their winning streak to six games, marking the first time that the team achieved that feat since 2013.
"Congrats to (Vander Plas) on the 1,000 points," said second-year head coach Jeff Boals. "Great person, great player. Really proud of our guys for sharing the basketball, being patient and getting the win. Our guys are playing really well and playing well together. We have great leadership. They're saying the right things in the locker room. They're saying the right things in the huddle."
As a team, Ohio won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Eastern Michigan 37-24. Assists also proved to be a big factor as the Bobcats dished out 30 to the Eagles' 12.
Four Bobcats scored in double figures. Vander Plas finished the day with 13 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out eight assists. Sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) scored a team-high 17 points while sophomore guard Lunden McDay tallied 14. Off the bench, senior forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) put up 16 points, including 10 in the first half. He went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field.
Eastern Michigan won the tip and went on a 5-0 run to start the game. A layup by Wilson III tied the game a 11 with 13 minutes to go in the half. Ohio went on a 12-0 run to put the Bobcats up 26-15. Back-to-back triples from Roderick and freshman guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) pushed the lead to 37-21 with just under two minutes to go. One final three from Eastern Michigan with 29 seconds remaining in the half gave Ohio a 39-26 lead going into the locker room.
Eastern Michigan got on the board first to start the half before Wilson III sank a pair of free throws. McDay followed up with back-to-back threes a few minutes later, bringing the score to 47-32 with 15:12 remaining. With 9:59 remaining, Vander Plas scored his 1,000th point from beyond the arc to put the Bobcats ahead by 14. The Bobcats went on a 12-0 run, including a pair of threes from Roderick and freshman guard Jalen White (Pasadena, Texas). It was all Ohio the rest of the way as the Bobcats cruised to another victory.
"It's Coach Boals and our coaches," said McDay. "They know how to get us back in shape. They built us up day-by-day. The chemistry was there in practice and it carried over to the game. We just take it day by day, game by game. Tomorrow at practice, we're going to stay locked in."
Ohio returns to action on Saturday (February 27) when Buffalo comes to town. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.
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