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ATHENS, Ohio – Led by a career-high 30 points from redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas, the Ohio men's basketball team completed the season sweep of Miami, downing the RedHawks, 91-78, Tuesday night inside the Convocation Center. 
 
The win is the sixth-straight over Miami and with a Toledo loss, the Bobcats have moved into sole possession of first place in the MAC. 
 
"What an awesome, phenomenal crowd tonight," head coach Jeff Boals said. "The student section was absolutely incredible. And you know, there's no better atmosphere. I've said it from day one. And to see the fans turnout, community turnout, the students, the band, dance cheer, you know, just that's what this environment is all about and it really helped us. They got loud and I got into it. We had a couple of recruits here. And that always helps with recruiting because we talk about it and then once they see it, that was huge. But give our guys a lot of credit. We got off to a slow start. [Myja] White, I think he was averaging two points, maybe coming in, hit three threes there in the first 9-10 minutes. And we were down 10 at some point. Our defense really picked up from that point on from the 11 minute mark to halftime and we got off to a good start in the second half, which is what we wanted to do. We're leading by three at the end of the first war and just kind of kept extending it, war by war by war and finish it out with a win."
 
Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) led Ohio with 30 points, going 9-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from three and 9-of-10 from the line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and had three steals. Sophomore guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) added 23 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 8-of-20 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line. He also dished out six assists and had two steals. Senior guard Tommy Schmock (Cleveland, Ohio) added a DI career-high 18 points, going 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. 
 
Overall, Ohio shot 50.9 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three and were 22-of-24 from the line, while Miami shot 47.7 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from three and were 3-of-6 from the line. Ohio outrebounded Miami, 35-30, and dished out 14 assists, while the RedHawks dished out 16. Ohio also forced 11 Miami turnovers and had eight steals. 
 
Ohio won the tip, but Miami got on the board first with a three. After Sears tied the game with a layup and a free throw, Miami and freshman forward IJ Ezuma (Raleigh, N.C.), making his first collegiate start, kept the game at 7-7. After the RedHawks took a five-point lead, a three from Vander Plas cut the lead to two before a second chance layup from Miami made the score 15-10 going into the first media timeout.  Out of the timeout, Vander Plas hit three free throws to cut the Miami lead to two, a Miami three brought the lead back to five. After a three from freshman forward AJ Clayton (Duncan Falls, Ohio), Miami hit two-straight threes giving them a 24-16 lead with 11:10 left in the half. 
 
After the Bobcats and RedHawks traded baskets, a three from Schmock pushed the Bobcats within three. However, a jumper from Miami gave the RedHawks a five-point lead again with seven minutes to go in the half. Out of the timeout, Miami increased its lead to nine, however, a three and four-straight free throws from Vander Plas cut the RedHawks lead to two before a driving layup from Roderick tied the game at 35-35 with 2:40 to go in the half. 
 
After Miami went back up two, a three from Schmock gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game with two minutes to go in the half. After Miami went back up one, a free throw from Vander Plas tied the game at 39-39 going into the half. 
 
At the half, Ohio shot 46 percent from the field, 31 percent from three and were 10-of-12 from the line, while Miami shot 47 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and were 3-of-5 from the line. Miami outrebounded the Bobcats 18-15, while both teams turned the ball over six times. 
 
Individually, Vander Plas led all scorers with 18 points and five rebounds, while Schmock added six points, while Sears added five points, five rebounds and four assists. 
 
The Bobcats opened the half with a layup from Vander Plas to give Ohio a two-point lead. After the teams traded baskets, a three from Miami gave the RedHawks a three-point lead, however Vander Plas immediately matched it to tie the game at 47-47. After that, a three from junior guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) and a layup from Sears, the Bobcats took a three-point lead going into the first media timeout. 
 
Out of the timeout, the Bobcats and RedHawks traded baskets before two threes from Schmock and a three from Brown gave the Bobcats a 64-56 lead, forcing Miami to call a timeout with 12:01 left in the game. Out of the timeout, layups from Sears and Schmock increased the Ohio lead to 12 points before a Miami layup cut the lead to 68-58 with 7:56 left in the game. 
 
Out of the timeout, a Miami three helped cut the Ohio lead to nine, however a layup and a three from Sears gave the Bobcats a 79-67 lead going into the final media timeout. Out of the timeout, Miami was unable to force the comeback and the Bobcats hit their free throws down the stretch, sealing the 91-78 victory. 
 
For Miami, Dae Dae Grant led with 22 points, while Mekhi Lairy added 18 points and six assists. Myja White finished the game with 11 points. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats are back on the road on Friday, Feb. 18 when they take on Kent State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on CBS Sports Network. 
 
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