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ATHENS, Ohio – Led by a career-high 27 points from redshirt fifth year forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio), the Ohio men's basketball team (19-3, 10-1 MAC) defeated Western Michigan (4-19, 0-12 MAC), 77-64, Saturday afternoon inside the Convocation Center. 
 
The Bobcats' 19-3 record sets the mark for the best start through 22 games in program history. The Bobcats' 10-1 mark in conference play also moved the Bobcats into first place in the MAC. 
 
"Really proud of our guy's effort tonight. Third game in five days and they were going through the same thing," head coach Jeff Boals said. "We knew it'd be a tough challenge. That team plays really hard. They probably should have three wins or four wins. They've been in a lot of games that they haven't been able close them out kind of like this one. But they continue to play hard. Another awesome crowd with 7,588 people. It got loud in there and you know, great week for our guys."
 
Overall, Ohio shot 49 percent from the field, 26 percent from three and 50 percent from the line, while WMU shot 45 percent from the field, 41 percent from three and 69 percent from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Broncos, 36-28, while Ohio dished out 14 assists to their eight. The Bobcats also forced 16 WMU turnovers and scored 24 points off them. 
 
Individually, Carter scored a career-high 27 points, going 12-of-17 from the field and 2-of-4 from three. He also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) scored 25 points, going 10-of-18 from the field, 3-of-5 from three, while grabbing six boards and dishing out six assists. Redshirt senior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon Wis.) added a double double of his own with 14 points and 11 rebounds. 
 
"I mean, just all the credit to my teammates for getting me the ball when I was open," Carter said. "And you know that second half stretch, I just put my head down and was just really aggressive. And again, I just have great teammates. It allows me to get open and get those shots."
 
Western won the tip to open the game and got the first five points before a layup from Sears got Ohio on the board. After a WMU three, layups from Carter and Vander Plas and a free throw from junior guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) cut the Ohio deficit to 12-7 with 16:01 left in the half. However, another three from WMU gave the Broncos a 15-7 lead going into the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, WMU went up 10, however, a layup from Carter and a three and jumper from Sears cut the WMU lead to 17-14 with 12:03 left in the half. 
 
Out of the timeout, the Bobcats continued their 14-0 run that included a three from senior guard Tommy Schmock (Cleveland, Ohio) and a layup from freshman forward IJ Ezuma (Raleigh, N.C.) that gave the Bobcats a 21-17 lead. After WMU cut the Ohio lead to one twice, another Ezuma layup out that Bobcats up 25-22 going into the under-eight media timeout. After back-to-back threes from Carter and Vander Plas, the Bobcats took a seven-point lead with 5:58 left in the half. After a WMU three cut the Ohio lead to four, a layup from Vander Plas put the Bobcats up 33-27 going into the final media timeout.
 
Out of the timeout, WMU tied the game at 35-35 before a layup from Cater put the Bobcats back up two. After WMU took a two-point lead with 12 seconds remaining in the half, Sears drained a three at the buzzer, giving Ohio a 40-39 lead going into halftime. 
 
At the half, Ohio shot 57 percent from the field, 36 percent from three and were 1-of-5 from the line. Meanwhile, WMU shot 58 percent from the field, 43 percent from three and were 5-of-6 from the line. Ohio outrebounded WMU, 14-12, while Ohio dished out 10 assists to the Broncos' four.
 
Individually, Sears led Ohio with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Carter added 11 points, while going 5-of-6 from the field. Vander Plas added seven points and four rebounds. 
 
Western Michigan opened the second half by taking a three-point lead. Carter then went on a 10-2 run of his own to put the Bobcats back up on top, giving Ohio a 52-46 lead with 15:27 left in the game. After WMU cut the lead to four, a dunk from Carter and four-straight points from Sears put Ohio up 10 with 13:35 remaining in the half. After a WMU three to cut the lead to six, back-to-back layups from junior forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) and Vander Plas gave the Bobcats a 64-54 lead with 10:29 left in the game. Out of the timeout, two more points from Carter helped the Bobcats go up 13, before a jumper from WMU cut the Ohio lead to 11 with 7:37 remaining in the game. 
 
Out of the timeout, the Bobcats offense continued to push the WMU defense, with layups from Carter and Sears increasing the Ohio lead to 15 going into the final media timeout. Out of the timeout, WMU was able to cut the lead to nine, however a final three from Sears sealed the deal and secured Ohio's 77-64 victory. 
 
For WMU, Lamar Norman, Jr. scored 30 points, going 11-of-18 from the field and 5-of-10 from three. Mileek McMillan added 11 points, while Markeese Hastings scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats hit the road for three-straight games, starting on Tuesday, Feb. 8 when Ohio takes on Toledo. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Savage Arena. 
 
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