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YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ohio men's basketball team (11-11, 3-6 MAC) returned to action Tuesday night, falling to Eastern Michigan (6-16, 3-6 MAC), 90-79, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center.
Overall, Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 45 percent from the line, while Eastern Michigan shot 57.7 percent from the field, 54.2 from three and 81.0 percent from the line. Ohio out-rebounded EMU, 37-28, while the Eagles dished out 16 assists to Ohio's nine. Both teams turned the ball over 12 times, however, EMU scored 17 points off them.
Individually, Ohio was led by graduate student forward
Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while junior guard
Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) added 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and hit five threes. Sophomore forward
AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) added 13 points, and freshman guard
Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) contributed 10 points for the Bobcats.
Ohio won the tip, but EMU got on the board first with a jumper. Moments later, James responded with a three to put Ohio up 3-2 early. After EMU responded with a jumper, a three from Hunter put the Bobcats up 6-4, however five-straight points from EMU gave them a three-point lead, however a layup from Wilson III cut the EMU lead to 9-8 going into the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, EMU took a 12-8 lead, before a three from Hunter cut the deficit to one. After the teams traded baskets, a three from Clayton tied the game at 16-16 with 11:58 left in the first half.
Out of the timeout, EMU took a five-point lead before a three from Clayton cut the deficit to two. After EMU matched it with a three of their own, layups from Clayton and Hunter cut the lead to three, before Hunter's third three of the half tied the game at 26-26. However, moments later, EMU retook the lead after a jumper out them up 28-26 with 7:49 remaining in the half. After EMU went up 33-26, a three-point play from Wilson III cut the deficit to 33-29, however EMU responded with a 4-0 run, before free throws from senior forward
Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) and a floater from Hunter cut the deficit to 37-33 going into the final media timeout of the half. After a layup from Wilson III cut the deficit to two, EMU would go on a 10-5 run over the final three minutes, taking a 47-40 lead going into halftime.
At the half, Ohio shot 51.9 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three and 62.5 percent from the line, while EMU shot 60.7 percent from the field, 58.3 percent from three and were 6-of-7 from the line. Ohio out-rebounded EMU, 15-11, however EMU forced nine Ohio turnovers and scored 12 points off them.
Individually, Hunter led the Bobcats with 13 points and three assists, followed by Clayton with 11 points, while Wilson III added five rebounds.
Both teams opened the second half by trading baskets, with Wilson III and Hunter both getting layup, cutting the deficit to five going into the first media timeout. Out of the timeout, EMU would take an eight-point lead before a layup from Clayton cut the deficit to 56-50 with 11:39 remaining in the game. Over the next four minutes, EMU was able to capitalize on missed shots from Ohio and free throw to take a 10-point lead with under eight minutes to go. Out of the timeout, a layup from Wilson III stopped the EMU run before the Eagles responded with a three. However, seconds later, James responded with a three of his own to cut the deficit back to eight with 6:48 to go. Over the remaining six minutes, the Bobcats were unable to capitalize on free throws and were unable to stop EMU's streak from beyond the arc, falling 90-79.
For Eastern Michigan, Tyson Acuff led with 29 points and six assists, while Emoni Bates scored 19 points.
Up next, the Bobcats return to Athens on Saturday, Feb 4 to take on Miami for a Sibs Weekend matchup. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center.
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