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NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Ohio men's basketball team (4-2) wrapped up play at the 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship Sunday afternoon (Nov. 26), defeating Brown (2-6), 82-77, to finish the tournament in fifth place. 
 
Overall, Ohio shot 52 percent from the field, 54 percent from three and were 17-of-25 from the line, while Brown shot 47 percent from the field, 30 percent from three and were 20-of-28 from the line. Brown outrebounded the Bobcats, 34-24, while Ohio had 10 steals and dished out 12 assists. 
 
Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Ned.) recorded another career-high with 24 points, while going 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from three. Senior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists, while sophomore guard Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) scored 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists. 
 
Ohio won the tip and got on the board first with a jumper from Hunter. After Brown matched it with a three, James' first points of the game gave Ohio the lead back again. After the teams traded baskets, a three from Hunter and a layup from James, gave Ohio a 15-7 lead, forcing Brown to call a timeout with 15:11 left in the first half. Another three from Brown cut the lead to five, however free throws from Mitchell and another driving layup from James put the Bobcats up 21-12 with 10:51 left in the half. 
 
A three from junior forward AJ Clayton (Rosevile, Ohio) out of the timeout increased the Ohio lead to 12. After Brown countered with a breakaway layup, a tip in layup from senior center Gabe Wiznitzer (Walhalla, S.C.) put the Bobcats back up 12 going into the under-eight media timeout. After the Bears cut the Ohio lead to 10, a three from Mitchell sparked a 9-0 run to put Ohio up 19 at the 4:20 mark. After a layup and a free throw cut the lead to 16, a three from sophomore guard AJ Brown (Orlando, Fla.) put the Bobcats up 38-19 going into the final media timeout. 
 
Out of the timeout, Brown went on an 8-0 run to cut the Ohio lad to 38-27, forcing Ohio to burn a timeout with 57 seconds remaining in the half. Brown was able to get another jumper before the end of the half, cutting the Ohio lead to 38-30 going into the locker room. 
 
At the half, Ohio shot 47 percent from the field, 67 percent from three and were 4-of-4 from the line, while Brown shot 35 percent from the field, 20 percent from three and were 9-of-9 from the line. Brown outrebounded Ohio, 20-12, while Ohio had five steals and four assists. 
 
Mitchell led the Bobcats with nine points, followed by James with eight points and four rebounds. 
 
Ohio opened the second half with a three from James and a steal from Mitchell and a layup from hunter to give Ohio a 14-point lead. After Brown cut it to six after a three, a 10-0 run by the Bobcats put them up 53-37, forcing The Bears to call a timeout with 16:18 left in the second half. A 5-0 run from the Bobcats out them back up 19, however, a 9-2 run from Brown once again cut the Ohio lead to 13 with under 12 minutes to play. 
 
Brown would continue to chip away at the Ohio lead, capitalizing on fouls to cut the Ohio lead to six. After a layup from Wiznitzer put the Bobcats back up eight, another layup from Brown cut the Ohio lead to 67-61 with 6:56 remaining. Once Brown cut the Ohio lead to four, a jumper from Hunter and free throws from Mitchell put Ohio back up nine. After Brown cut the lead to four, two free throws from Mitchell put Ohio back up 76-70 entering the final media timeout. 
 
Out of the timeout, Brown cut the Ohio lead to three, however, a jumper from Mitchell and an offensive rebound and a layup from James gave Ohio an 80-73 lead with 18.8 seconds left. Brown would once again cut the Ohio lead to four with 3.8 seconds, the Bobcats were able to hit throws down the stretch, securing the 82-77 victory. 
 
For Brown, Kino Lily, Jr. finished the game with 21 points, while Nana Owusu-Anane finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. 
 
Up next, Ohio returns to Athens on Saturday, Dec. 2 when they host Delaware. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. 
 
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