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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team opened their regular season in the Convocation Center with an 88-70 win against the Troy Trojans on Wednesday night (Nov. 8). The opening night matchup was a part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Overall, Ohio shot 45 percent from the field, 28 percent from three and was 27-of-32 from the line, while Troy shot 39 percent from the field, 37 percent from three and was 18-of-25 from the line. Troy outrebounded Ohio, 40-32, while Ohio recorded nine steals.
Individually, sophomore guard AJ Brown (Orlando, Fla.) led Ohio with 24 points and six rebounds, going 10-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) scored 20 points, going 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line, while senior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) added 11 points and four assists.
Ohio started the game with two three-pointers from AJ Brown and Hunter, giving the Bobcats an early 6-2 headstart. With a jumper from AJ Brown and a free throw by senior center Gabe Wiznitzer (Walhalla, S.C.), Ohio jumped ahead of the Trojans by seven in the first five minutes. The Bobcats and Trojans traded jumpers before going into the first media timeout with 11:10 remaining in the half.
Out of the timeout, the Trojans closed the gap but graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) responded, going two-for-two at the free-throw line. The Trojans made a layup off of a defensive turnover and hit back-to-back three-point jumpers to cut the lead to two with 6:26 left in the half.
James kick-started an 18-0 run for the Bobcats, knocking down four free throws and a three-point jumper. Points from fifth-year guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y), Hunter and junior forward AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) continued to pile on the Trojans. Going into the locker room, the Bobcats led 43-28.
At the half, Ohio shot 43 percent from the field, 29 percent from three and were 15-for-17 from the line. On the other end of the court, Troy shot 33 percent from the field, 31 percent from three and were 4-of-6 from the line. Tory outrebounded Ohio 18-17, but Ohio forced 11 turnovers, scoring 16 points off them.
AJ Brown led the Bobcats in the first half with 13 points and two rebounds, followed by 11 points and four rebounds from James. Hunter also added seven points, going 4-for-4 from the line.
The Trojans opened the second half with a layup, but AJ Brown quickly responded with a three-point jumper. Troy continued to crawl back, challenging Ohio's interior defense and creating a flurry of free-throws.
The Bobcats and Trojans continued to trade jumpers, with Ohio still leading 56-48 going into the media timeout with 12:46 left in the half. Coming out of the timeout, Troy continued to put pressure on Ohio, closing the gap to just six points at 69-63.
A timeout from head coach Jeff Boals settled things down for the Bobcats. James came out of the break and found an open shot in the corner. His three-pointer fell, sending the Convo crowd into a frenzy.
Ohio never looked back. Strong free-throw shooting and timely defense helped Ohio pull away. The final buzzer rang and the Bobcats secured an 88-70 opening night win.
For Troy, Christy Eugene had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Aame Muhammed and Myles Rigsby both added nine points.
The Bobcats will travel to Cleveland State on Saturday, Nov. 11 to take on the Vikings. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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