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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (9-9, 3-3 MAC) returned to action on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 20) for a matinee matchup, defeating Eastern Michigan (8-10, 3-3 MAC), 85-67 inside the Convocation Center. 

Overall, Ohio shot 56.4 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from three and were 12-of-20 from the line, while Eastern Michigan shot 41.3 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from three and went 10-of-14 from the line. Ohio outrebounded Eastern Michigan 37-33 and snagged five steals. The Bobcats also forced 11 turnovers against the Eagles and scored 22 points off them. 

Individually, sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) led Ohio with a career-high 20 points. Senior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) added 14 points, five rebounds and snagged two steals. Fifth year guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) also recorded seven points, nine rebounds, and five assists. 

Eastern Michigan started hot, winning the tip and getting on the board early with a jumper. Ohio quickly responded with a layup from Mitchell to tie the scoreboard. With 16:33 left in the half, Ohio earned its first lead in the game with another layup from Mitchell assisted by Hadaway. Both teams traded baskets, keeping the score deficit to one point. The Eagles gained a three-point lead, but a three-point jumper from Hadaway tied the score 13-13 with 13:35 on the clock. Ohio would continue to grow its offensive lead with back-to-back layups from Hunter and a three-point jumper from sophomore guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio), forcing Eastern Michigan to call a timeout. 

Out of the timeout, a three-point jumper from redshirt sophomore guard/forward Ike Cornish (Baltimore, Md.), assisted by Brown, gave Ohio a nine-point lead with 9:50 remaining in the half. The Bobcats would continue to stifle the Eagles on defense, forcing them to be in a scoring drought for almost four minutes of play. Hadaway and Hunter helped offensively in the half scoring a combined 19 points. Ohio would continue to lead offensively for the remainder of the half. Going into the locker room, Ohio led 46-28. 

At the half, Ohio shot 59.3 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three and were 7-of-12 from the line, while Eastern Michigan shot 36.7 percent from the field, 9.1 percent from three and were 5-of-6 from the line. Eastern Michigan outrebounded Ohio 19-16. 

Individually, Hadaway led Ohio with 11. Hunter added eight points and recorded four assists. Mitchell and Brown both added seven points for Ohio. ??Senior center Gabe Wiznitzer (Walhalla, S.C.) added four rebounds and Sheldon added three rebounds and recorded one steal. 

Hadaway opened the scoring for both teams in the second half with a layup. Ohio continued to press on defense with a steal from Brown and a block by Mitchell. Wiznitzer made two back-to-back layups, one of them was scored on a fast break assisted by Brown. The Bobcats led 70-44 with 9:09 remaining in the game. 

Hadaway had an exciting play of the half with a dunk off of a fast break assisted by Brown, followed by junior forward AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) scoring a three-point jumper forcing the Eagles to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Ohio continued its offensive lead with jumpers from Clayton and Hunter. Sophomore guard Quinn Corna (Columbus, Ohio) added a point to the board with a made free throw and added a block on the defensive end. Ohio secured the win 85-67. 

Up next, Ohio will travel to Akron to take on the Zips on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. 

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