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KENT, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (10-10, 4-4 MAC) returned to action Friday night (Jan. 26), defeating Kent State (10-10, 3-4 MAC) 71-64 inside the M.A.C. Center. It is the first time since 2014 that the Bobcats earned a win at Kent State.
Overall, Ohio shot 44.6 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three and were 8-of-13 from the line, while Kent State shot 42.4 percent from the field, 17.4 percent from three and were 10-of-18 from the line. Kent State outrebounded the Bobcats 41-33, however the Bobcats dished out 16 assists, had 11 steals and forced 15 Kent State turnovers, scoring 16 points off them.
Individually, senior guard
Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) led Ohio with 17 points, going 6-of-10 from the field, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists. Graduate student guard
Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) added 16 points, had five assists and forced four steals, while sophomore guard
Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) added 12 points, going 4-of-5 from three. Sophomore forward
Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) added 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds and three steals, while junior forward
AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) scored 11 points and had five rebounds.
Kent State opened the game on a 6-0 run before back-to-back baskets from Hadaway and a three from Clayton gave Ohio a 9-8 lead, forcing Kent State to burn a timeout with 14:07 remaining in the first half. Out of the timeout, Ohio took a 15-8 lead, however, the Flashes would go on an 8-0 run to erase the Bobcats' lead and take a 16-15 lead, forcing Ohio to burn a 30-second timeout with 10:10 remaining in the half.
Ohio retook the lead right out of the timeout with a three from Sheldon. After Kent State tied it at 18-18 on free throws, a steal and a jumper from Hadaway put the Bobcats back up on top entering the under-eight media timeout. Out of the timeout, an 8-0 run from Ohio, highlighted with back-to-back threes from Clayton, increased Ohio's lead to 28-20, before a Kent State cut the Ohio lead to three entering the final media timeout of the half.
After Kent State took a two-point lead on an and-one play with a minute to go in the half, a steal and a three from Sheldon helped give the Bobcats a 33-32 lead going into halftime.
At the half, Ohio shot 41.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and were 2-of-2 from the line, while Kent State shot 46.2 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and were 6-of-7 from the line. Kent State outrebounded Ohio, 18-14, while the Bobcats forced 10 Kent State turnovers, scoring 14 points off them.
Individually, Clayton led Ohio with nine points, while Hadaway added six points and five rebounds, followed by Sheldon and Mitchell with six points each.
Both teams opened the half trading baskets before a dunk from Hadaway and a three from Hunter put Ohio up 43-39, forcing Kent State to call a timeout with 16:16 remaining in the game. Out of the timeout, a layup from Mitchell and a three from Sheldon increased the Ohio lead to 48-39 entering the media timeout. Out of the timeout, Kent State went on a 9-2 run to cut the Ohio lead to two with 11:57 remaining in the game.
After Kent State missed two free throws out of the timeout, threes from Mitchell, Hadaway and Sheldon sparked a 9-0 run for Ohio, putting the Bobcats up 59-48 with 7:30 remaining in the game. After Kent State cut the Ohio lead to three, a free throw from Clayton and a layup from Hunter put the Bobcats back up six, forcing Kent State to call their final timeout of the game with 3:46 remaining in the game. Out of the timeout, Kent State was able to cut the Ohio lead to three points with 2:03 remaining. However, a three from Hunter and free throws from Mitchell helped seal the 71-64 victory and road win for the Bobcats.
For Kent State, Tyem Freeman led with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Payton, Jr. Scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Up next, Ohio returns to Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 30 to take on Buffalo. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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