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HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Despite a 22-point performance from redshirt sophomore guard
AJ Brown, the Ohio men's basketball team (4-6) was unable to overcome Marshall (6-5), falling to The Herd, 79-70, inside the Cam Henderson Center.
Overall, Ohio shot 38.5 percent from the field, 30 percent from three and were 11-of-11 from the line, while Marshall shot 52.7 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three and were 13-of-19 from the line, Both teams grabbed 35 rebounds, while Ohio dished out 17 assists, had seven steals and forced 12 turnovers, while Marshall dished out 10 assists, had 10 steals and forced 11 turnovers.
Individually, Brown (Orlando, Fla.) led the Bobcats with 22 points, going 8-of-17 from the field, 3-of-8 from three and was 3-for-3 from the line. He also grabbed four rebounds. Senior forward
AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) finished with 16 points, going 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-6 from three and grabbing five rebounds. Junior guard
Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wisc.) added 10 points and 12 assists, while graduate student forward
Vic Searls (Hilliard, Ohio) added eight rebounds.
Marshall won the tip and got on the board first, however a driving layup from Paveletzke tied the game at 2-2. After Marshall took a 6-2 lead, Ohio cut the lead to two. After Marshall went up six, back-to-back layups from Brown and junior forward
Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) cut the Ohio deficit to 10-8 going into the first media timeout. The two teams continued to trade baskets; however, Marshall would go on a 4-0 run to take an 18-10 lead with 11:53 left in the half.
Out of the timeout, Marshall took a 10-point lead, however, Ohio went on a 12-4 run with threes from Brown and Clayton, cutting the deficit to 24-22 with 6:41 remaining in the half. Out of the timeout, a jumper from Clayton and a three from Brown gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game, forcing Marshall to call a timeout with 4:54 remaining in the half. Out of the timeout, Marshall retook the lead before a layup from Searls tied the game at 29-29, before a three from The Herd put them back up three going into the final media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Ohio cut the deficit to five, however, Marshall hit a three at the buzzer to take a 41-33 lead into halftime.
At the half, Ohio shot 43 percent from the field, 27 percent from three and went 4-of-4 from the line, while Marshall shot 53 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and went 4-of-5 from the line. Both teams recorded 16 rebounds, while Ohio dished out seven assists and scored 20 points in the paint.
Marshall opened the second half on a 7-0 run, taking a 48-33 lead and forcing Ohio to burn a timeout with 19:21 left in the game. Out of the timeout, a three from Hadaway and a three-point play from Brown cut the Bobcats' deficit to nine with15:49 left in the game. Free throws from junior guard
Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) cut the deficit to seven, however, The Herd went on a 4-0 run to take an 11-point lead. After Marshall went up 13, a three and a driving layup from Brown cut the Ohio deficit to 54-46 going into the under-12 media timeout.
The two teams continued to trade baskets before a three from Marshall put The Herd up 11, however James matched it with a three of his own, once again cut the Bobcats' deficit to eight going to the under-eight media timeout. A three from Clayton cut the deficit to seven, however moments later, a 5-0 run from Marshall put The Herd back up 12 with 4:36 to go.
A three from Clayton cut the Ohio deficit to nine. After the Bobcats started to foul, Ohio was able to cut the Marshall lead to five before free throws from The Herd out the back up seven with 28.4 seconds left. Ohio was unable to cut into the lead anymore, falling 79-70.
For Marshall, Mikal Dawson led with 27 points, going 6-of-9 from three, while Jalen Speer had 12 points and Obinna Anochili-Killen added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Up next, the Bobcats return to Athens for one more matchup before the Holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 18 when Ohio hosts Austin Peay. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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