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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (4-5) returned to action on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 7), defeating Morehead State (3-6), 88-76, inside the Convocation Center.  

Individually, junior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) scored a season-high 23 points, going 10-of-19 from the field including one from three, while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Elmore James (Cleveland, Ohio) added 16 points on 6-of-8 night from the field and 2-of-4 from three. Senior forward AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) added 14 points on 75 percent shooting, while junior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) scored 12 points, going 4-of-5 from the field and dished out a team-high four assists.  

Overall, Ohio shot 53.2 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from three and were 15-of-18 from the line, while Morehead State shot 41 percent from the field, 43.5 percent from three and were 16-of-24 from the line. Ohio outrebounded Morehead State, 35-32, while the Bobcats dished out 10 assists to Morehead State's 15. Ohio also forced 14 turnovers and scored 17 points off them.  

The Bobcats won the tip and got on the board first with a tip in layup from Clayton. Clayton followed with a block to set Brown on the fast break and the 4-0 lead. After Morehead State hit a three, Ohio responded with a 10-0 run, capped off by a converted and-one from Clayton for a 14-3 lead.  

Morehead State responded with a 9-0 run of their own, slimming their deficit to two at 14-12. Clayton's strong start continued, with a jumper and free throw for the 17-12 lead. Moments later, James got into the scoring column, making a layup followed by a three, giving Ohio the six-point lead with 8:00 remaining in the half.  

The Bobcats sparked a 10-3 run highlighted by a dunk from graduate student forward Vic Searls (Hilliard, Ohio) to extend the lead back to double digits at 29-19. The Eagles answered with a 12-4 run, getting within two points at 33-31. However, Paveletzke took advantage of two Morehead State turnovers with layups to give Ohio a 39-33 lead going into halftime.  

At half, Ohio shot 48.5 percent from the field, were 3-of-13 from three and 4-of-5 from the line, while Morehead State shot 37.5% from the field, were 3-of-10 from three and went 6-of-8 from the line. Ohio out-rebounded Morehead State, 19-of-18, while Ohio dished out five assists, had one block and two steals.  



Ohio got the second half started with a three from Hadaway and a fast break layup from Paveletzke for the 44-33 advantage. The Bobcats continued pushing the pace, scoring a pair of fastbreak layups to take a 13-point lead three minutes into the half, forcing Morehead State to call a timeout.  

The Bobcats began to pull ahead. After an Eagles three, Hadaway's jumper began a 15-4 run for the Bobcats, giving Ohio a 63-42 lead with 12:26 remaining. The teams traded baskets before a Morehead State three and dunk cut the Bobcats lead to 15. Hadaway quickly answered with an alleyoop delivered from Paveletzke, setting the score at 79-60 with 5:47 remaining.  

The remaining five minutes of the game saw Ohio continue to hold steady, securing the 88-76 victory.  

For Morehead State, Tyler Brelsford led the Eagles with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Jalen Breazeale added 13 points and three assists.  

The Bobcats will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 14 to take on Marshall in Huntington, W. Va. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.  

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