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OXFORD, Ohio – Led by 20-point performances from sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway and graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell, the Ohio men's basketball team (19-12, 13-5 MAC) wrapped up the regular season on Friday night (March 8), defeating Miami (15-16, 9-9 MAC), 72-59, inside Millett Hall. 
 
Overall, Ohio shot 38.5 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three and went 13-of-20 from the line, while Miami shot 36.8 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from three and were 8-of-17 from the line. Miami out-rebounded Ohio 44-40, while the Bobcats grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. Both teams dished out 11 assists, while the Bobcats forced 18 Miami turnovers and had 12 steals.
 
Individually, Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) finished with 20 points, 7-of-16 from the field, 2-of-5 from three and grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists. Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) also scored 20 points, going 7-of-14 from the field, 4-of-8 from three and grabbed six rebounds. Junior forward AJ Clayton (Roseville, Ohio) scored nine points, had five rebounds, and recorded two blocks, while senior guard Jaylin Hunter (Manchester, Conn.) scored seven points, dished out seven assists, had five rebounds and snagged four steals. Sophomore guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) finished the game with seven points and five steals. 
 
Ohio won the tip, but Miami got on the board first with a three. After Hadaway matched it with a three of his own, the two teams traded baskets before Miami took a 10-5 lead going into the first media timeout. After a three from redshirt sophomore forward Ike Cornish (Baltimore, Md.) cut the Ohio deficit to two, Miami matched it with a three of their own to take a 17-12 lead with 7:45 remaining in the half. 

After Miami took a 27-14 lead, back-to-back layups from Mitchell and Hunter cut the deficit to nine entering the final media timeout of the half. Out of the timeout over the remaining two and a half minutes, a steal by Hunter that resulted in a Hadaway three, started an 8-0 run for the Bobcats that cut the Miami lead to one. In total, the Bobcats' 12-0 run sent Ohio to halftime trailing 27-26. 
 
At the half, Ohio shot 25 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and were 5-of-9 from the line, while Miami shot 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and were 3-of-4 from the line.  Ohio out-rebounded Miami, 24-20, with 13 offensive rebounds to the RedHawks four. Ohio also dished out four assists and forced 10 Miami turnovers. 
 
Hadaway led the Bobcats at the half with 10 points, followed by Mitchell with five points and five rebounds, and Cornish with five points and three rebounds. 
 
After Miami opened the second half getting called for a technical, Ohio tied the game up at 27-27. Moments later, back-to-back threes from Hadaway gave the Bobcats a 33-30 lead early in the second half. After Miami cut the Ohio lead to one, four-straight points from James, a three from Mitchell and a dunk from Clayton increased the Ohio lead to 42-35, forcing Miami to burn a timeout with 15:10 remaining in the game. 
 
After Miami hit a three to cut the Ohio lead to four, a jumper from Mitchell and a steal and a dunk from Hunter put Ohio up eight, forcing Miami to call their second timeout of the half. Ohio continued their roll out of the timeout with a layup from Sheldon and a three from Clayton, increased the Bobcats' lead to 51-38 with 11:58 remaining in the game. 
 
After another jumper from Mitchell and free throws from Clayton after another Miami technical increased the Ohio lead to 18, Miami hit back-to-back layups, before another jumper from Mitchell put Ohio up 58-42 with 7:57 left in the game. After Miami cut the Ohio lead to 14, back-to-back threes from Mitchell and Sheldon helped put the Bobcats up 66-47 with five minutes to go in the half. 
 
Over the remaining few minutes, Miami was unable to capitalize on free throws, while a a dunk from Hadaway helped put Ohio up 70-54 with a minute to go. Over the remaining few minutes, Miami was able to cut the Ohio lead to 13, but the Bobcats hold on to take the game, 72-59.
 
For Miami, four RedHawks scored and double figures. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats open play at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday, Match 14 inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Seeding, opponents and game time will be determined following the finish of tonight's contests. 
 
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