FOLLOW OHIO MEN'S BASKETBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
ATHENS, Ohio — Senior forward AJ Clayton's (Roseville, Ohio) impressive day led lifted Ohio over Northern Illinois (4-11, 0-3 MAC) 108-70 Saturday afternoon. The win marked the first time Ohio (9-6, 3-0 MAC) scored 100 or more points against a MAC opponent in regulation since 1997.
"We came in talking about passing up a good shot for a great shot. I thought we did that phenomenally," head coach Jeff Boals said.
Ohio scored first on a clean pass to junior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) in the paint. Moments later, Clayton notched his 1,000 career point on a crisp 3-pointer.
"It's great, especially to score that in four years, being here all four, it means a lot. Especially being from this area," Clayton said.
3-pointers seemed to be the theme for Clayton, who set a new career high today. His 9-for-10 performance from beyond the arc featured the most he'd made in a game thus far. It also marked the most individual 3-pointers in a game for a Bobcat since Jordan Dartis knocked eight against Eastern Michigan in 2020. Overall, the Bobcats shot 17-for-31 (54.8%) from beyond the arc.
Clayton's 31-point performance also lifted him above Jason Preston in career points at Ohio. The senior now sits at 41st all-time.
There wasn't a point where the Bobcats didn't have the lead after the opening drive. Clayton's synergy combined with a 19-point performance from junior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) powered the Bobcats to score 100 or more points in regulation over a MAC opponent for the first time in The Convo.
"I've never seen something like (AJ) before. He's crazy," Paveletzke said. "We really try to find the hot hand, and if someone's not missing, like he was tonight (we give them the ball.)"
Ohio finished the afternoon 37-for-60 (61.7%) from the field. It also shot 17-for-25 (68%) from the line, with graduate student Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) going 6-for-6. Mitchell also scored a season-high 15 points. He finished 3-for-7 from the field with three 3-pointers.
Mitchell and Paveletzke tied for the most assists on the afternoon with five each.
The Bobcats were led by Hadaway on defense. He finished the day with 11 rebounds — his second-most of the season — en route to a strong team defensive outing.
"We kept getting stops, the run outs, push outs, and even against their zone, our guys followed the game plan to a tee. They kept moving, kept cutting. They weren't stagnant," Boals said.
Ohio will be back in action on Tuesday against Ball State. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. in The Convo and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
#OUOhyeah
