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ATHENS, Ohio — There were 39 seconds on the clock when graduate student guard Shereef Mitchell (Omaha, Neb.) sank a 3-pointer to cut Toledo's lead to two points on Tuesday night (Jan. 28). Ohio had a chance to take a victory away from Toledo in the last few seconds, and it had a plan.
However, the Rockets (12-8, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) had one of their own that sent the Bobcats (11-9, 5-3 MAC) back to the locker room with a 86-83 loss.
"That's the one thing we kept on talking about, just fighting to get the lead. We had to get stops. I give (the Rockets) credit, they made a lot of tough shots, especially in the shot clock, and we didn't make one play enough, but I give them credit," head coach Jeff Boals said.
The Bobcats were down quick in the first half, but a technical on the Rockets provided the breakout moment they needed. The Rockets soon found themselves on the short side of a 13-2 run. However, the Bobcats' dominance stalled for the rest of the first half as the two teams traded baskets until the Rockets solidified their lead.
Ohio surged after halftime, though. Redshirt sophomore guard AJ Brown (Orlando, Fla.) knocked in 19 points in the second half alone. He and junior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) lead the team with 22 points each. Brown, alongside graduate student forward Vic Searls (Hilliard, Ohio), also led the team in rebounds with eight. That total marked a new career high for Brown.
"I think in the first half I was sped up, I wasn't calm," Brown said. "Then in the second half, I just relaxed, got into myself and just tried to give my team the best chance to win that game.
The power wasn't enough to push the Bobcats through, though. The loss marked their first in The Convo this season.
Ohio finished the night 31-for-69 (45%) from the field, 8-for-19 (42%) from beyond the arc and 13-for-17 (76%) from the line. It also collected 33 rebounds to Toledo's 40.
Next up for Ohio is a trip to Oxford, Ohio, on February 1 to take on Miami. Tip off is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be viewed on ESPN+.
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