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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (11-10, 5-4 MAC) returned to the Convocation Center Friday night (Jan. 23) for a primetime matchup with MAC rival Akron (16-4, 7-1 MAC), falling to the Zips, 86-65.
"They're a veteran team, and they make you pay for every mistake you make," Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said. "Coming into the game, we worried about their threes, rebounding, transition points, and I thought the whole first half, we were on our heels."
As a team, Ohio made 20 shots from the field, including four three pointers. Defensively, the team tallied eight blocks while forcing 12 turnovers. On the glass, Ohio tallied 30 total rebounds.
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wisc.) led the way with 16 points and four assists. Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) tied Paveletzke for the team lead with 16 points while also contributing a team-high five rebounds. Freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) recorded another impressive game with 12 points, four rebounds and a team-leading four blocks.
"We got a lot of good shots in the first couple of minutes,we just didn't knock them down," Paveletzke said. "I feel like we let that affect our defense. We just got dominated tonight, and there's nothing else you can really say."
After starting the game with a 7-0 deficit, Paveletzke got the Bobcats going when he scored five points in two possessions to bring Ohio back to within four at 16-12. Simmons was equally effective in the game's opening minutes as he converted on each of his first two shot attempts for four early points.
Akron built its lead throughout the first half with a consistent scoring effort and strong defense. The Zips would have their momentum halted late in the second half when a commanding block by Kelly led to a bucket underneath the basket for redshirt senior forward Jalen Breath (Oklahoma City, Okla.), which would be the beginning of back-to-back buckets and three straight defensive stops for Ohio.
Paveletzke led the Bobcats with eight points going into the halftime break with a 48-26 deficit.
The Bobcats came out hot in the second half, with Kelly hitting a three on the team's first possession. A few possessions later, Simmons drove to the basket and converted an and-one to add to what would be a 6-0 Ohio run.
Simmons and Kelly continued to lead the way on offense for the Bobcats against a dominant Zips defense. The two would keep Akron from pulling away any further with seven and eight points in the second half'sfirst nine minutes, respectively.
For the fourth time in the game, Kelly met Akron at the rim for a block in the second half to give Ohio a sliver of momentum. Ohio would cut what was once a 26-point deficit to 14 as Paveletzke hit a fadeaway jumper following another defensive stop.
Akron had its way in the final minutes of the game to stop any attempt at a miraculous Ohio comeback. The Zips would win 86-65.
Up next, the Bobcats will go on the road to take on Kent State Tuesday Jan, 27. That game will tipoff at 7 p.m. ET inside the M.A.C. Center and can be seen on ESPN+.
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