Ohio Men’s Basketball Defeats NC A&T, 80-70, in Home Opener

Saturday, November 7

Athens, Ohio

1 p.m. ET

2-0,0-0MAC

NC A&T

0-1,0-0CAA

Team	1	2	F
N.C. A&T	31	39	70
Ohio	38	42	80

Roster Card Ohio Notes Digital Guide

11/7/2026 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (2-0) returned to action Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7), opening the home slate with an 80-70 victory over NC A&T (1-1) inside the Convocation Center.

Overall, Ohio shot 50.9 percent from the field, 46.2 percent from three and were 18-of-25 from the line, while NC A&T shot 38.3 percent from the field, 22.7 percent from three and were 19-of-25 from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Aggies 42-29 and dished out 15 assists to NC A&T's eight.

Individually, redshirt senior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) led the Bobcats with 18 points, going 8-of-11 from the field and added six rebounds. Freshman guard Ché Brogan (Melbourne, Australia) had a career-high 18 points, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including one three. Sophomore forward Dusan Makitan (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina) recorded a double double, contributing 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Fifth year guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) scored his 1000th career point with the Bobcats, finishing the game with 10 points, five rebounds and six assists.

The Aggies got on the board first, taking an early 5-0 lead. Moments later, Paveletzke connected on a driving layup to get the Bobcats on the board, recording his 1,000th point in an Ohio uniform. After a three from graduate wing Siebe Ledegen (Aalst, Belgium) cut the Ohio deficit to 9-5, the Aggies went up eight, before five-straight points from Simmons and a three from Makitan, cut the deficit to 16-13 with 12:42 remaining in the half.

After a put-back layup from Simmons cut the deficit to two, NC A&T went back up five, before two more points from Simmons and a three-point play from Brogan tied the game at 20-20. Moments later, the Aggies hit a three, but another layup from Brogan cut the deficit to 23-22 at the under-eight media timeout.

Out of the break, two more points from Simmons, a layup from Ledegen and another three-point play from Brogan gave the Bobcats a 29-27 lead. After NC A&T tied the game up on free throws, back-to-back threes from redshirt junior guard Kolton Mitchell (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) and Ledegen put the Bobcats up 35-29 with 4:04 to go in the first half, forcing the Aggies to burn a timeout. After Ohio took a nine-point lead, the Aggies were able to connect on a driving layup at the end of the half to cut the Ohio lead to 38-31 going into halftime.

At the half, Ohio shot 54 percent from the field, 56 percent from three and 60 percent from the line, while NC A&T shot 39 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and 80 percent from the line. Ohio outrebounded the Aggies, 20-14, while the Bobcats dished out eight assists.

Simmons led Ohio at the break with 12 points and four rebounds, while Ledegen added eight points, with Makitan grabbing six board.

Ohio opened the second half on a 6-0 run to take a 44-31 lead with 18:05 remaining. However, the Bobcats and Aggies began to trade baskets, with NC A&T cutting the Ohio lead to 11 at the first media timeout. Out of the break, the Bobcats would go on a 6-1 run to increase their lead to 55-39 with 12:22 remaining in the game.

The Aggies would cut the Ohio lead to 12 with just over 10 minutes to go, before a three from graduate guard Marin Petkov (Skopje, North Macedonia) stopped the run and put the Bobcats back up 15. However, the Aggies would hit two free throws to cut the lead to 61-49 entering the under-eight media timeout. Out of the break, layups from Brogan and Paveletzke put Ohio up 15, however, the Aggies capitalized on Ohio turnovers, going on a 6-0 run to cut the Ohio lead to eight, forcing the Bobcats to call a timeout with 4:05 remaining in the game.

NC A&T cut their deficit to four, trailing 72-68 with just over two minutes remaining. Simmons responded with a dunk, then Brogan followed with a three pointer to extend Ohio's lead to nine with a minute and a half remaining. The teams traded free throws down the stretch, with Brogan scoring the final points for the first home-win of the season, 80-70.

Up next, the Bobcats head to West Lafayette, Ind. on Friday, Nov. 13 when they take on Purdue. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside Mackey Arena and can be seen on BIG+.

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