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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (15-14, 9-7 MAC) returned to the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28) for a MAC matchup with rival Toledo (16-13, 10-6 MAC). After cutting a once 20-point deficit to just two in the second half, the Bobcats' comeback attempt came up short, falling to the Rockets, 79-67.
Prior to the game, Ohio celebrated its graduating class with seniors Jalen Breath (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.), Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio), Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wisc.) and Dior Conners (Columbus, Ohio) all being honored.
"We talked pregame about how it's very rare now that you're going to see two four-year seniors, and those guys (Hadaway and Sheldon) have meant a lot for the program," Ohio coach Jeff Boals said.
As a team, Ohio shot 40 percent from the field with seven threes. The Bobcats recorded 36 rebounds with 13 on offense. The team tallied 11 baskets off an assist.
"When you battle back like that, every possession is going to matter and obviously we didn't make enough plays to win," Boals said.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) led the Bobcats with a double-double, his third of the season. The former Toledo Rocket tallied a game-high 20 points with 12 rebounds. Sheldon and Hadaway both recorded 12 points on their senior night, with Sheldon hitting four threes and Hadaway tallying 12 rebounds. Paveletzke also recorded double-digit points with 11.
"I was just trying to tell everybody to stay with it when we got down 20 in the first half," Hadaway said. "When we started making runs and started getting the crowd into it, I feel like that's when we're at our best."
Sheldon got the Bobcats started in the first half with back-to-back threes after Toledo took an early lead. After 10 minutes of play, the Bobcats trailed the Rockets, 20-10.
Ohio found itself in a deficit late in the first half, but its offense came roaring back with an 8-0 run across the span of less than a minute to cut the deficit to 37-26 with 1:50 to play. Hadaway capped off the run with a contested three to put momentum back in the hands of the Bobcats.
At the break, Sheldon led the Bobcats with nine points on three threes as the team saw a 41-28 deficit.
The Bobcats came out of the half hot, scoring five straight points and nine points on the team's first four possessions to cut the deficit to 46-37. A dunk by Hadaway and a three by freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) gave the team some early momentum as they looked to mount a comeback.
After its hot start on offense, the Bobcat defense held Toledo scoreless for more than three minutes as it continued to cut down what was once a 20-point lead. With 12:30 to play, the Bobcats found themselves down just two scores at 50-46.
Simmons caught fire against his former team in the Convo, scoring eight points and three rebounds in the second half's first 10 minutes. With 9:45 to play, the Bobcats trailed by just two at 56-54.
After Toledo rebuilt their lead to nine, a three-point play by Simmons got the Bobcats and the crowd back into the game at 66-61 with just over four minutes to play. With the bucket, Simmons reached the 20-point mark on the day.
Despite cutting the deficit to as few as two in the second half, Ohio's comeback attempt came up short against Toledo, falling 79-67.
Up next, the Bobcats will play their final road game when they travel to UMass on Tuesday, March 3. That game will tip-off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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