CLEVELAND – All season long, breaks did not go Ohio’s way, and that was the case again Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference basketball tournament at Rocket Arena.

The injury-plagued Bobcats took the lead with four seconds left on a Jackson Paveletzke free throw, but the Rockets tied it and sent the game to overtime on a Sonny Wilson free throw with one second left, and they went on to win 95-90.

“They battled,” Ohio coach Jeff Boals said. “They competed.”

Paveletzke’s jumper gave Ohio (16-16) a 75-73 with 38 seconds left, but Isaiah Adams answered with seven seconds to go with the tying layup. Paveletzke quickly attacked and drew a foul but missed the second foul attempt.

After a Toledo (18-14) rebound and... <Read More>

TOLEDO – Ohio could not slow down Toledo, which pulled away in the second half with a 96-82 victory to wrap up the regular season Friday night at Savage Arena.

The Rockets (17-14, 10-8 MAC) shot 59.7% on the night and put five players in double figures in a balanced effort. They were led by Javan Simmons with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Sam Lewis scored 20 points and had five boards. Seth Hubbard tallied 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Elmore James went 6-for-8 from long range and scored 20 points, while Shareef Mitchell finished with 18 points for the Bobcats (16-15, 10-8 MAC). Jackson Paveletzke added 15 points.

Ohio matched Toledo’s high-scoring pace for most of the first half and went up 39-35 on a James 3-pointer... <Read More>

ATHENS – Ohio made a push at the end of each half, but Eastern Michigan held on for an 83-79 victory to spoil senior day Tuesday night at The Convo.

A late run in the first half erased a 15-point lead by the Eagles and tied the score, but Eastern Michigan rebuilt its lead to as big as 12 points in the second half and was able to maintain an advantage in the end.

The victory by the Eagles (16-14, 9-8 Mid-American Conference) gave them a series sweep on the season and clinches them a spot for them in the MAC Tournament. It makes things extremely tight for the middle seeds in the tournament, putting them just a game behind the Bobcats (16-14, 10-7 MAC), who are tied for third with Kent State.

Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio with 20 points and... <Read More>

ATHENS – AJ Clayton scored 20 points to lead Ohio to a 75-66 victory against Miami in the Battle of the Bricks on Saturday at The Convo.

Vic Searls added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Elmore James scored 12 points, both of them off the bench, to help the Bobcats take over sole possession of third place in the Mid-American Conference standings. Shareef Mitchell also reached double figures with 11 points and added four steals.

"It was awesome to see Clayton show out today, and he was a huge part of our success," Ohio coach Jeff Boals. "He played confident."

Antwone Woolfolk paced the second-place RedHawks (21-8, 12-4 MAC) with 16 points, while Peter Suder had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Miami jumped out to a quick 12-4... <Read More>

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan closed out the game strong over the final 10 minutes and topped Ohio 82-73 on Tuesday night at University Arena.

Shareef Mitchell’s jumper with 9:57 left tied the game at 61, but Western Michigan followed with a 9-3 run and eventually increased its lead the rest of the way.

Mitchell led the Bobcats (15-13, 9-6 Mid-American Conference) with 21 points, while AJ Brown had 15 points and six rebounds. Jackson Paveletzke had 11 points and five assists, and Elmore James scored 10 points off the bench.

It was not nearly enough to overcome 34 points from Chansey Willis Jr., who also had eight assists for the Broncos (10-18, 7-8 MAC). JaVaughn Hannah added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Donovan Williams also had a... <Read More>

ATHENS – Ohio took the lead in the first half and was in control throughout the second half, handing Akron its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season 84-67 on Saturday evening at The Convo.

Already leading by 14 points, the Bobcats began the second half with an 11-2 run, and the Zips never got closer than 18 until the final 3:15.

Jackson Paveletzke led the way with 21 points, AJ Clayton added 18 points and eight rebounds, and AJ Brown finished with 16 points for Ohio (15-12, 9-5 MAC).

Amani Lyles had 17 points for the Zips (21-6, 13-1 MAC).

"The one thing we talked about was they're come out and do something different, play zone, up their pressure, offensive rebound more, transition harder, and we had to weather the storm that... <Read More>

ATHENS – Shareef Mitchell’s free throws with 16 seconds left were the game winners as Kyler Vanderjagt missed a jumper at the buzzer and Ohio topped Central Michigan 84-82 on Tuesday night at The Convo.

The Chippewas rallied from seven down with 4:28 left but missed a chance to take the lead when Ugnius Jarusevicius split two free throws to tie the score at 82 with 46 seconds left. Mitchell missed a layup, but the Bobcats retained possession and Mitchell was fouled.

Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio (14-12, 8-5 Mid-American Conference) with 22 points and six rebounds, while AJ Brown had 20 points and seven boards. Mitchell had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while AJ Clayton reached double figures with 11 points.

That balance was... <Read More>

KENT – Shereef Mitchell scored 25 points but his 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark, and Kent State held on for a 76-75 victory against Ohio on Friday night at the MAC Center.

In a back-and-forth game throughout, the Golden Flashes (17-6, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) went ahead for good, 71-70, on Cian Medley’s three-point play with 1:09 remaining. Delrecco Gillespie added a free throw a short time later, and Cli’ron Hornbeak came up with a steal and dunk to put Kent State ahead by four with 22 seconds left.

Vic Searls put back a missed AJ Clayton 3-pointer, and after two Jalen Sullinger free throws with 10 seconds go to, Mitchell drained a trey to make it a one-point game with five seconds to go. Kent State threw away the inbounds... <Read More>

BOWLING GREEN – Shereef Mitchell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:47 left as Ohio erased a double-digit second-half deficit and beat Bowling Green 86-81 for its first win at the Stroh Center since 2017.

The Falcons (9-15, 3-8 MAC) held a 10-point lead of 48-38 with 15:29 left, but the Bobcats (13-11, 7-4 MAC) tied the game by the middle of the second half, and it went back and forth for the next several minutes. Mitchell’s 3-pointer made it 77-74 and put Ohio ahead for good.

AJ Clayton and Jackson Paveletzke both made a pair of free throws on the next two possessions to make it a seven-point game. Bowling Green got as close as 85-81 with nine seconds left on a Trey Thomas 3-pointer. Clayton added another free throw with four seconds to... <Read More>

BOWLING GREEN – Shereef Mitchell hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:47 left as Ohio erased a double-digit second-half deficit and beat Bowling Green 86-81 for its first win at the Stroh Center since 2017.

The Falcons (9-15, 3-8 MAC) held a 10-point lead of 48-38 with 15:29 left, but the Bobcats (13-11, 7-4 MAC) tied the game by the middle of the second half, and it went back and forth for the next several minutes. Mitchell’s 3-pointer made it 77-74 and put Ohio ahead for good.

AJ Clayton add Jackson Paveletzke both made a pair of free throws on the next two possessions to make it a seven-point game. Bowling Green got as close as 85-81 with nine seconds left on a Trey Thomas 3-pointer. Clayton added another free throw with four seconds to... <Read More>

ATHENS – Myles Tate and Appalachian State had a huge second half to run away from Ohio 72-59 in the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Conference Challenge on Saturday at The Convo.

The Bobcats (12-11) led 34-28 at halftime, but the Mountaineers (15-9) held a 44-25 advantage in the second half, taking the lead for good with 12:51 remaining and then taking control with a 13-0 run that did not end until 6:25 was left to play.

Myles scored 27 points and dished out seven assists.

AJ Brown led Ohio with 18 points and six rebounds, while Elijah Elliott had a career-high 14 points. Jackson Paveletzke contributed 12 points and six rebounds, and Shareef Mitchell scored 11 points.

The first half was tight, with Appalachian State taking the biggest... <Read More>

ATHENS – AJ Clayton returned to the lineup, knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 18 points as Ohio routed Western Michigan 94-69 on Tuesday night at The Convo.

AJ Brown added 17 points, Shareef Mitchell scored 13 points, and Elijah Elliott and Ajay Sheldon had 11 points each for the Bobcats (12-10, 6-4 Mid-American Conference).

Western Michigan (7-15, 4-6 MAC) scored the game’s first five points, but Ohio answered with the next 12 and never trailed again. The Broncos trailed just 18-15 with 9:34 left in the first half; the Bobcats followed with an 18-3 run to go up 36-18 at the 4:39 mark. Ohio led 48-24 at halftime.

The Broncos scored the first eight points of the second half, but that was as close as they got. A 12-2 run in the middle... <Read More>

OXFORD – Jackson Paveletzke missed a good look at a game-tying layup as Miami held off Ohio 73-69 on Saturday afternoon at Millet Hall.

The Bobcats trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half and were down a dozen with under six minutes to play but rallied to as close as one. Brant Byers split two free throws with 10.2 seconds left, giving Ohio a chance. Paveletzke blew past his defender to an open rim but could not finish.

Byers then sank two free throws with less than two seconds left to seal the win for the RedHawks (16-5, 8-1 Mid-American Conference).

Shareef Mitchell led the way offensively for the Bobcats (11-10, 5-4 MAC) with 20 points, with AJ Brown scoring 15 points. Paveletzke added 11 points.

A Mitchell jumper got things... <Read More>

ATHENS – Ajay Sheldon missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Toledo held off Ohio 86-83 on Tuesday night at The Convo.

The Bobcats (11-9, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) gave themselves a chance after trailing by six with 1:40 left. Shareef Mitchell’s three-point play made it a three-point game, but Sam Lewis answered with a layup for the Rockets (12-8, 6-2 MAC).

Mitchell drained a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left, giving Ohio a shot to get the ball back with a chance to tie or win, but after Sonny Wilson rebounded his own miss, the Bobcats were forced to foul. Bryce Ford made two free throws with six seconds left, seemingly icing the game.

However, Jackson Paveletzke made a free throw, and then Ohio forced a turnover, giving them one final... <Read More>

ATHENS – Down two starters, Ohio turned to its defense to take a 61-59 victory against Kent State on Friday evening at The Convo.

The Bobcats (11-8, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) held the Golden Flashes (12-7, 3-4 MAC) to 35% shooting and mustered just enough offense. Jackson Paveletzke scored 15 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer, while AJ Brown also scored 15 points.

"Our guys bent, they didn't break and found a way to win the game," Ohio coach Jeff Boals said.

Down 57-54, Ohio got a pair of free throws from Shareef Mitchell, who finished with 11 points, to get within a point with 2:39 left. After a Kent State turnover, Paveletzke drained a trey to put the Bobcats on top 59-57.

"When it came to me, I didn't second think anything. I... <Read More>

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Short-handed Ohio got a 21-point second-half deficit down to five but came up short in a 94-87 loss to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday night at the George Gervin GameAbove Center.

Aidan Hadaway did not travel with the team because of an ankle injury suffered against Akron, and the Bobcats recently announced Elmore James had stepped away from the team. AJ Clayton scored only three points in 11 minutes in the first half Tuesday and did not play in the second half.

Jackson Paveletzke nearly willed the Bobcats (10-8, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) to a comeback victory with 28 points and six rebounds, but it was not enough. Shareef Mitchell, AJ Brown and Vic Searls scored 14 points apiece.

The Eagles (9-9, 3-3 MAC) held their... <Read More>

AKRON – Akron took control early and topped Ohio 92-80 in a battle of Mid-American Conference unbeatens on Friday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips (12-5, 5-0 MAC) took the lead for good at 6-5 in the first few minutes, led 44-29 at halftime and built a lead as big as 22 points in the second half.

Isaiah Gray scored 22 points, while Amani Lyles tallied 17 points and six assists. Nate Johnson posted 14 points and eight rebounds.

Shareef Mitchell’s career-high 27 points were not enough for the Bobcats (10-7,4 -1 MAC). AJ Brown added 15 points.

Seth Wilson put Akron ahead for good with a layup at the 17:28 mark in the first half after Brown’s two free throws gave Ohio a brief lead. The Bobcats stayed close for most of the first half... <Read More>

ATHENS – A game after a huge individual performance, Ohio used a balanced team approach to top Ball State 86-71 and win its sixth straight game Tuesday night at The Convo.

Aidan Hadaway and Jackson Paveletzke scored 15 points each for the Bobcats (10-6, 4-0 Mid-American Conference). AJ Brown and Shareef Mitchell had 12 points.

A game after going off for 31 points, AJ Clayton scored only seven points on 3-of-6 shooting, instead deferring to his teammates, who answered the call.

Ball State (8-8, 2-2 MAC) scored the game’s first five points, but Ohio answered with a 10-0 run and did not trail again. The Cardinals tied the game at 15. The Bobcats eventually went up by as many as 14 points at 42-28 before settling on a 45-35 halftime lead.

The... <Read More>

ATHENS – AJ Clayton knocked down a career-high nine 3-pointers and scored 31 points as Ohio blew out Northern Illinois 108-70 in Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon at The Convo.

Clayton went 9-for-10 from long range, making his first eight attempts, before finally missing with still 15:44 left in the second half. He connected again on his last attempt three minutes later and subbed out with 12:25 left in the game, returning to play just a couple more minutes after that. He played just 18 minutes.

Jackson Paveletzke added 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and five assists in 23 minutes. Shareef Mitchell scored 15 points with six rebounds and five assists, and Aidan Hadaway had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Elijah... <Read More>

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Ohio had a big first half and took an 88-79 victory against Buffalo on Tuesday night at Alumni Arena.

Down 14-11, the Bobcats (8-6, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) used a 16-0 run to take control, going ahead 27-14 on a Shareef Mitchell free throw. Ohio eventually led 37-20 at halftime and pushed its lead to as big as 23 points early in the second half, coasting from there.

AJ Clayton had a huge night to lead the way with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Aidan Hadaway had 17 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Vic Searls scored 10 points off the bench.

Trailing 12-5 early, Ohio began to take over with a Searls bucket and then two from Hadaway. After a Buffalo basket, Ayden Evans’ fast-break dunk after a Mitchell steal... <Read More>

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Cayden Vasko missed a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, and Ohio held on for a 57-55 victory against Central Michigan to begin Mid-American Conference play Saturday night at McGuirk Arena.

The Bobcats (7-6, 1-0 MAC) led most of the way and went up 54-44 on an AJ Brown 3-pointer with 7:58 left, but the Chippewas (6-7, 0-1 MAC) made it interesting down the stretch and had a shot to win or tie.

A pair of Ugnius Jarusevicius free throws at the 2:20 mark made it 56-52, and then he split two from the line with 1:37 left to make it a three-point game. A tip-in from Vasko put the score at 56-55 with 45 seconds remaining.

Vasco came up with a steal on Ohio’s possession, but Brown picked his pocket from behind to get... <Read More>

ATHENS – Ohio had do trouble as expected in rolling to a 103-52 victory against Division III Muskingum to wrap up nonconference play Monday night at The Convo.

All 12 players who entered the game played at least nine minutes and all of them scored for the Bobcats (6-6). They led 48-25 at halftime and continued to pour it on in the second half despite frequent substitutions.

AJ Clayton led Ohio with 13 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. Shareef Mitchell scored 12 points in only 15 minutes, and freshman Elijah Elliott had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in only 20 minutes. Aidan Hadaway reached double figures with 10 points and added seven rebounds.

Duane Davis paced the Muskies with 15 points.

Muskingum actually led 11-6 in... <Read More>

ATHENS – AJ Clayton had a hot start, and Jackson Paveletzke posted a double-double as Ohio rolled to a 78-58 victory against Austin Peay on Wednesday night at The Convo.

Clayton scored 13 of his 22 points in the opening six and a half minutes as the Bobcats (5-6) ran out to a quick 18-5 lead. Things only got worse in the first half for the Governors, who trailed 49-22 at halftime.

Paveletzke finished with 18 points and added 11 assists and three steals. Clayton had a team-leading six rebounds. AJ Brown and Ajay Sheldon added nine points each as Ohio went 12 of 24 from long range.

Clayton’s early outburst of 3-pointers included a four-point play. After trailing 20-5, Austin Peay (4-7) settled in for a while, but things really got away from... <Read More>

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Marshall built a lead over the final four minutes of the first half and rode it to a 79-70 victory against Ohio on Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.

The game was tied at 29 with 3:45 remaining, but Mikal Dawson followed with a 3-pointer that put the Thundering Herd (6-5) ahead for good. Marshall moved ahead by a 41-33 margin with another Dawson 3-pointer just before halftime and led by as many as 15 points in the second half.

AJ Brown led Ohio (4-6) with 22 points, while AJ Clayton had 16 points and five rebounds. Jackson Paveletzke scored 10 points and passed out 12 assists.

They could not match Dawson, who had 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 6 of 9 from long range. Jalen Speer and Obinna Anochili-Killen... <Read More>

ATHENS – Jackson Paveletzke scored a career-high 23 points as Ohio beat Morehead State 88-76 on Saturday at The Convo.

Elmore James added 16 points, and AJ Clayton had 14 points. All five starters reached double figures, with Aidan Hadaway adding 12 points and AJ Brown 11 points.

The Bobcats (4-5) jumped out to a 14-3 lead, but the Eagles answered back with nine points in a row to get to within two. However, Ohio scored seven straight after that to go back up by nine and eventually held a 39-33 halftime lead.

A 15-4 run put the Bobcats in front 63-42 with 12:26 left, and the lead maxed out at 23 points with a 77-54 margin with 7:15 remaining on a Paveletzke three-point play.

Tyler Brelsford paced Morehead State with 16 points.

Ohio shot... <Read More>

ATHENS – It was home sweet home for Ohio, which put together its best performance of the season with an 84-68 runaway victory against Robert Morris on Saturday at The Convo.

With only one prior home game, the Bobcats (3-5) had some struggles but had a balanced offensive performance that overwhelmed the Colonials (6-3). AJ Clayton led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Amarion Dickerson made a free throw on the game’s opening possession, but that was the only lead of the game for Robert Morris. Aidan Hadaway answered with a layup and then a 3-pointer to get Ohio off to a good start.

The Colonials tied the game at 9, but the Bobcats scored seven of the next eight points, going up 16-10 on an Elmore James 3-pointers. Later in the... <Read More>

CONWAY, S.C. – Texas State pounded Ohio on the boards and pulled away late to win the battle of the Bobcats 74-65 and take fifth place in the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Sunday night at the HTC Center.

Texas State (4-4) held a 48-27 rebounding advantage, including 19-8 in offensive boards. Tylan Pope led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

AJ Clayton paced Ohio (2-5) with 18 points and five rebounds. Aidan Hadaway added 13 points and five rebounds, while Jackson Paveletzke had 12 points but only two assists after back-to-back double-digit assists games.

After trailing 35-31 at halftime, Ohio briefly took the lead on an AJ Brown 3-pointer that made it 40-39, but a short time later, Texas State took control with a 7-0 run that made it... <Read More>

CONWAY, S.C. – AJ Clayton smashed his career high with 34 points and added 12 rebounds as Ohio snapped its losing streak and gave coach Jeff Boals his 100th Ohio win with an 85-73 victory against Portland in the consolation round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday at the HTC Center.

Clayton went 13-of-26 from the field, including 6-of-14 from long range in 30 minutes. Aidan Hadaway had his best game of the year with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Vic Searls had a season-best 11 points with five rebounds. Jackson Paveltzke had his second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

“Our guards just penetrated and found me, and then in transition found me,” Clayton said.

Ohio (2-4) built a double-digit lead within the... <Read More>

CONWAY, S.C. – AJ Brown’s 3-point attempt at the overtime buzzer rimmed out, and Middle Tennessee topped Ohio 83-81 in the opening game of the Myrle Beach Invitational at The HTC Center.

Kamari Lands forced overtime with a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation after the Blue Raiders trailed most of the game.

It was Middle Tennessee (4-1) that led through most of overtime, though Ohio (1-4) briefly took a lead on an AJ Clayton free throw with 2:12 left. Jestin Porter’s 3-pointer on the next possession put the Blue Raiders in front for good.

Camryn Weston split two free throws with 24 seconds left, and Jackson Paveletzke scored a layup with eight seconds to go to make it an 82-81 game. Justin Bufford missed the second of two foul... <Read More>

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis got off to a quick start and finished strong to run away with a 94-70 victory against Ohio on Friday night at FedEx Forum.

The Tigers (3-0) built an 18-4 lead in the opening eight minutes. The Bobcats (1-3) got as close as three and trailed by only seven with 8:30 remaining before Memphis went on a big run late.

Ajay Sheldon’s career night of 20 points on 6-of-10 3-point shooting was not nearly enough. AJ Brown added 19 points, while Elmore Janes reached double figures with 11 points.

PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter had 23 and 21 points, respectively, to lead Memphis, with Nicholas Jourdain added 15 points and eight rebounds.

After James scored the game’s opening bucket, Memphis went on a 14-2 run, including nine... <Read More>

NORMALL, Ill. – Ohio made a run early in the second half to take the lead, but Illinois State dominated down the stretch to take an 85-75 victory Tuesday night at CEFCU Arena.

After trailing by double digits early in the first half and then by a 36-27 margin with 4:18 to go, the Bobcats cut their deficit to three points by halftime and then pushed to a 54-48 advantage with 13:13 left in the game.

From there, the Redbirds (2-1) took over, finishing the game at 61.2% from the field, including 52.6 from 3-point range. They also were 15 of 16 on free throws, all of them in the second half.

Dalton Banks paced Illinois State with 23 points and five rebounds, while Caden Boser had 16 points on perfect 6-of-6 shooting, including 4 of 4 from long... <Read More>

ATHENS – Ohio used a late first-half run to build a lead and then held off UNC Asheville in the second half to get its first win over the season 82-76 on Saturday night at The Convo.

The Bobcats (1-1) led by double digits at points in both halves, but the Bulldogs (0-2) even briefly took the lead. Ohio finished strong, though, to secure victory.

An Elmore James layup with 10:57 left created the biggest margin of the night at 60-48. Asheville responded with a 17-4 run, taking a one-point lead ono an Abee Fletcher 3-poitner with 5:34 to go. AJ Clayton answered back with a 3 of his own only 15 seconds later, and Ohio did not trail again.

Aidan Hadaway hit one free throw, Jackson Paveletzke two more, and then Shareef Mitchell hit a jumper to... <Read More>

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Ohio could not overcome a sluggish first half, dropping its basketball season opener 88-78 to James Madison on Monday night at Atlantic Union Bank Center.

The Bobcats trailed by 20 late in the first half and were down 41-26 at the break. They got as close as six in the second half, but their comeback efforts came up short.

Aidan Hadaway led a balanced scoring effort by Ohio with 17 points, but they could not match Xavier Brown’s career-high 23 points for the Dukes. The Bobcats also were crushed by a 41-26 rebounding deficit.

Despite the bad first half, Ohio actually got out to an 8-4 lead that included a pair of steals and layups for Shareef Mitchell, but James Madison dominated for a long stretch after that. It scored... <Read More>

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