Vander Plas' career game not enough for Ohio to overcome poor FT shooting
Freshman forward has 24 points, 13 rebounds, but Bobcats go 4 of 13 at line
By Lonnie McMillan / Contributor
Saturday, February 16, 2019
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Ben Vander Plas’ career-high 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists were not enough for Ohio to overcome a 4-of-13 free-throw shooting day as Ohio dropped an 87-80 decision to Central Michigan on Saturday at McGuirk Arena.
Conversely, the Chippewas went 28 of 35 from the foul line as all five starters scored in double figures to account for all but two of the team’s points. Shawn Roundtree was 10 of 11 on free throws on his way to 22 points.
Teyvion Kirk and Jason Carter had 13 points each for the Bobcats, but they were a combined 1 for 6 at the foul line with 11 turnovers. Carter had 10 rebounds. Jason Preston added 11 points and four assists.
Carter’s layup with 3:42 remaining got Ohio to within 75-72. Antonio Cowart Jr. came up with a steal and had a wide-open Teyvion Kirk ahead for a layup that would have made it a one-point game but a foul was called, and instead, Cowart missed on the front end of a one-and-one.
After a miss by Central Michigan, Kirk scored a bucket in the paint that did make it a one-point game with 2:40 remaining. Roundtree answered with two free throws with 2:24 to go, and after an Ohio turnover, Roundtree hit a bucket that made it 79-74.
After turnovers by both teams, Preston rebounded a missed Vander Plas 3-pointer and found Carter for a layup with 40 second to go to make it a one-possession game again. Ohio trapped Roundtree near in front of the Ohio bench, and the coaching staff indicated they saw Roundtree step out of bounds, but it was not called, and instead a foul was. Roundtree made two free throws with 33 seconds left to make it 81-76.
Then, seemingly intentionally, Central Michigan’s Kevin McKay fouled Kirk to send him to the line for a one-and-one. He missed, and Larry Austin rebounded and made a pair to put the game out of reach at 83-76 with 30 seconds left.
Neither team ever led by double digits. The Chippewas (17-8, 6-6 Mid-American Conference) built their biggest lead with an 8-0 run midway through the second half, turning a one-point advantage into a 64-55 lead with 8:34 to go.
Ohio (11-13, 3-9 MAC) answered back quickly with an 8-0 run of its own. Preston scored a layup, and a Carter block led to a fast-break 3-pointer by Vander Plas. Then the Bobcats struck in transition again with a Gavin Block 3-pointer that made it a 64-63 game.
Vander Plas played 30 minutes, taking advantage of extra court time because of Doug Taylor’s foul trouble. He went 10 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 8 on 3-pointers, but missed both free throw tries. The rest of the team combined to go 2 of 15 from beyond the arc.
Austin scored 19 points with eight rebounds, and David DiLeo scored 18 points. McKay had 14 points and Rob Montgomery had 12 points, with each grabbing eight rebounds.
Ohio faces nationally-ranked Buffalo at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Alumni Arena.
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