Welcome Guest!
Create an Account
login email:
password:
site searchwhere to watchcontact usabout usadvertise with ushelp
Ohio Basketball
   >> News Stories Archive
Ohio's offense continues to struggle in loss at Akron

Campbell one of the lone bright spots again


AKRON - Ohio's offensive struggles continued with just 32 percent shooting in a 70-58 loss to Akron on Friday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Akron struggled nearly as much in the first half but warmed up to turn a 27-23 halftime advantage into an easy win and the Bobcats' first six-game Mid-American Conference losing streak since 1981. The Zips were 7-of-12 from 3-point range in the second half.

As has been the case recently, Antonio Campbell was one of the lone bright spots with the sophomore recording his ninth double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Maurice Ndour had 13 points and seven boards but was just 2-of-12 shooting, and Javarez Willis scored 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Ohio's other two starters had even worse shooting nights. Ryan Taylor was 1-of-6, and Stevie Taylor was 1-of-7. Without Campbell's 7-of-10 effort - all three misses were 3-pointers - Ohio (9-18, 4-12 MAC) was just 10 of 43 (23.2 percent).

"You look down our stat line, and there's a 4-for-12, a 2-for-12, a 1-for-6, a 1-for-7, a 1-for-4 -a lot of heavy numbers on the right-hand side of the ledger and not enough big ones on the left," Ohio coach Saul Phillips said. "(Akron) had a run where they scored on nine of 10 possessions in the second half, and that's where they caused separation."

Antino Jackson had 13 points as Akron (18-11, 9-7 MAC) ended a four-game losing streak. Isaiah Johnson had 12 points, Reggie McAdams scored 11 points and Deji Ibitayo, Pat Forsythe and Jake Kretzer had eight points apiece.

Both teams struggled, and the Zips clung to a 42-40 lead after an Ndour 3-pointer midway through the second half. Jackson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and after a Campbell layup, Jackson struck again to quickly push the Zips' lead to 51-42. Two free throws each by Ibitayo and Jackson capped a 13-2 run.

Ibitayo hit a 3-pointer with 4:14 remaining to give Akron its biggest lead at 63-48. Ohio got as close as 63-53 with 1:51 to go, but the Zips hit 7-of-10 free throws without any turnovers to put away the Bobcats.

Akron and Ohio relied on taking a lot of 3-pointers, but it never paid off for the Bobcats. They were 6-of-26 from long range.

The Bobcats had a good start, leading 7-0 before the Zips got finally got on the board nearly four minutes into the game on a Forsythe dunk. Akron tied the game at 9 with a 7-0 run, and neither team led by more than four the rest of the first half.

"We have yet this year to put a solid defensive 40 minutes together," Campbell said. "Some people lose focus, worrying about what they're doing on offense or whether or not their man is beating them or not on defense. Sometimes that frustrates people."

Ohio plays at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Buffalo.








Copyright ©2024 BobcatAttack.com. All rights reserved.  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use
Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties