ATHENS – After giving up a late lead in its season opener, Ohio was strong down the stretch this time in taking a 72-68 victory against Illinois State on Thursday night at The Convo.

The Bobcats trailed by eight at one point in the second half but used a 13-0 run to take the lead and never lost it.

Jackson Paveletzke led Ohio (1-1) with 19 points and six assists, while transfers Javan Simmons (16 points) and Jalen Breath (14 points) provided a strong presence inside.

Johnn Kinziger and...

ATHENS – Arkansas State took the lead in the final four minutes and topped Ohio in its basketball season opener 89-85 on Monday night at The Convo.

The Bobcats led by seven at halftime and held an advantage throughout most of the second half, but the Red Wolves were best when it mattered most, down the stretch. They went up 77-75 on a pair of Joey Chammaa free throws with 3:54 left and held the lead from there.

That allowed them to withstand a career night from Aidan Hadaway, who scored 28...

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.”...

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...

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 fo...

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 h...

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 Elm...

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...

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...

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...