By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- The Ohio Bobcats blowout win over Miami earlier this year was largely about shooting. Friday night's 67-65 Ohio victory at Millett Hall might be attributed to being in the right place at the right time.
Ben Roderick did just that as he grabbed an errant Bobcat shot and put it back in for the winning points with 14 seconds left. Two MU attempts at the other end missed, enabling Ohio to post its third win over the last four outings. It was also the 'Cats first road win since edging Eastern Michigan 60-58 back on Jan. 18.
Sophomore Jason Preston, who registered . . .
Lunden McDay notched 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Roderick tallied 13 points.
All but two Ohio points came from the starters. Miami, on the other hand, got 28 points from its bench. Three RedHawks reached double figures, led by Bam Bowman. Miami's only senior, celebrated senior night and his birthday with a team-high 17 points. Dae Dae Grant added 13 points, while Isaiah Coleman-Lands chipped in 11.
While Ohio owned a 29-22 advantage after one period, the RedHawks worked their way back to grab a 41-40 lead with Mekhi Lairy's jumper in the paint at 11:43 of the second half.
After a Preston free throw tied things, MU went on a 13-2 run. Bowman's "and-one" score at 6:53 gave the hosts a 54-43 lead.
Ohio knocked its deficit down to seven, but the hosts were up 10 with 3:10 remaining.
Miami coach Jack Owens pointed to the play as a key point in the game. While Ohio owned a 35-30 edge in rebounds, it had an 11-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. Brown's trey and Roderick's game-winning both came from Bobcat players putting themselves in the right place at the right time.
Two Brown free throws moved Ohio in front 65-63, but Bowman scored to tie the game one final time. On the 'Cats final possession, they missed two shots but came away with the rebound. Roderick's put-back provided the winning edge.