Overall, Ohio shot 39 percent from the field, 18 percent from three and was 11-of-15 from the line. Meanwhile, Rice shot 46 percent from the field, 24 percent from three and 4-of-5 from the line. Rice outrebounded the Bobcats, 41-32. However, Ohio registered 10 steals to Rice's four.
Redshirt fifth year Jason Carter led Ohio with 26 points, going 11-of-19 from the field, while grabbing 12 rebounds. Redshirt senior Ben Vander Plas added 13 points and six rebounds, while Sears scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists. Junior forward Ben Roderick added eight points.
Carl Pierre scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to pace Rice. Travis Evee added 12 points, while Chris Mullins added 11 points and five assists.
Ohio owned an early lead before Rice tied the game at 24-24. A free throw from Vander Plas put Ohio back up one, but Rice took its first lead of the game on a jumper. A driving layup from Vander Plas put Ohio up 27-26 going into halftime.
At the half, Ohio shot 36 percent from the field and were 2-of-10 from three, while going 5-of-8 from the line. Rice shot 46 percent from the field, went 2-of-8 from three and were 2-of-2 from the line. Rice outrebounded Ohio 19-13, while Ohio forced 10 Rice turnovers.
The Bobcats built up a 10-point lead in the second stanza. After Rice cut the lead to two, a layup from Vander Plas gave Ohio a four-point lead with 2:50 remaining in the game.
Out of the timeout, Vander Plas hit a free throw to give Ohio a five-point lead. However, Rice went on a 4-0 run to cut its deficit to one with 1:41 remaining in the game. After Rice took a one-point lead with 1:05 left, Ohio responded with a jumper from Sears to give Ohio the 61-60 lead with 38 seconds remaining.
Senior guard Tommy Schmock forced a Rice turnover and Vander Plas put Ohio up three with two free throws. A Rice layup, cut the Ohio lead to 63-62 with 8.5 seconds remaining. After Carter turned the ball over on an inbounds, Rice took a 64-63 lead on a layup with six seconds to go. Then, as time ran down, Sears took the ball and sprinted to the hoop, connecting on the layup as time expired.
Up next, the Bobcats will take on the winning of Troy and Abilene Christian on Monday, March 21. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be seen FloHoops.