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RedHawks fall to Buckeyes

Junior guard Chris McHenry looks for the basket Nov. 26 against Ohio State Univeristy.
Junior guard Chris McHenry looks for the basket Nov. 26 against Ohio State Univeristy.

Alex Butler, Senior Staff Writer

Junior guard Chris McHenry looks for the basket Nov. 26 against Ohio State Univeristy. (MICHAEL GRIGGS | The Miami Student)

At halftime Nov. 21, Rahmon Fletcher's Univeristy of Wisconsin Green Bay teammates shouted at him as he ran into the wrong locker room.

After Saturday's one point win over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), that was about as confused as the RedHawks' opponents were on the Millett Hall hardwood. Fletcher tallied 23 points in the Phoenix 69-65 win before the Red and White fell again Monday 77-56 to San Diego State University to round out the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) were next and would only prolong the bleeding with a beating. The Buckeyes, the second top-five team the RedHawks (2-4) have played in three weeks, overpowered a weaker foe and the Red and White shot an abysmal 22 percent in the first half to spark the 66-45 loss.

"Turnovers have been a problem for us so far this year," senior Nick Winbush said. "We're turning it over way too much because those are points we just don't have to give the other team. We're going to have to clear that up if we want to have success, especially in the MAC."

The RedHawks' 7 to 15 assist to turnover ratio in Columbus was a fatal ingredient when combined with the 29 percent shooting for the game. The perimeter defense was also a problem, as the Buckeyes shot 53 percent from three-point land with guard David Lighty going a perfect 4-4 from range.

"We need to play our big guys, Drew McGee and Vince LeGarza, more because they're consistent in their efforts and play on the inside," Head Coach Charlie Coles said. "Nick (Winbush) and Julian (Mavunga) play on the outside so much sometimes it takes away from their inside presence. Nick is more of a perimeter player, but he needs to shoot more consistently."

Neither team found net until four minutes into the game when RedHawk Allen Roberts netted two foul shots. The Buckeyes responded with a 9-2 run.

Julian Mavunga hit a three pointer before the Buckeyes went nuts.

The home team reeled off 17 straight for a 22-5 lead. The Red and White woke up with six unanswered points to tighten the margin to 12 at 28-16 as both teams headed to the locker room at the half.

The RedHawks kept playing hard and tightened the gap to five points before the Bucks answered again with a 22-6 run that would not relinquish. Orlando Williams paced the Red and White with 13 points, while Mavunga added 11.

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"At points we played some really good basketball, but at other points we went on droughts offensively and defensively," Winbush said.

Despite the three game losing skid, the smiling face of senior Antonio Ballard appeared to spark the 'Hawks over the weekend. The forward returned to his No. 35 jersey Nov. 20 against IUPUI and put in 14 points while ripping down five rebounds.

"I feel like I can bring a lot to the team just because of the energy," Ballard said. "We all feed off of each other. We all just try to get each other going. I'm a senior, so I want to try to motivate my team as much as I can, and I just try to contribute as much as I can. Sitting out for a while is a pain, but you notice so much while you're out. I tried playing with that some and going slower than I normally would and it seemed to work, but coming back is awesome and it feels good. I'm glad to be back!"

The Red and White continue their interstate tour when they host the Xavier University Musketeers at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Millett Hall.


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