The Ohio University men’s basketball team won its home opener Saturday afternoon, November 7, beating North Carolina A&T 80-70 at the Convocation Center in Athens to improve to 2-0 on the season, according to Ohio University’s reporting carried by ChatSports from ohiobobcats.com. Sportradar’s November 7 listing independently confirmed the final score, 80-70 to Ohio, at the Convocation Center.
Redshirt senior forward Javan Simmons of Columbus led the Bobcats with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added six rebounds, Ohio University reported. Simmons’s efficiency inside set the tone for an Ohio offense that shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game, according to Ohio University’s report.
Ohio’s shooting advantage showed up at every level. The Bobcats made 46.2 percent of their three-point attempts and went 18-of-25 at the free-throw line, Ohio University reported, while North Carolina A&T (1-1) shot 38.3 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from three-point range. Ohio also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Aggies 42-29, and shared the ball better, finishing with 15 assists to North Carolina A&T’s eight, according to Ohio University.
The win continued a perfect opening week for the Bobcats. Ohio opened its season November 2 with an 86-77 win at South Alabama in the MAC-SBC Challenge, and Saturday’s home opener gave the Convocation Center crowd a comfortable first look at a team that has now won in two very different settings — on the road and at home — to start the year.
Simmons’s performance carried a home-state storyline, too: the redshirt senior from Columbus, as Ohio University identified him, led all Bobcats named in the university’s report with 18 points in the home opener. On a day when Ohio shot 50.9 percent as a team, per Ohio University, having a veteran forward convert 8 of 11 shots gave the Bobcats a reliable option whenever North Carolina A&T threatened to close the gap.
For Athens County fans, a 2-0 start built on balanced shooting and rebounding is an encouraging early sign as Ohio moves deeper into its non-conference schedule. What happens next is a return to the Convocation Center, where the Bobcats will try to extend their unbeaten start in front of a home crowd that saw its team shoot better than 50 percent in its first home appearance of the season.