Post The
VOLUME 115, ISSUE 13
A new student space is now available … PG 3 Lavandula enters the Athens music scene … PG 7 What to know before OU’s game vs Eastern Michigan … PG 8
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NOVEMBER 12, 2024
AJ Clayton (23) dunks on a UNC Asheville defender at The Convo in Athens, Ohio, Nov. 9, 2024. (JACK TATHAM | FOR THE POST)
Ohio wins home opener against UNC Asheville Men’s Basketball : Ohio comes away with close win against UNC Asheville
CHARLIE FADEL| SPORTS STAFF WRITER “Coming off a loss, you always want Ohio (1-1 overall, 0-0 Mid-American to respond the right way,” Boals said. “I Conference) secured a close win against thought first half, we got off to a slow a scrappy UNC Asheville (0-2 overall, 0-0 start.” Big South) team in its first game of the The early proceedings of the first season at The Convo. A final score of 82half would seem to mirror the full game 76 was enough to get the job done. for both teams. Ohio would generate The Ohio faithful and Athens locals good offense with point guard Jackson were clearly excited for the return of Paveletzke running the floor, just for UNC Ohio basketball to The Convo. The crowd Asheville to come down on offense and was loud and engaged all night long, as answer solid Ohio possession with a good was the team. possession of its own. “I thought our crowd was awesome,” The debuts of freshmen Elijah Elliott Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said. “We got and Ayden Evans were big moments in into it, and it gave us a little boost.” the first half. Evans was able to get his The crowd went wild for the first points first career points off a big dunk coming of the 2024-25 season at The Convo – a from some great pick-and-roll play with three-pointer by Shereef Mitchell setting Paveletzke. the tone for the night. Aiden Hadaway “Our two freshmen came in, and they and AJ Clayton scored next, with Claywere prepared for this moment,” Boals ton’s first 3-pointer giving Ohio an early said. “They didn’t play Monday, but they lead. came back to work they watched film, did That lead wouldn’t last very long, as some extra work, and both of them were Ohio regressed to a slightly sluggish time prepared for the opportunity.” shooting the ball, similar to the tough loss Ohio went on a big run at the end of in its first game against James Madison. the first half, entering the break with a
solid 8-point lead. AJ Clayton led the way with 10 of his 19 total points coming in the first half. Clayton’s performance was uplifting to witness after a tough game in Monday’s loss to James Madison. “I mean, shots just didn’t fall Monday, today shots fell– I could say that goes around for everybody,” Clayton said. “They left me open and (I had) more confidence playing at home. You want to get that one, especially after that loss on the road to start the season.” Clayton was also incredible on defense against the Bulldogs, coming up with three blocks, including a monster block he pinned against the backboard that led to a wide-open Elmore James layup. James was one of many players who came off the bench and added a ton of impact for the Bobcats, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds. “Everybody knew we had to have better energy, especially after the loss at JMU,” James said. “We all feel like we could have
provided more of a push off the bench. I feel like we all just keep that in mind. We just come out with as much energy as we can and just stay together.” Things got dicey in the final 10 minutes of the second half for Ohio, with UNC Asheville even taking the lead with around five minutes left to play. Once the Bulldogs took the lead, however, the Ohio defense dialed in, allowing just two field goals over the final five minutes, completely shutting the offensive attack for UNC Asheville while Ohio gained the lead back on a clutch three from Clayton. “We got some deflections late, some plays that they tried to run, but they were successfully covered up by our ball pressure,” Boals said. “Give our guys credit, that last three, four minutes we made some plays defensively.” The stellar defense late allowed Ohio to maintain its lead, with free throws from Paveletzke and Hadaway sealing the deal for Ohio’s first win of its young season. @CHARLIEFADEL