Instead, like 21 other 3-pointers launched by Miami, Bowman’s missed the mark, sealing a 67-65 loss before a crowd of 2,289 in the regular-season finale at Millett Hall.
“I thought it was definitely going,” said Bowman, who finished with a team-high 17 points. “Unfortunately, it didn’t. That would have been huge for us. It would have given us momentum for the (Mid-American Conference) Tournament.”
“Bowman gutted it out,” third-year coach Jack Owens said. “He’s battled so many injuries this season that I’m proud of him. He’s been through a lot. He’s what you want to see in a senior. I was hoping that 3 would go down, not just for our team, but for him. He deserved it.”
Capitalizing on offensive rebounds and Miami turnovers, Ohio (16-15, 8-10) roared back from a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to complete a season sweep of the two-game “Battle of the Bricks” series between the MAC East Division rivals. Miami (12-19, 5-13) clinched the 12th seed in the tournament and is scheduled to play fifth-seeded Buffalo at Buffalo on Monday. The Bulls dropped to the fifth seed after Ball State won at Northern Illinois on Friday.
Miami just lost at Buffalo, 75-69, on Tuesday.
Ohio won the first game against the RedHawks on February 8, 77-46 – Miami’s worst loss in the series since 1942.
“We were very confident going in,” Bowman said. “We definitely had a chip on our shoulder, because we felt like we didn’t play up to our caliber in Athens.’
The Bobcats pulled in 11 offensive rebounds to Miami’s three, leading to a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points. The outscored the RedHawks by only two, 11-9, in points off turnovers, but Ohio forced Miami into turnovers on three consecutive possessions in just over a minute during a 10-0 run that created a 63-63 tie.
“That’s a game where we had some really good things, but we just broke down in certain areas – offensive rebounds and putbacks and turnovers” Owens said. “We had to settle back in. We ended up getting a good shot, but that’s not why we lost the game. It never should’ve gotten to that point.
“The reason for the season was the details – free throw boxouts and turnovers. That’s the reason we lost the game. We’ve got to do a better job emphasizing how important free throw blockouts are.”
Ohio sophomore Jason Preston scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead Ohio’s comeback, but it was Miles Brown’s top-in of a Preston miss with 14 seconds left that was the difference in the game. Freshman guard Dae Dae Grant scored 13 points and third-year sophomore Isaiah Coleman-Lands finished with 11.
“Definitely mixed emotions,” Bowman said about his last regular-season game for Miami. “I’m down because we didn’t win, but I was excited to play in front of these wonderful fans.”
Miami, which trailed Ohio, 34-11, at halftime of their first matchup on Feb. 8 in Athens, was 8-for-8 on 2-point shots before Milos Jovic missed a layup in the last minute and 1-for-16 on 3-pointers while falling behind, 29-22, by halftime. Coleman-Lands scored four points and Bowman made the RedHawks’ only 3-pointer during a 9-0 run that gave them a 20-18 lead with 4:16 left in the half, but the Bobcats closed the half with an 8-0 run. Bowman and Coleman-Lands each scored five points before halftime.
Miami finished 6-of-28 on 3-pointers in the game. Bowman described the post-game locker room mood as “down.”
“It’s a quick turnaround,” he added. “We’ve got to get ready for Monday. We’re 0-0 now.”
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