ATHENS, Ohio – Despite a career-high tying 21-point game from Jalen Blackmon off the bench, Ohio pushed them past the Hatters, 85-66, Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center. The Bobcats are undefeated on their home floor this season.

Stetson falls to 5-5 on the year, while Ohio improves to 6-5.

With an unceremonious start, the teams traded the lead four times in the first four minutes 13 seconds with Ohio going up 7-5 closing the segment. Following that, the Bobcats extended their advantage to 10, 18-8 at the 12:42 mark, eventually stretching the advantage to 14. Stetson fired back with an 8-2 run started by Alec Oglesby converting a layup followed by back-to-back threes by Blackmon and Wheza Panzo cutting the deficit to six, 29-23 with 7:39 left in the frame. After a 30 second timeout and four substitutions by the home team, Ohio made a run and pushed the advantage back up to double digits, with the half ending 52-30. The Bobcats shot 58.82 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, SU was unable to cut into the Bobcats' advantage but kept the home side from extending it, and eventually fell, 85-66.

Blackmon's performance was a high spot with 21 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 4-for-9 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the foul line. In addition, the sophomore collected four rebounds with three assists, a block and steal. Josh Smith recorded his first double-double of the season [third career] with 15 points, 12 rebounds. Steph Swenson paced the team with five assists.

The Hatters continue their road trip, but the next game is a short trip down I4 as Stetson will travel to Orlando to face UCF on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS (PDF). Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.