ATHENS, Ohio – In a Mid-American Conference Tournament first-round game Monday night, the Ohio men’s basketball team suffered a season-ending loss, 65-56, to Central Michigan at the Convocation Center.

The Bobcats (17-11) never held more than a two-point lead as they struggled to make field goals (eight for 21), three pointers (two for nine), and free throws (three for eight) in the first half.

After the fifth and final tie of the game, 11-11 with 9:01 left before halftime, the Chippewas (9-18) went on a 10-2 run capped by a three pointer from David Webber. Central Michigan then held on for a 27-21 advantage at the break.

To help provide a spark, Ohio coach Tim O’Shea started Sonny Johnson in the second half but the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer could not overcome an injured right knee to provide any contributions.

“I thought I’d start him in the second half just to see how he could go because he really wanted to play,” said O’Shea. “You never know with Sonny. Maybe he gets out there and gets going, but I could just tell by the way he was moving that he wasn’t ready.”

With the Chippewa lead down to two points on three different occasions in the second half, the Bobcat failed to convert on offense or make stops on defense. At 48-46 with 5:03 remaining in the contest, 7-0 center Chris Kaman grabbed one of his game-high 14 rebounds off his own missed shot and dunked it home to protect the Central Michigan lead. For the game, the Chippewas outrebounded Ohio 40-30.

Despite solid performances by Steve Esterkamp (18 points), Patrick Flomo (10 points, five rebounds, four assists), Jon Sanderson (eight points, two steals), Jaivon Harris (nine points, three assists, two steals), and James Bridgewater (four points, five rebounds), free throws down the stretch sealed the win for Central Michigan.

“Brandon Hunter is a very important, integral part of what we do, especially with Sonny Johnson down,” said O’Shea. “Anybody at the game knows Brandon just wasn’t himself tonight. That makes it very difficult.”

Hunter, the 6-7 junior forward who came into the game averaging 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, finished with four points, five rebounds, and a team-high four turnovers.

“I really felt for my seniors,” said O’Shea. “My heart just goes out to Jason Crawford, Jon Sanderson, Patrick Flomo, and Alex Liatsos – guys who I thought gave me everything they had this year. I’m very, very disappointed for them.”