Cold Shooting Night Slows Down Men's Basketball at UNOH

(Lima, OH)-- The Cleary Cougar men's basketball team struggled to find an offensive rhythm, as they lost a road WHAC matchup to the UNOH Racers Saturday afternoon in Lima.

After trading points in the early goings, UNOH started to pull away to build an 18-9 lead halfway through the opening twenty minutes.  Cleary cut that deficit down to take the lead, after a pair of AJ Hess three point shots and a Bennie Crenshaw Jr. layup and pair of free throws.  The Racers answered that run with a run of their own, outscoring the Cougars 16-6 to finish the half and take a 36-28 lead at the break.

The second half was an offensive struggle for both teams, as the two teams combined for 14 points in the first 9 minutes of second half action, and much of the scoring coming from the free throw line.  The Racers expanded their lead to 12, but Cleary would respond and cut the deficit to 51-45.  Some fouls by the Cougars led to more Racer free throws, and the hosts would make their attempts down the stretch to take down the Cougars. 

Chris Williams had a team high 19 points and 9 rebounds, with 16 points coming in the second half, to lead Cleary's offense.  Bennie Crenshaw Jr. scored 18 points to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.  AJ Hess added 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Cleary was held to 34.5% shooting on the day, and just 7-26 (26.9%) from 3-point range in the game.  Cleary attempted 26 free throws, but were only able to make 16.

The Cougars drops to 0-9 overall, 0-5 in the WHAC, and will be back in action next Saturday, December 16, when they host the Rochester Warriors at Gannon Gymnasium.  The game is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM.