ADA, Ohio – The Ohio Wesleyan men's basketball team made the trip to Ohio Northern on Wednesday evening for a showdown with the Polar Bears. The Battling Bishops fell behind early in the contest, trailing the Polar Bears 22-7 halfway through the first half. OWU cut the deficit to nine before halftime and outscored ONU in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback, ultimately falling by a score of 64-59.
The Bishops fall to 2-3 in the early season. Ohio Northern advances to 2-1.
ONU gained momentum early, as the game started 5-6 in favor of the Polar Bears, and quickly became 22-7 fueled by a 16-2 run. The Red and Black found their groove shortly after, outscoring ONU 16-10 the remainder of the half, ultimately cutting the deficit to nine before the intermission. The Bishop's first half offense was led by
Peyton Frey and
Jake Lowman, who had eight and seven points, respectively. Ohio Wesleyan connected on just two of 10 triples in the first 20 minutes.
OWU picked up where they left off after the break, pulling ahead of the Polar Bears 44-43 with just over 11 minutes left to play. Both sides exchanged points during a tight eight-minute stretch that featured six lead changes, with the Bishops pushing to take command. However, with just 1:22 remaining, Ohio Northern pushed the lead to five and seized control. The Red and Black couldn't close the gap in the final minute, falling 64-59. Frey stayed hot in the second half, pouring in 15 points and finishing with a game-high 23.
THE NUMBERS
OWU bounced back from their shooting struggles, shooting 45.1% from the field but just 20.0% from three.
Peyton Frey led the Ohio Wesleyan offense with a double-double. He recorded a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, along with four steals and one assist.
Isaac Ward followed closely with 13 points, two rebounds and one assist.
Jessee Battle tallied 11 points on the night. Battle grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.
Jake Lowman notched seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
Quinn Hart had two points, two rebounds, two assists, and a season-high four steals.
Jonah Lewis added two points and three rebounds.
Anthony Mordini had one point and one rebound.
UP NEXT
The Battling Bishops will travel to Wright State tomorrow for an exhibition matchup with the Raiders. That game is set for 7 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
