Among the many things that Ohio men’s basketball coach Saul Phillips is thankful for are Jason Carter’s help-side defense and Teyvion Kirk’s clutch foul shooting.
The Bobcats needed both on Saturday. In the final game of the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic, Saul’s team outlasted visiting Austin Peay, 85-82, in overtime.
After dropping games to South Florida and Loyola Marymount while in the Caribbean, Ohio (3-2) looked like a team glad to be home for the holidays, at least when building an 18-point first-half lead. But then, the tryptophan coma settled in, the Governors stormed back to tie the game with 9:08 remaining, and the stage was set for a roller-coaster ride the rest of the way.