Vander Plas sparks Ohio to 76-69 victory over Kent State

ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Ben Vander Plas finished with 20 points and six rebounds to lead Ohio to a 76-69 victory over Kent State on Friday night.

Vander Plas sank 6 of 12 shots from the floor and made 7 of 8 at the free-throw line for the Bobcats (15-14, 7-9 Mid-American Conference). Sophomore Jason Preston pitched in with 18 points and 10 assists for his 10th double-double of the season. Preston also has a triple-double. Jordan Dartis hit three 3-pointers and on his way to 17 points, while Lunden McDay scored 16 off the bench.

Antonio Williams totaled 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to pace the Golden Flashes (18-11, 8-8). Troy Simons added 11 points, while Philip Whittington scored 10 with eight rebounds.

Ohio shot 46% from the floor but just 25% from beyond the arc (5 of 20). The Bobcats hit 25 of 32 foul shots. Kent State shot 41% overall and 32% from distance (8 of 25). The Golden Flashes made 13 of 16 free throws.

The Bobcats leveled the season series against the Golden Flashes with the win. Kent State defeated Ohio 87-72 on Feb. 15.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com