Natalie Boydston / Staff Photographer / nb397205@ohiou.edu

Ohio forward Leon Williams goes up for a shot against Buffalo’s Calvin Betts (left) and Yassin Idbihi during Thursday’s win over the Bulls in The Convo.

With point guard Antonio Chatman leaving, the Bobcats roster has been short, but negative effects of his absence haven’t shown up.

Turnovers have been dropping in their last two contests including the Bobcats’ overtime loss to Miami on Sunday, where the ’Cats only committed 11. Coach Tim O’Shea said he has been impressed with his team’s ball handling since Chatman’s departure.

“We are handling pressure well and are taking good care of the basketball, but he was a valuable role-player on this team,” O’Shea said. “We have had to adjust and move on without him.”

Though the Bobcats’ turnovers have been cut down, they have had other problems that have cost them from picking up important road wins in the Mid-American Conference. O’Shea listed shot selection, defensive rotation and free throw shooting as things that need improvement.

After the loss at Miami, where the Bobcats had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, making clutch decisions is something he said his team must do better.

“We want to get better on our last-second situations, we (coaches) are giving the guys a sheet of rules with dos and don’ts in the last seconds,” O’Shea said. “Got to know how to play when up three or down and so on when there is little time left and we have the ball.”

Post-Chatman developments

Ohio’s shortened bench has led to O’Shea’s decision to find a way to get more production and minutes from his less game-tested players.

The Bobcats have been playing mostly a seven-man rotation since Chatman’s departure, with very little bench success. During the last two games the Bobcats have scored four bench points — all coming from Kenneth Van Kempen. Last Thursday against Buffalo, the ’Cats had zero bench points, but still defeated the Bulls by 16.

“I am looking into a rotation that can include Asown (Sayles) and Matt (Annen) a little more,” O’Shea said. “It was tough on the road to get them into the game as much, I didn’t want to experiment too much when we were down.”

Walk-on knows his role

Just a week after adding walk-on guard Stephen Hartings to the team, O’Shea said he is pleased with his newest player’s attitude and actions. Hartings, who is utilized in practice, has taken to his position quickly.

“He knows his role on the team is to be a practice player,” O’Shea said. “He has been great and he understands what we are looking for in terms of a walk-on. He was a solid high school player with solid credentials.”