Ohio defeats UMass 86-83 as Simmons and Paveletzke lead

Ohio beat UMass 86-83; Javan Simmons scored 20 points and Jackson Paveletzke sealed the win with a late free throw.

Ohio beat UMass 86-83 in Athens, Ohio on Tuesday, with a late free throw helping decide the outcome. Javan Simmons led the Bobcats with 20 points and added five rebounds. Jackson Paveletzke made a free throw with 59 seconds remaining that sealed the win. The teams entered the game with matching 9-7 overall records but different conference starts. Game details: - Final score: Ohio 86, UMass 83. - Javan Simmons led Ohio with 20 points and five rebounds. - Jackson Paveletzke hit a free throw with 59 seconds left that helped secure the victory. - JJ Kelly scored 14 points overall and had a team-high 12 points in the second half; Jesse Burris finished with 13 points (5 of 8 FG, 3 of 6 3P). - For UMass, Daniel Hankins-Sanford had 16 points and nine rebounds; Marcus Banks added 14 points and two steals; Danny Carbuccia had 13 points and eight assists. - Records after the game: Ohio 9-7 (3-1 Mid-American Conference); UMass 9-7 (0-4). Summary: Ohio's win moved the Bobcats to 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play while UMass remained without a conference victory. Undetermined at this time.