HILLSBORO — The one place the Ottawa University men’s basketball team struggles for victories is in the Tabor College gym.

The Bluejays have owned the Braves through the years. Ottawa mustered just seven victories in Hillsboro.

HILLSBORO — The one place the Ottawa University men’s basketball team struggles for victories is in the Tabor College gym.

The Bluejays have owned the Braves through the years. Ottawa mustered just seven victories in Hillsboro.

The hex continues. Tabor rallied from a double-digit deficit Thursday in the second half to down Ottawa, 75-68.

The Bluejays took control with a 15-4 spurt midway through the second half. Ottawa led 59-53 at the time and trailed 68-63 with four minutes left when the smoke cleared.

“Tabor played a great half of basketball,” Ottawa coach Andy Carrier, who is 21-27 against Tabor, said. “They have had a couple of games where they shot it well, but consistently Tabor has not shot the ball well particularly from three. They really shot the ball well. I give them all the credit.”

The Bluejays hit 55 percent from the field in the second half, including draining five treys.

Ottawa had a good first half, running out to a 12-point lead and led 42-33 at halftime. Ottawa shot 47 percent from the field.

“Our guys played extremely well in the first half on both ends,” Carrier said. “We did not have an answer to slow them down in the second half.

“I thought their ball pressure hurt us. When they started trapping our ball screen, we did not handle it well.”

Tabor forced 11 turnovers, of which eight were steals, in the second half. Tabor finished with 24 points off 18 turnovers.

“Turnovers really hurt us,” Carrier said.

Tabor found some needed offense from the perimeter with 11 made treys with four coming from Lawson Kingsley, who led the Bluejays with 14 points.

Ottawa did not trail until the 6:20 mark of the second half when Tabor took a 64-63 lead. Ottawa never regained the lead.

Ottawa sophomore Adam Hasty, who started his first game of the season, paced the Braves’ attack with a career-best 20 points.

He also had four rebounds and five assists in a season-high 32 minutes.

“He is a tough kid and a great competitor,” Carrier said.

Corey Smith finished with 15 points. Stephen Feighny led Ottawa with 10 rebounds.

Carrier said the loss was disappointing, but can’t let it linger.

“Our guys really wanted this one on the road,” he said. “We are in the most important part of the season. We need to start stringing wins together. There will not be any easy nights.

“We need to go into Bethel and get back on the winning track. We have a lot at stake.”

Ottawa (6-9, 3-2) will attempt to snap a three-game slide 7 p.m. today in North Newton against Bethel.

Tabor (75) — Malan 3, Kingsley 14, Nemit 8, LeBlanc 12, Janzen 2, Rust 5, Hopkinson 6, Samuel 8, Butler 4, Loewen 2, Sauer 3, Chippeaux 8.

Ottawa (68) — Brown 3, Lindsay 8, Hasty 20, Falk 2, Rose 3, Dippel 9, Smith 15, Lundry 2, Feighny 6.