Nov. 11, 2006
ATHENS, Ohio - Junior Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) each posted double-doubles and three other Bobcats reached double figures in scoring as the Bobcats opened their 100th season of men's basketball with an 83-66 win against Marist Saturday at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats finished the contest 25-for-45 from the floor (55.6-percent) and held a 44-26 advantage in rebounds. Ohio took 42 trips to the charity stripe against 21 free-throw attempts for Marist. The Red Foxes got into foul trouble early as the Bobcats went to the line several times via the bonus. Marist finished with 30 personal fouls while Ohio totaled 22 fouls.
Williams was one of three Bobcats to co-lead the team with 16 points in the victory. The 6-8 junior also posted a game-best 16 rebounds. Williams was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and was 6-for-14 from the free-throw line. Tillman joined Williams with 16 points in the victory and also grabbed 12 boards for Ohio. He finished 10-for-12 from the charity stripe in the win with a game-best three blocks.
Senior guard Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) also tallied 16 points to go along with three assists, two rebounds and a steal. Senior Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) posted 14 points with a game-best four steals while freshman Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, The Netherlands) also finished in double-digits with 10 points. The points were the first of van Kampen's Bobcat career. Junior Antonio Chatman (Dorchester, Mass.) led the Bobcats with five assists in the win while senior Stephen King (Richfield, Minn.) chipped in a career-high eight points.
Neither team started out hot from the field as Ohio missed its first four field-goal attempts and the Red Foxes hit just one of their first 11 attempts to start the contest. Marist held a 3-0 lead more than four minutes into the contest until Troutman connected on a basket and the foul to tie the game. The bucket sparked an 8-0 Bobcat run that spanned just 36 seconds. The run came during a stretch of 4:26 in which the Red Foxes were unable to record a point. Marist's Will Whittington scored the team's first six points and nine of the first 10 points.
The Bobcats took their first double-digit lead with 5:13 remaining in the first half when a Davis lay-up gave Ohio a 25-15 advantage. Davis scored eight points for the Bobcats from the 8:34 mark up to the lay-up. The Bobcats extended the lead to 36-21 heading into the half.
Ohio shot 10-for-21 (48-percent) in the first half while the Red Foxes were just 6-for-28 (21-percent) in the half. The Bobcats held a 13-3 edge in bench points in the first period. Davis led Ohio with 10 points at the break while Whittington paced the Red Foxes with nine.
The Bobcats extended their lead to as much as 17 in the second half but Marist made a comeback attempt. The Red Foxes scored eight unanswered points to cut the lead to 56-48 with 9:12 left in the game, but Ohio answered with a 6-1 run of its own to regain a 14-point advantage. Williams posted seven of Ohio's 11 points, including five in a row, from the 10:37 mark until 4:12 remained in the contest. Marist cut the Bobcat lead to 65-56 with 4:33 left to go but it was as close as the Red Foxes were able to get as the Bobcats finished with the 83-66 win.
The double-doubles for Williams and Tillman marked the first time since March 8, 2003 that Ohio had two players accomplish the feat. Brandon Hunter and Steve Esterkamp turned in 23/10 and 17/12, respectively, in a loss at Kent State.
Jared Jordan led Marist with 21 points, while Whittington became the 23rd Marist player to top 1,000 career points Saturday when he tallied 19.
Ohio is now 66-34 in season-openers and 79-21 in home openers. The Bobcats return to action Nov. 19 with a home contest against Yale. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
