Dec. 6, 2006
Box Score
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Junior transfer Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored 20 points and the Bobcats kicked off a stretch of four games in five days with their first road win of the season, a 77-72 victory over St. Bonaventure Wednesday at the Reilly Center.
The Bobcats used strong three-point and free throw shooting to earn their first-ever road win over St. Bonaventure. Ohio was 7-of-14 (50.0-percent) from beyond the three-point arc and was lights out from the charity stripe for the second straight contest. The Bobcats connected on 18-of-21 free throw attempts in the win and committed just 12 fouls themselves to limit the Bonnies to seven total free throw attempts. Ohio went 37-of-42 from the free throw line in last weekend's win against Marshall. The Bobcats were 26-of-58 (44.8-percent) from the floor in Wednesday's contest. Despite committing two more turnovers than the Bonnies, Ohio scored 24 points off turnovers and allowed just 13.
Walther's 20 points were a season-best in his third game as a Bobcat after transferring from Akron last year. He was 7-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-8 from downtown. The junior guard also added five rebounds and two assists in the win and sank a pair of key free throws down the stretch. Junior Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) scored 15 points and added seven rebounds while hitting 7-of-8 free throw attempts in the victory. Sophomore Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Seniors Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) also reached double-figures, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Troutman also finished with a career-best eight assists on the evening. Freshman Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands) chipped in seven points off the bench.
The Bonnies finished 31-of-63 (49.2-percent) from the floor and 7-of-21 (33.3-percent) from long range. A.J. Hawkins had a career day with 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Hawkins also had five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the loss. Zarryon Fereti scored 19 points for the Bonnies while Paul Williams grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
The two teams were back-and-forth for the first five minutes of action, but the Bonnies worked to a 12-8 lead with 15:15 left to play in the first half. The Bobcats then went on a 12-0 run that lasted nearly three minutes and gave Ohio a 20-12 advantage. Walther capped off the run of 12 unanswered with a shot from downtown and Troutman scored four points during the streak.
The Bonnies scored nine of the game's next 13 points to pull within 24-21, but Ohio had another run in store for its opponent. This time, the Bobcats scored eight straight points to take a double-digit lead at 32-21. Williams sparked the run with a lay-up and a jumper on back-to-back Ohio possessions. St. Bonaventure had the cure, however, as the Bonnies finished the half on a 10-2 run to cut Ohio's halftime lead to 34-31.
Williams and Troutman co-led the Bobcats at the break with eight points apiece. Tillman posted a game-best seven rebounds at halftime. The two teams were nearly identical from the floor in the first half, as Ohio hit 13-of-29 and St. Bonaventure was 13-of-28 in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Bonnies pulled within a point right away in the second half and the game remained a one-point Bobcat lead at 38-37 with 17:22 remaining in the game. Ohio then built a 44-39 lead but St. Bonaventure answered with nine unanswered points to take a 48-44 lead, its first lead since early in the contest. A three-point shot by Tyler Relph gave the Bonnies a 58-53 lead with 8:47 remaining but Walther responded with a three of his own and a slam by Troutman tied the contest at 58.
The game remained tight the rest of the way as neither team took a lead of more than five points. The Bonnies scored the next four points to take a 62-58 lead but Ohio fought back and scored the next seven points for a 65-62 lead. St. Bonaventure pulled in front of the back-and-forth game with a 72-70 lead but Tillman hit a clutch shot from behind the three-point arc to give the Bobcats a 73-72 advantage with 1:18 left to play in the game.
With St. Bonaventure in possession of the ball, less than a minute left and the shot clock winding down, Hawkins drove to the rim but was called for an offensive foul. Ohio could not run out the clock on the following possession and had to take one shot. The shot was off the mark but the ball bounced out of bounds off of the Bonnies to give Ohio the ball with 21 seconds left. St. Bonaventure immediately fouled Walther and the Bobcat newcomer converted on both free throw attempts for a 75-72 Bobcat lead. A Bonnie three-point shot was off the mark and Antonio Chatman (Dorchester, Mass.) sank both free throw attempts after another foul to give Ohio the 77-72.
The Bobcats enjoy Thursday off before resuming a stretch of four games in five days with a non-conference match up against Louisville on Friday as part of the NABC Classic. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised throughout central and southeastern Ohio.
