Jan. 14, 2007
Box Score
KENT, Ohio - Sophomore Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and led all scorers with 20 points but it was not enough as the Bobcats suffered a 67-65 overtime loss to Kent State Sunday at the M.A.C. Center.
"It's very disappointing to lose, but it's hard to fault the effort," Head Coach Tim O'Shea said. "Our guys played their hearts out. A bounce here and a bounce there is what it came down to. I could not be prouder. In terms of effort, energy and competing, you can't really be very critical of the guys. I thought they gave it their all."
The Mid-American Conference battle saw 13 ties and 17 lead changes in the back-and-forth contest. The Bobcats (11-5, 2-1) and Flashes (9-7, 2-1) were similar from the floor as Ohio hit 24-of-61 (39.3-percent) and Kent State was 26-of-68 (38.2-percent). Ohio finished with a 47-37 advantage in rebounds but finished the contest with 22 turnovers on the day. Ohio was at a large disadvantage in bench points as the Flashes had 18 points from the pine while the Bobcats got just two bench points.
Tillman led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor and also had a career-high 17 rebounds. He finished the contest 8-of-10 from the floor and also posted two steals in the loss.
"It's becoming almost the norm for him to get a double-double," O'Shea said. "He is becoming a special player and had another great game today."
Senior Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) posted 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals while junior Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the three-point arc. Junior Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) finished one rebound shy of a double-double for the second-straight game with 10 points and nine rebounds. Senior Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) finished with eight points in the loss.
A trio of players led the Golden Flashes as Haminn Quaintance, Omni Smith and Armon Gates all scored 13 points in the win. Quaintance also posted a team-best 13 rebounds while Jordan Mincy dished out five assists for Kent State.
The two teams came out of the gates neck and neck and saw the score tied early at six and 12. The Bobcats attempted five more shots than the Golden Flashes in the first seven minutes of action, but Kent State nailed its first two shots from downtown to keep the score tied.
A Davis jumper and a free throw from Troutman gave Ohio a 15-12 lead but the Golden Flashes scored the next nine points for a 21-15 lead, their first since the early moments of the game. The run of nine unanswered was capped by a three-point shot from Gates but a Tillman basket ended the Bobcat drought and made the score 21-17 with 9:24 left to play in the first half.
Tillman followed his jumper with a slam that brought Ohio back to within two points but Gates had the answer for the dunk as he hit another three to regain a 24-19 lead for Kent State. The Flashes extended the lead to 28-21 a pair of treys from Walther sandwiched around a layup from Davis gave the Bobcats an 8-0 run and a 29-28 lead with 3:32 left in the half.
A tip-in by Williams made it an even 10 unanswered for Ohio but a three from Rodriguez brought the run to an end and tied the score a 31 with 2:23 remaining in the first half. Gates and Troutman traded threes to keep the score tied before a Tillman free throw gave the Bobcats a 35-34 lead late in the half. Kent State got the last laugh in the first half as a layup-and-one from Knight with two seconds left gave the Flashes a 37-35 lead at the break.
The two teams were relatively even from the floor in the first half as Ohio finished 14-of-31 (45-percent) and Kent State was 14-of-29 (48-percent). Tillman led the Bobcats with 10 points at the half while Walther was right behind with nine. Gates led the Golden Flashes and all scorers with 11 points at the break.
Troutman got the scoring started in the second half with a three-point play for Bobcat lead but Kent State responded with a 6-0 run for a 43-38 lead. Davis' layup stopped the bleeding and pulled Ohio back to within three at 43-40. After a dunk by Quaintance, the Bobcats scored five straight points to once again tie the score at 45 with 13:03 left to play in the half.
The Flashes regained a three-point lead at 51-48 but Ohio answered with a string of seven unanswered for a 55-51 lead. Kent State once again battled back to and with four straight points tied the contest a 55 with less than six minutes left to play in the second half. The score remained tied until a layup by Smith gave the Golden Flashes a 57-55 lead with 2:21 remaining in the game. Williams put the scoreboard even at 57 with a tip-in off a Davis miss with just 1:20 on the clock. Neither team was able to convert before the clock hit zero and the two teams headed to the five-minute overtime period.
Troutman forced a Golden Flash turnover on the first possession in overtime and Tillman hauled in a Walther miss and put it back for a 59-57 Bobcat lead. Ohio had two chances to extend the lead but turned the ball over each time. Smith made the Bobcats pay with a layup and a foul but his free throw was errant to keep the score tied at 59. Williams once again gave the Bobcats the lead as he hit one-of-two free throws on the next possession but Smith answered with a pair of free throws for a 61-60 Kent State advantage with 2:30 left on the clock.
Ohio wasted little time in regaining the lead as Tillman hit a basket but on the following trip down the floor Williams picked up his fifth foul to exit him from the game and send Knight to the charity stripe for a pair. Knight hit one-of-two from the line to once again tie the contest a 62 with 1:34 remaining in the game. The Flashes took a late lead when Quaintance converted on a three-point play for a 65-62 lead with just 37 seconds left in overtime. Walther came up huge on the next possession as he hit a shot from downtown with a hand in his face to tie the contest at 65. Kent State had the final answer, however, as Smith hit a runner to give the Golden Flashes the 67-65 win.
Ohio continues its run through the Mid-American Conference schedule this Thursday when the Bobcats host Buffalo. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
