Jan. 21, 2007
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - Junior Leon Williams and sophomore Jerome Tillman each recorded double-doubles but it was not enough for a Bobcat road victory as Ohio fell to Miami, 72-69 in overtime at Millett Hall.
"Miami is a very, very tough team here at home," Ohio Head Coach Tim O'Shea said. "It's tough. We have two overtime losses on the road and we all know how valuable road wins can be. You can dwell on it but it's not going to do you any good. We have to make sure we come out Wednesday ready to play."
Ohio (12-6, 3-2) finished 25-of-62 (40-percent) from the floor while Miami was 28-of-58 (48-percent) on the day. The Bobcats held a 42-33 rebounding advantage in the contest but the RedHawks got 18 points from the bench against just four for Ohio. The teams were similar from long range as the Bobcats were 8-of-23 and the RedHawks finished 8-of-25.
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) and Williams (Baltimore, Md.) each recorded double-doubles as Tillman posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and Williams had 12 points and 10 boards for his seventh double-double. Williams posted a game-high three blocks while Tillman dished out a game-best six assists. The six assists for Tillman was a new career-high.
Seniors Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) led all five Bobcat starters in double figures with 14 points apiece. Troutman also finished with four steals, four rebounds and three assists while Davis recorded seven rebounds in the loss. Junior Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio) also posted seven rebounds and finished with 12 points for Ohio. The game marked the seventh time this season all five Bobcat starters reached double figures in scoring.
Michael Bramos led the RedHawks with a game-high 22 points and also led his team with four assists. Tim Pollitz finished with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Doug Penno posted 12 points. Nathan Peavy had a team-best 10 rebounds in the Miami win.
The Bobcats scored the game's first four points on layups by Williams and Davis and still held a four point lead at 9-5 with five minutes gone by in the first half. The RedHawks responded with eight unanswered points to take their first lead of the game at 13-9. Ohio fired right back with nine unanswered, all on three-point plays. Davis started the run with an old-fashioned three-point play and Troutman and Davis hit back-to-back threes to regain the lead at 18-13 with 11:41 left in the first half.
Miami was again up to the challenge and scored the game's next 16 points to take an 11-point advantage at 29-18. Bramos scored the first eight points of the run with a pair of three-point shots sandwiched around a breakaway jam and then capped the long RedHawk run with a layup. Williams finally put one in for the Bobcats with a layup of his own to bring the Miami run to an end. The layup by Williams ended a scoring drought of 6:03 for Ohio.
Penno answered the Bobcat score with a shot from downtown but Williams converted another layup to spark a 10-0 run by the Bobcats. Troutman led Ohio on the run, scoring the game's next eight points on back-to-back threes and a pair of free throws to cut the Miami lead to 32-30 with 2:02 left to play in the first half. Bramos ended Ohio's run with another three, his third of the half. The RedHawks finished the half on a 5-2 run for a 37-32 lead at halftime.
The Bobcats were 12-of-27 (44-percent) from the floor in the first half while Miami finished 14-of-23 (61-percent). Each team was successful from beyond the three-point arc, as Ohio was 5-of-9 and the RedHawks were 4-of-8. Bramos led all scorers with 13 points at the break while Troutman and Davis led Ohio with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
After a RedHawk score to open the second half, Walther cut the Miami lead to 39-36 on a four-point play. The RedHawks answered with the next four points to go ahead 43-36. A Bramos three with 15:13 left in the game put Miami ahead by double digits at 49-38. The Bobcats cut their deficit to six at 51-45, but Miami used a 5-0 run to regain an 11-point lead at 56-45 with 11:22 left in the half.
With their backs against the walls, the Bobcats had an answer as they scored the game's next eight points to pull within three points. Williams had four points during the run and Davis capped it off with a fast break layup to make the score 56-53 with 6:38 left to play in the half. Another fast break layup by Davis with 4:00 remaining brought Ohio within one point, and after each team exchanged threes, Troutman nailed another three to give the Bobcats a 63-61 lead, their first lead since an 18-16 advantage in the first half.
Pollitz made a layup for the RedHawks to answer the Troutman three and tie the score at 63 with a minute left to play. Bramos missed a three for Miami, giving the Bobcats the ball with 17 seconds left in the game. A long Walther three was no good and Pollitz's half-court heave hit the front iron but bounced out and the two teams headed to overtime.
After a scoreless minute and a half to open the extra period, Bramos put the RedHawks ahead with a jumper for a 65-63 lead. Penno made it five unanswered for Miami in overtime with a shot from long range to give the RedHawks a 68-63 lead with 1:47 left in the game. Tillman got the Bobcats on the board with a pair of free throws to make it a one score game with 1:30 left to play.
Williams cut the deficit to one point with a layup on Ohio's next possession but Penno nailed another three with 14 seconds left to take a 71-67 lead. Walther got a quick score for the Bobcats but Ohio trailed by two points with 10 seconds left and Miami in-bounding the ball. Williams fouled out of the game on the inbound to send Pollitz to the line for a one-and-one. Pollitz hit the first but missed the second to keep it a one score game but a Troutman three was off the mark and Ohio fell by a score of 72-69.
The Bobcats look to get back in the win column Wednesday when they host Eastern Michigan. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
