Jan. 24, 2007
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
ATHENS, Ohio - Junior Leon Williams tallied 18 points and 17 rebounds and sophomore Jerome Tillman scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bobcats earned a 67-61 win over Eastern Michigan Wednesday at the Convocation Center.
"I'm glad we got a win," Head Coach Tim O'Shea said. "I don't think that we played particularly well, especially shooting the ball. We had one of those nights where you're 1-for-13 from the three and to still get a win. You have to be happy about that."
Ohio (13-6, 4-2) has now recorded 13 consecutive home victories and has started the season 13-6 for the second straight season. The Bobcats finished 26-of-61 (43-percent) from the floor and were 14-of-19 (74-percent) from the free throw line. Ohio passed the ball well, finishing with 15 assists on 26 baskets while the Eagles tallied just nine assists in the game. The Bobcats also used a 45-37 rebounding advantage in the victory and dominated the scoring in the paint 46-20.
"We really dominated the inside the whole game," O'Shea said. "On the perimeter we just had one of those nights. We had some wide open looks, we just could not put the ball in the basket. Fortunately for us we still won."
The Eagles were 23-of-62 (37-percent) from the floor in the contest but stayed in the game with nine threes on 30 attempts (30-percent). The Bobcats were 1-of-13 from outside the three point arc. The Eagles did themselves no favors at the free throw line as they finished the game just 6-of-15 (40-percent) at the stripe.
Williams (Baltimore, Md.) recorded his third consecutive double-double in the win with 18 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. He has tallied eight double-doubles this season and 24 in his Bobcat career. The junior Bobcat finished the game 6-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. He grabbed eight of Ohio's 13 offensive rebounds in the game. His 17 total rebounds in the contest was one shy of his career best.
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) joined Williams with a double-double, the ninth time he has recorded double figures in both scoring and rebounding this season. He finished with a team-high 19 points and added 10 rebounds, four assists and a block. Tillman shot 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line for the game.
Senior Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) also posted double figures in scoring with 13 points. He dished out three assists and recorded three rebounds and a steal in the win. Senior Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) added nine points with a team-best five assists and four steals for the Bobcats. Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, The Netherlands) gave Ohio 15 solid minutes off the bench with four points, three rebounds and a steal.
Devon Dumes led the Eagles with 19 points and also grabbed four rebounds in the Eastern Michigan loss. Brandon Bowdry scored 13 points with a team-high eight rebounds while Carlos Medlock scored 10 points and led the Eagles with five assists.
The Bobcats started fast with six unanswered points and never allowed the Eagles to lead the entire length of the contest. Eastern Michigan did not get on the scoreboard until nearly three minutes had elapsed. While the Bobcats started out on fire, hitting five of its first seven shots, the Eagles started the contest just 2-of-9 from the floor.
With the Bobcats out to an 11-4 lead, Eastern Michigan used an 8-1 run to tie the game at 12-12 with 12:24 left in the first half. Ohio had an immediate answer, scoring the game's next 11 points for a 23-12 lead, the team's largest lead of the game to that point. The Bobcats would never let the Eagles catch them rest of the way. The Ohio defense held the Eagles scoreless from the 12:24 mark until just 6:38 remained in the first half. Medlock finally ended the drought with a three and the Eagles pulled to within six points on three occasions before a jumper by Davis with 19 seconds left gave Ohio a 10-point lead. Eastern Michigan had the final word before halftime, as Jesse Bunkley hit a three with four seconds left to make the score 36-29 at the break.
Williams led all players at the break with 11 points and had already secured a double-double with 10 rebounds. Tillman posted 11 points and six rebounds at the half. Bunkley, Bowdry and Dumes all had six points for the Eagles.
Early in the second half, the Bobcats looked to put things away with a 10-0 run that provided a 49-32 lead, the largest of the evening. The run came during another long Eagle scoring drought, this one lasting from the 18:24 mark to the 10:46 mark of the second half. Dumes finally ended the drought with a pair of free throws and the Eagles looked to make things interesting late in the game.
Trailing 54-39, Eastern Michigan scored 10 unanswered points to cut the Ohio lead to 54-49 with 6:06 left to play. The Bobcats were up to the task and went on a 7-0 run to take a 12-point lead before winning by the final margin of 67-61.
Ohio heads back into action on Sunday when the Bobcats travel to Ball State. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.
