Feb. 21, 2007

Box Score

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Senior Whitney Davis recorded career-highs with 26 points and nine rebounds and all five Bobcat starters reached double-figures as Ohio defeated Bowling Green 88-63 Wednesday at Anderson Arena.

"It was a terrific win," Head Coach Tim O'Shea said. "You never know what to expect but for us to come in here and shoot this well was big. It changes the whole complexion of the game when you have outside shooting like we did."

Ohio (17-10, 8-5) recorded its fifth-highest scoring output of the season with 88 points and second-highest since the 2007 calendar year began. The Bobcats shot 30-of-63 (48-percent) for the game and were 10-of-23 from beyond the three-point arc. Ohio used a commanding 44-27 rebounding advantage to attempt 12 more shots from the floor than its opponent. The Bobcats also finished with a 15-10 edge in the turnover battle.

"We just got going and played very efficient basketball at the offensive end of the floor," O'Shea said. "We did a good job of moving the basketball today."

Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) had a career night in his senior campaign as he bested his old personal-highs of 24 points and eight rebounds. He was 9-of-19 from the floor Wednesday and 6-of-9 from long range. The six threes made and nine threes attempted matched his career-highs. Davis added to his magnificent night with four assists and three steals in the win.

"(Davis) had a tremendous evening," O'Shea said.

While Davis led the way, all five Bobcat starters reached double-figures in scoring. Junior Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) posted another big night with 17 points and 15 rebounds. It was the 10th double-double of the season for Williams and 26th of his Ohio career. Senior Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 12 points and spread the ball around all evening long with seven assists. Troutman also tallied two steals and is now tied with Eastern Michigan's Lorenzo Neely for fifth place on the all-time Mid-American Conference steals list with 245.

Junior Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished the contest with 13 points, all coming in the first half. Sophomore Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) was just one rebound shy of another double-double as he scored 10 points with nine rebounds in the Ohio victory.

Bowling Green (12-15, 2-11) finished the contest 23-of-51 (45-percent) in the losing effort. Martin Samarco led the Falcons with 19 points while Nate Miller added 16 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

The Falcons started out hot and scored the game's first six points, but Ohio got on the board when Davis hit a three. After a Miller jumper made the score 8-3, the Bobcats scored eight unanswered for their first lead of the night at 11-8, one they did not relinquish. Walther scored the final six points of the run, half on a shot from downtown and half on an old-fashioned three-point play.

The Bobcats continued the run with a pair of Troutman free throws and then made it 12 unanswered with a Tillman slam and a 15-8 lead. Samarco finally ended the Falcon drought with a three-point shot with 14:29 left in the half. Ohio answered Samarco's three with another run, this time six unanswered, for a double-digit lead at 21-11. Walther had four more points during the run to give him 10 points before seven minutes had elapsed in the first half.

Late in the half, Samarco hit three consecutive free throws to draw the Falcons within seven points at 34-27. Ohio once again shot back as Davis scored four consecutive points and Troutman followed them up with a slam for the Bobcats' biggest lead so far at 40-27. Bowling Green scored four of the half's final six points, including a layup at the buzzer, to make the Ohio lead 42-31 at the break.

The Bobcats shot 14-of-30 (47-percent) in the half, including 5-of-12 from three-point range. The Falcons finished the half 10-of-22 (45-percent) and were 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Ohio used an 18-13 rebounding advantage en route to attempting eight more shots in the half. The Bobcats also owned a 9-5 turnover edge in the first half.

Walther led all scorers with 13 points at the break while Davis was right behind him with 11. Williams and Tillman each posted five rebounds to lead the way while Samarco led the Falcons with 10 points at halftime.

The Bobcats started the second half on fire, as four Ohio players scored two points apiece in an 8-2 run to open the half. The team was not finished there, however, as Tillman followed with a layup and senior Stephen King (Richfield, Minn.) made it a 13-2 run with a shot from long range. The result was a 22-point lead at 55-33 with 4:08 gone in the second half.

The rest of the contest was smooth sailing for the Bobcats as they went up by as much as 27 points and never led by less than 18. When all was said and done, Ohio left Bowling Green with a 25-point win and a final score of 88-63.

"When you're on the road you always expect them to go on a run but fortunately we were able to cruise into a victory," O'Shea said.

The Bobcats, who also won last season in Anderson Arena, have won back-to-back road contests in Bowling Green for the first time since accomplishing the task in 1992 and 1993. Ohio's win Wednesday snapped its first three-game losing streak of the season. The 25-point margin of victory was Ohio's largest in a game on its opponent's home court since the Bobcats defeated Central Florida 94-66 on Dec. 28, 1998.

The Bobcats will look to make it two wins in a row this Saturday when they host Kent State in a MAC East Division match up. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

"I'm just pleased with the effort tonight and hope we can carry this into Saturday against Kent State," O'Shea said.