March 7, 2007
Box Score
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CLEVELAND - Junior Bubba Walther led all scorers with 19 points and Head Coach Tim O'Shea picked up his 100th career victory as fifth-seeded Ohio defeated 12th-seeded Bowling Green 69-59 Wednesday in the first round of the MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Bobcats (19-12) will advance to the MAC Quarterfinals Thursday and face fourth-seeded Miami at 2:00 p.m. The win marked the third time this season that the Bobcats defeated Bowling Green and was the 100th career victory for O'Shea. Ohio is now 9-4 all-time in the MAC Tournament under O'Shea.
Ohio finished the contest 21-of-47 (45-percent) from the floor, including 8-of-21 from beyond the three-point arc, in the victory. The Bobcats' biggest advantage game on the glass, where Ohio finished with a 46-26 edge in rebounds. Ohio also used 23 bench points, 19 from Walther, against just six points from the Falcon bench.
Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the way with 19 points and was 5-of-8 from three-point territory in the win. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists while making all four of his attempts from the free throw line. Recently announced All-MAC Second Team choice Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) recorded a double-double, the 27th of his career, as the junior Bobcat finished with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
All-MAC First Team selection Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) also posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore Bobcat recorded two assists and a block in the winning effort. Senior Whitney Davis (Ann Arbor, Mich.) added 12 points for Ohio. All-MAC Honorable Mention choice Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) posted seven points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block for the Bobcats.
The Falcons (13-18) shot just 22-of-61 (36-percent) in the season-ending loss. MAC scoring lead Martin Samarco finished with 15 points while Nate Miller led all Bowling Green players with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brian Moten recorded 10 points in the Falcon loss.
Neither team started out on fire from the floor as the Bobcats started just 2-of-6 from the floor and Bowling Green started 1-of-5. The Bobcats took an early 5-4 lead but Samarco scored five unanswered points for the Falcons and a Miller free throw gave Bowling Green 10-5 lead with 14 minutes left in the half. After a Davis basket, the Falcons went on a 7-2 run to take their largest lead to that point at 17-9.
Senior Stephen King (Richfield, Minn.) stopped the run with a three from the corner and Walther followed with one of his to bring the Bobcats within two points at 17-15. Davis made it 11 unanswered Bobcat points with a layup and a shot from downtown to give Ohio the lead at 20-17, its first lead since 5-4. A Troutman basket and a Williams put-back extended the run to 15 straight Bobcat points and a 24-17 lead.
The Falcons bounced back and used an 8-2 run to pull within a point at 26-25. Troutman scored the last basket of the half with 2:00 left on the clock to give Ohio a 28-25 lead at the half.
The Bobcats shot 11-of-29 in the first half while the Falcons finished just 9-of-28. Ohio used a 24-17 edge in rebounds in the half. Davis led all Bobcats with seven points at the break while Walther chipped in five. Samarco posted 10 points at halftime with Dusan Radivojevic added six points for the Falcons.
The Falcons started the second half on a 9-4 run, including five straight that gave Bowling Green a 34-32 lead. Walther followed with a pair of threes sandwiched around a Falcon basket to put Ohio back on top 38-36. The junior Bobcat grabbed a defensive rebound on the next possession and drained his third consecutive three at the other end of court for a 41-36 Bobcat advantage that forced a Falcon timeout with 15:49 left to play.
Bowling Green responded with a 7-2 run after the break to tie the game at 43. The Bobcats came right back with nine unanswered of their own, capped off by a long Walther three, to take a 52-43 advantage with 9:31 left in the game. The shot forced Bowling Green to take another timeout. After the break, Ohio made it an 11-0 run on a layup by freshman Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, the Netherlands) for the Bobcats' first double-digit lead of the game.
With Ohio up 58-49, Troutman stole a Falcon pass and went coast-to-coast with a two-handed slam to give Ohio a 60-49 lead with 3:54 left in the game. Bowling Green attempted a late comeback and pulled within five points at 64-59 with under a minute left but the Bobcats held on to advance to the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals with a 69-59 win.
Ohio will continue its run for a MAC Championship Thursday, when the fifth-seeded Bobcats take on fourth-seeded Miami at 2:00 p.m. in the MAC Quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena.
