Nov. 22, 2008
Box Score
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Senior forward Jerome Tillman and freshman guard Steven Coleman both registered double-doubles on Saturday night, as the Ohio University men's basketball team moved to 2-0 on the season with a 79-68 victory over Austin Peay.
The win marks the first time that the Bobcats have taken their road opener since the 2005-06 season, and makes first-year head coach John Groce just the fifth floor general in school history to win his first game away from Athens. The Green & White has also now won eight of its last 11 contests in the month of November, dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.
Down 28-25 at the half, Ohio responded with a second-half flurry that saw the Bobcats shoot 58.3 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Green & White also turned the ball over just four times after the break, while APSU committed seven second-half miscues.
Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while also collecting 10 rebounds on the night. The performance marked the first double-double by an Ohio freshman, as well as the most points scored by a Bobcat rookie, since Leon Williams netted 29 points and pulled down 15 boards in the final of the 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) collected his second double-double in as many outings this season, and the 20th of his career, by way of 19 points and 14 rebounds, recording 15 and nine, respectively, after halftime. He connected on 11-of-13 attempts from the line, marking career highs in both makes and attempts from the charity stripe, while also dishing out four assists and picking up three steals.
With 19 points on the night, Tillman moved past Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame members Frankie Baumholtz and Lewis Geter on the program's career scoring list, finishing with 1,107 points to his credit. Tillman's total ranks 23rd in school history, just 42 behind John Canine's 22nd-place mark of 1,149 points.
Sophomore guard Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half on Saturday night, hitting three of his four attempts from long distance. He also knocked down 8-of-9 attempts from the free throw line, helping Ohio shoot 77.1 percent from the stripe as a team. Senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.) and senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) both chipped in with eight points on the night, with five of Allen's tallies coming via the free throw line.
Allen and Orr also both posted four assists on the evening, while the latter hauled in a half dozen rebounds in 29 minutes of work.
Ohio will have nearly a week off before hitting the road once again for a Saturday-afternoon showdown at George Mason. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. ET in Fairfax, and live stats will be available via ohiobobcats.com.
