Nov. 29, 2008
Final Stats
FAIRFAX, Va. - Senior forward Jerome Tillman posted his third-straight double-double and the Ohio University men's basketball team got 16 points from freshman guard Steven Coleman on Saturday afternoon, but dropped a 74-65 decision to George Mason despite a late rally at the Patriot Center.
The Green & White (2-1) shot 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from beyond the arc and knocked down 73.1 percent (19-of-26) of their attempts from the free throw line on the day, but was unable to overcome a 45.3-percent shooting effort from GMU.
"I have to give George Mason all the credit in the world because they came out like gangbusters," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "Our guys battled the whole game. I challenged them at halftime to get back to the style of basketball that we want to play, as we executed much better in the second half."
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds, both season highs, to pace the Bobcats in both categories. The effort represented his third double-double in as many outings this season, and the 21st of his career, marking the first time in his career that Tillman has turned in three-consecutive double-doubles. The Mid-American Conference leader in rebounds per game, Tillman's 16 boards were also just one shy of matching his career high.
Tillman, who also led the MAC in steals per game at the beginning of the day, also chipped in with three thefts and an assist against the Patriots.
"Jerome Tillman is a competitor, and he really battled the whole time for us today," Groce said. "He's an integral part of what we want to be as a team. We needed to do a better job of getting him the ball in the second half because he was such a force down low in the first. Jerome is the kind of guy who will always finish games and battle until the end."
Freshman guard Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) caught fire in the second half, scoring 15 of his 16 points on Saturday after the break. He connected on 2-of-3 shots from long distance and sank 4-of-5 free throws, while also helping out with a pair of boards. Senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore guard Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) each tallied seven points, with the latter adding two rebounds and two assists in a career-high 33 minutes of action.
Senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.) led the Bobcats with three assists, while Orr and sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) each pulled down four rebounds on the afternoon.
The Bobcats narrowed their deficit to five, 42-37, on a three-point play by Coleman at the 16:25 mark of the second half, but saw GMU's lead grow to eight at the under-12:00 media timeout despite field goals from Orr and Tillman. The gap was still eight points in favor of the home team, 61-53, at the final media timeout of the afternoon.
Back-to-back buckets by Tillman and Coleman cut Mason's lead to 63-57 with less than three minutes to play. Tillman sank a free throw to pull Ohio to within five at 64-59 with just over a minute left in regulation, but the Patriots were able to convert on a pair of free throws to push the lead to back to seven. A Coleman layup with 42 seconds left made the score 66-61, and freshman guard Frankie Dobbs (Lakewood, Ohio) followed a pair of Mason free throws with a make of his own from the charity stripe to keep Ohio within six at 68-62 with 37 seconds remaining in the contest. A field goal attempt by Freeman drew iron with just over 20 seconds to play, and despite a late trifecta from Coleman, GMU was able to seal the 74-65 victory at the free throw line.
Down by as many as 19 in the first half, Ohio ripped off a 12-6 run over the last 4:40 of the period to head into the locker room down by just 10 at 40-30. Tillman led all players with 14 first-half points and netted the Bobcats' final five tallies of the frame, including a three-point bucket off of a feed from Freeman with just 17 seconds on the clock.
Ohio knocked down three of its six attempts from beyond the arc in the first half, while also converting on 11-of-15 (.733) of its free throw attempts.
Ohio will return to action on Wednesday night, when it hosts defending College Basketball Invitational champion Tulsa on the 40th anniversary of the Convocation Center.
"We'll look at the film and regroup over the next day or two," Groce said. "We've got a great challenge at home with Tulsa coming in, and we'll look to do a better job of taking care of the ball on Wednesday night. Our focus over the next few days will to get better as a team before Wednesday night's game."
All tickets for the game, which is slated to tip at 7 p.m. ET, will be just $1, and parking for the game will be free of charge. Ohio Athletics will also be holding a toy donation drive on Wednesday, with all collections going to Athens County Children's Services.
