Dec. 10, 2008
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
CINCINNATI - Senior forward Jerome Tillman scored 16 points and sophomore guard Tommy Freeman added 15 for the Ohio University men's basketball team on Wednesday night, but the Bobcats could not overcome a hot shooting night by No. 10/9 Xavier and were handed a 78-56 loss at the Cintas Center.
Ohio (4-4) shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from three-point distance and recorded 14 assists on 20 total field goals, but saw XU post a 52.2 percent field goal percentage en route to claiming the first meeting between the two teams since the 1995-96 campaign.
"We're trying to get better every day, and our guys know that we have absolutely no excuses," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "With the way that Xavier shot in the first half, I thought that we weren't competing hard enough. We challenged them more in the second half. We guarded our yard a little better and competed harder, and came away with some positive things that we can build on from this game."
Tillman drained 5-of-12 shots from the floor to finish with a team-high 16 points, his eighth double-figure performance in as many outings this season. He also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds on the evening, while adding two blocks and a pair of steals.
Sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) was also active on both ends of the court on Wednesday, establishing career highs with five rebounds and four assists. He also added two points, a block and a career high-tying two steals in a personal-best 28 minutes of action.
The catalyst for Ohio's solid performance from beyond the arc came in the form of sophomore guard Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.), who sank 4-of-8 attempts en route to 15 points on the night. The output was the highest for Freeman, who also tied his career high with three rebounds, since dropping 17 against Austin Peay on Nov. 22. Senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) was also hot from long distance on Wednesday, hitting both of his trifecta attempts and finishing with eight points.
The Bobcats had their shooting stroke working in the first half, connecting on a season first-half high 43.5 percent (10-of-23) of their attempts, including a 57.1 percent (4-of-7) mark from beyond the arc. Tillman knocked down 4-of-8 shots from the field en route to a team-high 10 points in the opening period, while Coleman chipped in with five on 40.0 percent (2-of-5) shooting.
Ohio will play its fifth-consecutive game away from Athens on Saturday when it pays a visit to Delaware in a rematch of last December's 78-59 Bobcat victory. Pregame coverage will begin on the Citizens Bank Ohio ISP Sports Network at 1:30 p.m. ET for a 2 p.m. ET tip.
