March 1, 2008
Box Score | Notes
OXFORD
,
Ohio-
The Ohio men's basketball squad ran into a tough
Miami
squad Saturday evening as the RedHawks cruised to a 73-49 win over the Bobcats at Millett Hall.
Miami improved to 14-13 overall and pulled into a tie with
Ohio
at 8-6 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats dipped to 18-10 overall.
Michael Bramos led
Miami
with 31 points, while Kenny Hayes had 12 and Tim Pollitz had 10. Tyler Dierkers and Eric Pollitz had a team-high nine rebounds, but
Miami
lost the overall rebounding battle to the Bobcats by a 37-35 margin. Tim Pollitz had the best floor game for the victors with three assists and four steals.
Senior forward Leon Williams (
Baltimore,
Md.
) powered the Bobcats with his 41st career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). Junior guard Bert Whittington IV (Hankamer, Tx.) also chipped in 11 points and three steals. Junior guard Michael Allen (
Detroit,
Mich.
), who entered the day as the MAC's leader in assists per game, had three assists.
Ohio
was dogged by an ice-cold shooting touch and finished with a 24.6 percent (15-61) clip from the field. Conversely, the RedHawks hit on 56.1 percent (23-41).
The 49 points scored by the Bobcats matched a season-low (Jan. 5 at
Bowling Green
).
Ohio did lead very early in the contest on a tip-in by junior forward Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) to go up 4-3 just one minute, 53 seconds into the game. However, Bramos responded with a 3-pointer just six seconds later to give the RedHawks a lead they would never come close to relinquishing.
Miami
took a 37-14 lead into the locker room. The 14 Bobcat points represents the fewest points in a half under head coach Tim O'Shea.
The lead swelled to as many as 29 (47-18) on a layup by Hayes with 14:52 remaining.
Ohio
only got as close as 16 (63-47) on a pair of free throws by Whittington IV with 2:15 to go.
"There's not a whole lot to say, we just had a horrendous first half," said O'Shea. "We just couldn't find the basket. We just have to move on and get ready for Tuesday night."
Ohio
made just 19.4 percent (6-31) of its first-half field goals, including two of 13 3-point attempts.
The Bobcats will be back in action against
Akron
Tuesday night at the Convo at 7 p.m. The Zips improved to 20-8 overall and 10-4 in the MAC with a 76-56 win over
Buffalo
Saturday evening.
