Jan. 11, 2009
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ATHENS, Ohio - Sophomore guard Tommy Freeman tied his career high with 18 points to lead a trio of Bobcats in double figures on Sunday as the Ohio University men's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 71-65 victory over defending league champion Kent State at the Convocation Center.
The victory, which improved the Bobcats' record to 6-0 at The Convo this season, was Ohio's 20th in its last 21 contests on its home floor, and improved its winning streak in MAC home openers to five. The win also marked the third time in the last four years that the Green & White has captured its conference debut.
Ohio (8-6, 1-0 MAC) won the rebounding battle by a 40-35 margin on Sunday, marking the third time in as many games that it has out-dueled an opponent on the boards. The Bobcats also held a 19-2 advantage in bench points, while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc as a team.
"I thought our guys were really engaged in the game, and I'm really proud of our effort today," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "With the way they competed and played unselfishly today, I'm awfully proud to coach this basketball team."
Freeman's (Muncie, Ind.) career high-tying 18 points came on 6-of-10 shooting, including a 4-of-8 clip from deep, all of which either exceeded or tied his previous career bests. He played all 20 minutes in the second half, and a career-high 37 for the game, scoring 13 of his 18 on the day after the break. He also equaled his personal best with four assists, while adding two rebounds and a steal.
"If Tommy's open, we want Tommy to shoot the ball," Groce said. "He knows that I have great confidence in him shooting the ball. He works hard and he expects to make every shot."
Ohio also got yet another double-figure performance from Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio), his 19th in a row, as the league's leading scorer and rebounder finished with 16 and a team-high nine, respectively, on Sunday. He hit 4-of-9 shots from the floor and 7-of-10 from the free throw line, en route to passing Vic Alexander for 15th on the program's career scoring list with 1,335 points. Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipped in with 10 points to mark his fifth double-digit scoring performance in Ohio's last six games.
"We knew going into the game that Jerome Tillman was going to be a problem, and as the game wore on, he was the difference," Kent State head coach Geno Ford said. "I thought he was fantastic. He's the best player in our league right now, not even close."
The Bobcats also benefited from eight points each from senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.), junior center Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, The Netherlands) and freshman guard Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.), as the latter two combined for 16 of Ohio's 19 bench points.
Allen facilitated the Bobcats' productive offensive day with six assists compared to just a single turnover, as the Green & White tallied 19 assists on 23 field goals in the win. Along with Freeman's quartet of helpers, Orr dished out three and both Tillman and van Kempen handed out a pair.
Sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) added six boards in just 16 minutes of work on Sunday, while van Kempen had five and both Allen and Orr collected three.
"For us to reach our potential as a basketball team, we've talked about everybody playing their role and doing their job," Groce said. "Guys have embraced that. We got contributions from everyone on the floor today."
A Tillman triple and a twisting layup by Allen fueled a 7-0 Ohio run early in the second the half, giving the Bobcats a 39-35 lead and forcing Kent State to burn a 30-second timeout. Freeman and Coleman nailed trifectas on consecutive possessions near the midway point of the second frame to push the Bobcats in front by seven, 47-40, at the second media timeout of the half and send the former on a streak that saw him score 13 of Ohio's next 18 points to increase the margin to 59-49 in favor of the Green & White.
After Kent State fought back to within five at 59-54, Tillman, Allen and Orr - the Bobcats' three captains - combined to sink 10-consecutive free throws to seal the victory for Ohio.
Despite five points from Freeman and four apiece from Orr, Tillman and van Kempen, the Bobcats found themselves down 30-26 at the break. Ohio forced eight first-half turnovers and limited Kent State to just 22.2 percent (2-of-9) shooting from long distance, while out-rebounding the Golden Flashes by a 20-18 margin in the opening period.
Ohio also recorded an assist on all 10 of its field goals in the first half, as Freeman, Orr and van Kempen led the way with two each.
The Bobcats will face their first road test of the conference slate when they visit traditional rival Miami on Wednesday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET at Millett Hall, with pregame coverage set to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Citizens Bank Ohio ISP Sports Network.
