Jan. 20, 2009
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ATHENS, Ohio - Senior guard Michael Allen scored a career-high 17 points to lead a trio of Bobcats in double figures on Tuesday as the Ohio University men's basketball team improved to 7-0 at the Convocation Center this season with a 70-65 victory over Akron.
The victory was the Bobcats' 21st in their last 22 home games, and ninth in their last 10 Mid-American Conference games, while also marking the fifth time in seven chances that they have defeated UA in Athens.
Allen (Detroit, Mich.) led Ohio (10-7, 3-1 MAC) to a season-high 14 steals with a personal-best five - four of which came after halftime. Senior forward Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) had three thefts for the Bobcats, who induced 22 Akron (9-8, 1-3 MAC) turnovers on the night, while senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) and freshman guard Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) had two apiece.
Ohio also won the battle of the boards on Tuesday, playing to a 39-36 advantage behind seven from Tillman and a game-high eight from sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.). The performance on the glass marked the sixth-consecutive game in which the Green & White has been positive or even with its opponent on the backboard.
"It was a strange game because I felt like we played as well as we have all year for the first 25 or 30 minutes, but then we saw the wheels fall off and we had to figure out how to get them back on," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "Our guys did a really good job of staying poised and making big plays during the overtime to determine the outcome of the game."
Allen also served as the catalyst for the Ohio offense for the majority of the night, shooting 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the stripe en route to a career-high 17 points. The effort was Allen's fourth double-figure outing of the campaign, and marked the first time in his career that he led the Bobcats in scoring.
"I thought (Allen) was perhaps our most valuable player throughout the game, especially with the way Akron was pressuring," Groce said. "Mike had five steals, was digging out rebounds and did a great job of defending Anthony Hitchens, who is a great basketball player. I thought he had a tremendous impact on both ends of the floor."
Tillman and sophomore guard Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) joined Allen in double figures on Tuesday, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Tillman extended his streak of double-digit scoring performances to 22 games with a 4-of-7 shooting night from the floor, while the latter canned 3-of-6 shots from long distance while also securing four rebounds.
Tillman also notched a career milestone on Tuesday, moving into seventh place on the program's career free throws list with 368 makes from the line.
Washington narrowly missed the fourth double-figure scoring performance of his career, finishing with nine points behind a 5-of-7 clip from the line, while Orr tallied eight and Coleman and junior center Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, The Netherlands) each added a half dozen.
The Bobcats matched their biggest lead of the game with a 15-point advantage, 45-30, after Coleman sank a pair of free throws with 11:33 left in regulation. On the next possession, UA's Anthony Hitchens responded with his lone three-point bucket of the game to spark a 26-11 Akron run that saw the Zips force the game's first tie on a Brett McKnight tip-in with no time left on the clock.
Akron took a four-point lead near the midway point of the overtime period on a layup by Chris McKnight, and looked to build on the margin after a Tillman jumper rolled off the rim for Ohio. Hitchens walked the ball up the court and attempted an entry pass to teammate Nate Linhart in the high post, but Washington stepped in and ripped the ball away for the Green & White. A scramble ensued for the loose ball and Washington came away with it in the open court, racing down the lane and throwing down a thunderous dunk while absorbing a foul on the arm from Linhart.
After Washington sank the bonus free throw to cut the gap to one, 62-61, the Bobcats came up with a stop on the defensive end and Washington was the recipient of another Akron foul as Allen corralled the rebound. With 1:58 remaining in the extra session, Washington calmly drained both ends of the double bonus to give Ohio its first lead of the overtime.
Linhart missed a three on UA's next trip down the court, and the Bobcats took advantage of the opportunity to build on their lead as Tillman cleaned up a Coleman miss for his final two points of the contest, pushing Ohio in front by a count of 65-62 with less than a minute on the clock.
The Bobcats rose to the task on the defensive end in the final 56 seconds of play, forcing three Akron turnovers while also converting on five of their last six free throw attempts to seal the victory. Washington put the finishing touches on the victory, connecting on a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to establish the final five-point margin.
"I love the fact that we hung in there and played really determined basketball in the overtime period," Groce said. "We've got to learn to play better with the lead and not take our foot off the gas, but I'm unbelievably proud of the resolve of this team to step up in the crucial moments."
Allen got the Bobcats off and running to start the game, scoring the first eight points of the contest on a pair of triples and a runner in the lane to force Akron into a 30-second timeout at the 17:49 mark of the first period. Allen again prompted the Zips to burn a timeout with 9:33 remaining before the half, sinking a bank shot to push the Green & White in front by a dozen, 21-9.
After Akron narrowed the gap to five, 27-22, with 5:28 left in the first half, the Bobcats finished the first period on a 10-4 run that saw Orr and Tillman net four points apiece to take a 37-26 advantage into the break.
Allen scored 10 points to lead an Ohio offense that shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the first half, while Tillman and Orr added eight and seven, respectively. The Green & White also battled to a 20-12 edge on the boards in the opening period, as Tillman and Washington each snagged four rebounds to lead the way.
"I think the first half may have been our best half of basketball all year," Groce said. "We were locked in and getting stops, and guys were unselfish with the basketball. We came in with good energy and we were ready to compete."
The Bobcats will remain at home over the weekend to face Bowling Green on Saturday in the second half of a doubleheader with the Ohio women's squad. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET, with a 2 p.m. ET start for pregame coverage on the Citizens Bank Ohio ISP Sports Network.
