Dec. 16, 2009
Final Stats
| Quotes | Notes
ATHENS, Ohio- Threes were key for the Ohio men's basketball team on Wednesday as the Bobcats rolled to a comfortable 75-57 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds on the strength of 44 percent shooting behind the arc. Freshman guard D.J. Cooper hit four three-pointers as part of a career-high 18 point, seven field goal performance. He has now scored at least ten points in seven of his first nine games.
The first half got off to a choppy start, with both teams struggling to find form from the field. The Bobcat defense did a solid job forcing early turnovers and rebounding on the defensive end before Jay Kinney (Champaign, Ill.) knocked down a three-pointer to give the `Cats an early 5-4 lead. Alex Rubin followed serve just seconds later for the Redbirds, adding one of his own.
Reggie Keely (University Heights, Oh.) came up with a big offensive rebound in the middle of the first half after Armon Bassett's three-point jumper rimmed out. Keely muscled his way through the defense to lay it in, giving the Green and White some important second-chance points.
Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) hit a three with ten minutes remaining in the first half, which Bassett (Terre Haute, Ind.) followed with one of his own to put Ohio ahead by four at 15-11.
Kinney fired a beautiful pass down the court to a sprinting Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) for an easy fast-break lay-in, which led to the visiting Redbirds using a timeout with just over four minutes remaining in the half. A fade-away bucket by Osiris Eldridge was immediately followed by a Cooper three to further extend Ohio's lead.
Two baskets by Dinma Odiakosa narrowed the gap before halftime, with the `Cats heading to the locker room holding a 28-23 advantage. At the half, the Green and White were shooting 39 percent from the floor and had forced ten turnovers from the visitors. Cooper was leading the way with eight points while Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands) and Kinney had each amassed four rebounds.
Ohio (6-3) began the second half with a flourish as Cooper skillfully laid in a ball that van Kempen had managed to keep alive in the offensive end. DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) followed it up with a 15-footer and when Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) nailed a three-pointer just seconds later, the Redbirds called a timeout at 17:36. The `Cats had emphatically put together a 7-0 run to begin the second half, energizing the crowd at The Convocation Center in the process.
The Bobcats conceded the Redbirds' first basket of the second half almost three minutes in when Eldridge slid through the defense to increase his point total to nine. This was his final score of the evening.
Bassett converted on a clutch three-point play to extend his team's lead to 43-28 five minutes into the second half. Coleman connected on back-to-back possessions a few moments later, hitting a three and then scoring on a lay-in before the Redbirds called another timeout facing an 18 point deficit.
Illinois State tried to piece together a run late in the second half, but the Bobcats just proved to be too much. Good team defense by Ohio held the Redbirds to only 37 percent shooting from the floor in the game. On the offensive end, the Bobcats shot quite well, connecting on 46 percent of their attempts. The team also took advantage of its free throw opportunities, making 12 of a possible 13.
Odiakosa led the Redbirds (7-2) with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He shot quite well from the floor, connecting on six of his ten attempts.
Cooper wasn't the only Bobcat who had a good offensive night, as three others scored in double figures. Bassett, Coleman and Kinney amassed 14, 10 and 10, respectively.
"I like the direction that we're going, certainly, but I think our guys know how important it is to be humble," said head coach John Groce. "We still have a long way to go as a basketball team."
The Bobcats are home again on Saturday for a matchup with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.
