Dec. 29, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio-Armon Bassett had 20 points and a season-high eight rebounds, seven assists and five 3-pointers to lead the Ohio men’s basketball team to a 71-59 win Tuesday evening at the Convocation Center. Ohio improved to 8-4 overall with the win, while Elon dropped to 3-9.
The Bobcats have won 33 of their last 34 non-conference home games.
Ohio also received 15 points from D.J. Cooper and 10 each from Tommy Freeman and Jay Kinney. Reggie Keely and DeVaughn Washington also matched Bassett’s eight boards, while Cooper and Kinney combined for nine assists. Cooper, the Mid-American Conference’s leader in steals, posted a game-high four.
Elon was led by Adam Constantine’s sixth career double-double (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Drew Spradlin’s first (20 points, 10 boards). Chris Long and Josh Bonney also notched three assists apiece.
The first half produced eight ties and several lead changes, the last coming on a pair of free throws by Spradlin with 30 seconds left to give the Phoenix a one-point margin (30-29) at the break.
Ohio began to edge ahead in the second half, but Constantine’s layup with 10:10 to play closed the Ohio lead back to three (50-47). The Bobcats fired right back with the game’s decisive run, a 14-3 spurt over the next three minutes, 22 seconds that ended with Bassett’s 3-pointer off a Kinney assist to snare a 64-51 lead, forcing an Elon timeout with 6:48 left. That shot would be Ohio’s last field goal of the contest, but the Bobcats hit seven free throws the rest of the way to keep Elon at bay.
The Bobcats hit the glass hard, holding a 50-38 edge, and also continued its stellar MAC-leading 3-point percentage defense. The Bobcats limited Elon to just 21.7 percent (5-23) from deep and forced Elon’s Long and Devan Carter into a combined 0-14 effort (0-6 3FG) from the floor.
Ohio will be back in action Saturday at Robert Morris at 7 p.m.
