Feb. 11, 2009

Final Stats

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Sophomore guard Tommy Freeman scored a career-high 20 points, but the Ohio University men's basketball dropped a tough contest to Western Michigan, 76-62, Wednesday night at University Arena. The Bobcats (12-11, 5-5 Mid-American Conference) had four double-figure scorers for the first time since Dec. 30, 2008 versus St. Francis (NY), but they were never able to catch a red-hot Bronco squad that shot 63.2 percent in the final frame.

Both teams shot at least 50 percent from the floor for the game, as the Bobcats were 22-of-44 from the field, including 57.1 percent in the final 20 minutes, while also hitting 10-of-20 from 3-point land, making 58.3 percent of their tries from deep in the second stanza.

Western Michigan (8-15, 5-5 MAC) hit at a 54.5 percent clip for the game, while also going 10-of-20 from behind the arc and 18-of-25 at the line. Junior David Kool paced the Broncos with a game-high 24 points.

"I felt like if we shot 45 percent (or better) we'd have a good chance to win the game, but we just didn't defend well enough," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "When a team shoots 63 percent in the second half, it's tough (to win.). David Kool was terrific and we just had no answer for him."

Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) hit a career-high six triples on just eight attempts, including four in the second half, en route to his career night. The last time a Bobcat hit six 3-pointers was Whitney Davis, when he did so on Feb. 21, 2007 against Bowling Green. It is just the second time in his career Freeman has led Ohio in scoring. He also added a pair of assists and a steal.

Senior forward Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) chipped in 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting to extend his double-figure scoring streak to 28-straight games. He also hit 5-of-7 from the charity stripe, moving him into fifth place on the program's career free throws attempted ledger with 543, passing Geno Ford. He also contributed two boards, an assist and a steal.

Senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.) and senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) tallied 10 points apiece to round out Ohio's quartet of double-figure scorers. Allen also dished out a game-high four assists, without committing a turnover, and had a theft, while Orr collected a game-high tying six caroms. Sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) totaled two points, three rebounds and tied a career high with a pair of rejections, and freshman guard Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) had three assists, two steals and a field goal.

Tillman scored Ohio's first seven points of the contest, but the 'Cats still trailed 11-7 at the 12:55 mark after he sank a pair of free throws. An Orr basket moved Ohio within two, but the Broncos used a 10-5 spurt, capped by a Kool 3-pointer, to grab a half-high seven-point edge with 6:32 left on the clock. A triple from Freeman two minutes later closed the Bobcat deficit to two again at 23-21, but Ohio could not pull even in the opening half, as a trifecta at the buzzer led Western Michigan into the locker room leading 34-28.

The 'Cats hit 43.2 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes, including 3-of-8 from distance. The Broncos hit at a 48.0 percent clip in the first frame, knocking down 5-of-11 tries from deep. Tillman paced Ohio at the break with 10, while Freeman had eight.

Freeman nailed his third 3-pointer of the night to open the second stanza, then hit another minutes later, but WMU scored 10 points in the opening four minutes of the period to hold a 44-34 advantage at the 15:55 mark. Freeman answered with his third-consecutive triple, but the Broncos ran off eight-straight points for a 52-37 cushion, their largest of the contest. Allen buried a 3-pointer at the 8:38 mark and closed the gap to single digits at 60-51, but Ohio would get no closer as WMU hit free throws down the stretch to secure the 76-62 victory.

"We've played some good basketball on the road, we've just got to get back to doing that," Groce said. "Regardless of whether you're home, away or on a neutral floor, if you give up 63 percent (shooting) to somebody, your chances of winning aren't very good, and we've got to improve defensively between now and Saturday."

The Bobcats next hit the court Saturday, Feb. 14, when they return home to host the Toledo Rockets on Valentine's Day. Pregame coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Citizens Bank ISP Sports Network, with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center.