Feb. 7, 2009
Final Stats
ATHENS, Ohio - Senior forward Jerome Tillman scored a game-high 14 points on a milestone day and the Ohio University men's basketball team shot nearly 60 percent in the second half to pull away from Eastern Michigan and capture a 57-45 victory at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats (12-10, 5-4 Mid-American Conference) held EMU to just 45 points on 39.0-percent shooting, a season low for an Ohio opponent, and the fewest by an opposing team since Miami managed the same amount on March 1, 2007. The Green & White also improved its record to 9-1 at The Convo this season, and has won 23 of the last 25 contests at its home venue.
Ohio outscored the Eagles, 29-16, in the paint, 13-0 on the fast break and 21-15 off the bench, while also converting 16 EMU turnovers into 19 points.
"This was one of those grind-it-out games, and we battled incredibly hard until the end," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "I'm proud of the way our guys were able to finish this one. We shot the ball well, and we took care of the ball, which is a great recipe for success. It was a grinder, and it's a conference win, so now we move on."
In front by just four, 24-20, at the half, the Bobcats got eight second-half points from freshman guard Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) and seven from Tillman to lead an offensive charge that saw the Green & White sink 14-of-24 attempts (58.3 percent) from the floor during the period.
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) made six of his 12 shots from the field en route to a 14-point night that vaulted him into 10th place on the program's career scoring chart, passing Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame member Tim Joyce with 1,481-career points. After taking over ninth place on the school's career rebounding ledger against Northern Illinois on Thursday, the MAC Player of the Year candidate became just the fifth player in Ohio history to cement his name on both top-10 lists, joining John Devereaux, Brandon Hunter, Gary Trent and Leon Williams in an elite Bobcat fraternity.
He also added five rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists in 31 minutes of action on Saturday.
"I'm honored and very blessed to be in the company of such great players," Tillman said. "I wouldn't be anywhere without my teammates, who do a great job of getting me the ball. I was so focused on the game that it didn't really sink in, but now I just feel completely blessed."
Coleman finished with 10 points, eight of which came after halftime, and a pair of steals on the evening to mark the ninth double-figure scoring performance of his rookie campaign, while sophomore guard Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) knocked down 4-of-5 shots from the field to tally nine points.
The Bobcats also got a strong scoring presence off the bench from a pair of post players, as sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) netted eight points and junior center Kenneth van Kempen scored six on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting effort. Senior forward Justin Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) picked up seven points in a reserve role on Saturday.
Washington led Ohio with a half dozen rebounds in the victory, while sophomore forward Adetunji Adedipe (Orange Village, Ohio) hauled in a career-best four boards in the second start of his career.
The Green & White turned in a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the second-straight game behind a game-high six helpers from senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.). The MAC's leader in both assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game sparked the Bobcats' second-half surge with four assists, while also adding three points and a steal.
"A great sign for any team is when they're able to adapt and win a grinder," Groce said. "We got contributions from a lot of players, both today and Thursday, and hopefully this homestand will propel us towards playing our best basketball in February and March."
Ohio will return to the court on Wednesday when it makes its second visit to the Great Lakes State for a showdown with Western Michigan. Pregame coverage will begin on the Citizens Bank ISP Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. ET, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m. ET in Kalamazoo.
