March 1, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
ATHENS, Ohio - Senior forwards Jerome Tillman and Justin Orr scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Bobcats on Sunday afternoon, but the Ohio University men's basketball team dropped a 68-66 decision to Buffalo at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats (14-14, 7-7 Mid-American Conference) shot 48.9 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from beyond the arc, but saw Buffalo use a late 13-1 run to earn the come-from-behind victory. Ohio also forced 20 turnovers on the afternoon, including a season first-half high 13 in the opening period.
"Buffalo made a lot of plays at the end of the game," Ohio head coach John Groce said. "They made big baskets with the game hanging in the balance. At the end, they made a few more plays than we were able to make, and we have to do a better job as a staff of preparing them for those situations."
Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) led the Bobcats in both points and rebounds, scoring 16 and pulling down seven boards, to mark his 33rd-consecutive game in double figures. Each of his six field goals on the day came in the second half, when he netted 15 of his 16 points.
Tillman's 16-point effort also moved his career scoring total to 1,588 points, leaving him just a dozen shy of becoming only the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,600-point mark.
Orr (Cincinnati, Ohio) also finished the day 6-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-4 from distance, to check in with 14 points and a pair of assists. Freshman Steven Coleman (Melbourne, Fla.) added 13 points behind a perfect 4-of-4 shooting performance, while sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) chipped in with nine on the day.
Coleman's effort continued his recent string of hot shooting games, making him 21-of-27 (.778) from the field and 12-of-16 (.706) from beyond the arc in his last five games.
The Bobcats held a 14-9 advantage over UB in the assists department, getting a game-high six from senior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.) to move into 10th place on the program's single-season chart with 128 helpers on the year. On Sunday, he also became the first Ohio player to record back-to-back seasons with at least 125 assists since Dennis Whitaker in 1988-89 and 1989-90.
"We'll take tomorrow off, and we certainly need that with the way the schedule has panned out for us," Groce said. "We'll hopefully come back both physically and mentally refreshed on Tuesday."
Ohio will return to action on Thursday night when it visits Rhoades Arena with a shot to earn its first regular-season sweep of Akron since the 2000-01 campaign. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET, with pregame coverage to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Citizens Bank Ohio ISP Sports Network.
Note: Due to technical difficulties with Sunday's ESPNU broadcast, the telecast will be replayed on Monday, March 2, at 1 p.m. ET.
