Jan. 13, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio- The Bobcats were defeated by a strong Akron squad Wednesday night at the Convocation Center by a final score of 67-62. Armon Bassett finished with a game-high 25 points to lead Ohio, making Wednesday’s contest the third time this season he has scored 20 or more points. Freshman D.J. Cooper scored in double figures (11 points) for the 12th time this season and DeVaughn Washington narrowly missed earning his second straight double-double, finishing with ten points and nine rebounds.
The Zips (12-4, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) got off to a quick start in the first half, as Brett McKnight got his own rebound and laid in a contested shot for an early 2-0 lead. Ohio’s Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) answered right back with a long-range two just seconds later to even up the scores. Akron played solid both offensively and defensively in the early going, leaping out to an 11-2 lead.
Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) was able to break up the run with a three-pointer thanks to a nice steal and pass by fellow freshman Jay Kinney (Champaign, Ill.).
The visitors were putting together another run late in the first half before Bassett (Terre Haute, Ind.) was able to slip away from his defender for a nice mid-range jumper. Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) then slammed home a fast-break dunk to shorten the gap even further.
The ‘Cats put together a nice 8-1 run late in the first half to get the score to 32-26 in favor of the Zips. Asown Sayles (McKeesport, Pa.) had a steal and assist on a fast-break layup by Bassett during this stretch. Bassett was able to steal the ball at half court with two seconds left in the first stanza and lay it in as time expired, making the score 36-30 in favor of the visitors.
Akron was very effective on the offensive glass in the first half, taking a 7â€"3 advantage in this statistical category (17-8 for the game). Both teams shot well from the floor, with the Zips operating at a 52 percent clip and Ohio connecting on 44 percent of its attempts.
Freeman connected on a three to open up the scoring in the second half, halving Akron’s lead from six to three. He then took a charge to return possession to Ohio as Chris McKnight came driving down the lane. Bassett made a great defensive play seconds later, stealing a Steve McNees pass and driving the lane for a fast-break dunk.
The ‘Cats tied it up at 41 as Cooper drove through the lane for a skillful layup with just over 14 minutes remaining in the contest. A sixteen-footer from Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands) then gave Ohio its first lead of the game at 43-41, leading to a timeout by the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Zips.
Akron played strong after relinquishing the lead, stringing together a 13-6 run that was broken up by two Bassett free throws.
It became a see-saw battle from that point on, as the lead changed hands multiple times over the next few moments. Chris McKnight came up big for the visitors with back-to-back mid-range jumpers after two Cooper free throws. Bassett answered right back with a bucket of his own, which was immediately followed by a ten-second half court violation by the Zips, returning the ball to the Green and White.
With a 60-59 lead, Jimmy Conyers hit a big three-pointer to increase the Zips’ advantage. He then hit two free throws before Bassett connected on a jumper to make it 65-61. A free throw by Bassettâ€"who has made 20 of his last 21 charity stripe attemptsâ€"and two by Brett McKnight ended the game at the final score of 67-62. Coyners led the Zips in both scoring and rebounding, netting 16 points and pulling down 14 boards.
The Bobcats (9-7, 0-2 MAC) will be back in action on Saturday when they head to Oxford for a noon tip-off with the rival RedHawks. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
