Jan. 23, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio- In front of an enthusiastic Dads Weekend crowd of over ten thousand, the Bobcats defeated the Buffalo Bulls by a final score of 99-77 Saturday at the Convocation Center. Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) scored a career-high 27 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Freeman's 27-point output also ties a season-high single-game point total for a Bobcat in the 2009-10 season, matching Armon Bassett's 27 at Delaware on December 12. Freshman D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) also earned a career-high of his own, grabbing seven steals on the day. Every Bobcat starter scored in double-figures on Saturday.
The Bobcat defense looked strong in the early going, forcing three Bull turnovers almost immediately and holding the visitors scoreless for the first three minutes of action. Reggie Keely (University Heights, Ohio) scored four points early on in the game, helping the `Cats out to an early 4-3 lead.
Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.) had a huge block on Jawaan Alston in the first half, preventing the Buffalo forward from converting on a fast-break lay-in. A left-handed skyhook by Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands), gave the Green and White an 8-6 lead. Cooper and Freeman proceeded to hit threes on the next two Ohio possessions to further extend the lead.
Ohio (10-9, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) started off well from the free throw line in the first half, connecting on five of its first six attempts.
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Cooper jumped in a Buffalo passing lane for the steal and then immediately fed teammate Freeman for a fast-break layup to put the `Cats up 26-20. Ohio continued its hot shooting near the end of the half, leaping out to an 11-point lead, at which point to Bulls (10-6, 3-2 MAC) called a timeout.
Keely had a big block on Buffalo's Rodney Pierce in the late stages of the first half, leading to a second consecutive Freeman three-pointer to put the `Cats ahead 44-31. A Cooper-to-Baltic alley-oop as time expired gave the host `Cats a 47-31 halftime lead. The 47 first-half points in Saturday's game were the most scored by the Bobcats in the first half in 2010 MAC play and was the highest first-half scoring output since November 17 against North Carolina A&T (48 first-half points). Freeman had a great first half for Ohio, leading all scorers with 16 points thanks to spotless 4-4 shooting beyond the arc.
Ohio shot 55 percent from the field in the first half while pressuring Buffalo into 11 turnovers. Cooper accumulated four steals and four rebounds in the first twenty minutes.
The `Cats picked up right where they left off to begin the second half as Freeman fed the inbound pass to a streaking Keely for a slam dunk just five seconds into the second frame. Ohio was able to stretch the lead as far 25 with 16 minutes remaining in the second half, which proved to be the largest lead that either team would enjoy throughout the contest.
At 80-62 in favor of Ohio, Sean Smiley hit an NBA-range three to pull the Bulls within 15. He finished with 18 points on the day. Another three-pointer just seconds later, this time by John Boyer, put Buffalo within 12. Boyer finished with a career-high 20 points.
Freeman continued his impressive day late in the second half when he scored on a fast break and then took a charge on the ensuing Buffalo possession, giving the ball back to the Bobcats.
When all was said and done, Ohio came away with its first conference victory of the season, taking a 99-77 win over Buffalo. The `Cats shot almost 52 percent from the floor for the game and finished 20-25 from the free throw line.
The Bobcats will next be in action on Wednesday when they travel to Dekalb, Ill., to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies. Tip time is set for 8 p.m. (Eastern).
