Jan. 9, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio- The Convocation Center was alive and energized on Saturday when the Bobcats hosted Kent State in the first Mid-American Conference contest of the season for both teams. The Golden Flashes came away victorious, beating Ohio by a final score of 62-60. DeVaughn Washington had a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) and D.J. Cooper scored 21 points to lead the Green and White. Cooper has now scored in double figures during 11 of his first 15 games as a Bobcat.
It was a low-scoring affair at the start, as the first points of the game came almost three minutes in when Kent State's Frank Henry-Ala hit a fifteen-footer from the corner. The `Cats crashed the offensive boards well early on, getting three offensive rebounds in one possession thanks to some great boxing out by Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.). The Golden Flashes also did a good job on the offensive glass, helping them out to an early 6-0 lead before Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) hit a ten-foot floater in the lane.
Kent State's defense held strong early on while the offense was opportunistic, connecting on shots to jump out to an early 15-2 lead. Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) was able to break up this streak with a three-pointer after Armon Bassett (Terre Haute, Ind.) knifed through the lane and drew the defense inward. Freeman was able to connect on another from downtown just seconds later, courtesy of a nice pass by Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.). With its lead shrunk to 15-8, the Golden Flashes called a timeout.
The teams continued to battle back and forth throughout the first half but Kent State was able to maintain a relatively comfortable advantage as time wound down. The visitors took a 30-22 lead into the locker room at halftime on the strength of 38 percent shooting from the floor while holding the `Cats to 27 percent.
The second half began much like the first, with good defense being played on both sides. Washington was able to break through approximately two minutes in as he connected on two free throws. Kent's Anthony Simpson scored soon after, but two big Bobcat plays over the next few seconds cut the deficit to five. Cooper hit a three from the corner which was immediately followed by Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands) taking a charge to give the ball back to Ohio.
Kent State (10-5, 1-0 MAC) was on the verge of grabbing the momentum before Bassett artistically drove the lane and laid the ball in while fighting through contact. He finished the three-point play by converting at the line. Back-to-back buckets by Washington then cut the lead to four.
The Convo erupted when Cooper hit a deep three during a 7-0 run that spanned approximately 90 seconds and put Ohio (9-6, 0-1 MAC) within one, forcing Kent State to take a timeout. A steal and fast break dunk by Washington gave the `Cats their first lead of the game at 46-45 with nine minutes remaining in the contest.
The rest of the game was a see-saw battle until Bassett hit two free throws to put Ohio up, 60-58. Kent State's Chris Singletary drove the lane and scored through contact, later converting the three-point play to put the visitors up by one. A free throw by Rodriquez Sherman put the Golden Flashes up by two 20 seconds later.
Just like Wednesday's game against IUPUI, Saturday's game came down to the wire. With Ohio trailing 62-60, Cooper set his feet for a three-point attempt with two seconds on the clock. Unlike Wednesday's game, the shot did not fall and the Bobcats lost a close battle by a final score of 62-60.
Singletary led the visitors with 22 points while Justin Greene pulled down 11 rebounds. The Golden Flashes shot 39 percent from the field throughout the contest.
The Bobcats will next be in action on Wednesday, January 13 when they welcome the Akron Zips to the Convo. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.
