Nov. 13, 2010
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ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio made a triumphant return to the court this afternoon, making 10 of its first 11 shots in the second half and receiving big outings from three members of its sophomore class in an 88-69 opening-day triumph over Delaware.
Leading by only two at the intermission, the 'Cats came out scorching in the second half. A 23-9 run opened things up for Ohio as the Green & White received 10 points from Reggie Keely (University Heights, Ohio) and seven from D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) during the blitz. After that point, Ohio never let their lead dip under 13 as they cruised to victory.
"I thought defensively, especially the start of the second half, we did pretty well," Head Coach John Groce said. "I'm not trying to be too simple. We kind of just do what we do. I think sometimes it's about being able to sustain running in transition. It's being able to sustain having an inside presence. It is kind of like boiling water. The water doesn't look like its doing anything until it reaches a certain temperature, but once it hits that temperature it starts boiling. I thought that's what happened in the second half."
Cooper finished with a game-high 25 points, on 10 of 17 shooting, seven assists and five rebounds while classmate Keely had a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio. Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.), another sophomore for the Bobcats, was the third player in double-figures, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds.
"These guys know our system better than they did a year ago," Groce added. "They know each other better, they know me better, and they know what's expected better. All three of them, in different ways, had different things from the spring to the summer to the fall that in my mind, they've sacrificed in order to make themselves better."
After shooting only 37 percent from the field (13 of 35) over the first 20 minutes, Ohio shot 56 percent in the second half (22 of 39), breaking free for 53 points.
The Bobcats scored 24 points off of 19 Blue Hens turnovers and held a 16-4 advantage in second-chance points. Adetunji Adedipe (Orange Village, Ohio) had a career-high seven rebounds for Ohio, which held a 47-34 advantage on the boards. Keely and Baltic helped Ohio dominate the inside during the second half, scoring 28 points in the paint and holding a double-digit advantage over the visitors.
Devon Saddler led Delaware with 19 points and seven assists while Jamelle Hagins added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Preseason All-CAA pick Jawan Carter struggled, shooting only 2 of 9 and finishing with six points and six turnovers.
"What (Nick) Kellogg and (Ricardo) Johnson did collectively on Carter, who is really a great offensive talent, was great," Groce said. "It's not a one-on-one game. Our guys did a real good job supporting those two. I thought for their first time out, for those two to get the assignment to guard him and the tough shots that they forced him into, they did a really good job defensively."
Nick Kellogg (Westerville, Ohio) earned the start and finished with six points while Ricardo Johnson (Covington, Ky.) added nine off the bench. T.J. Hall (Gainesville, Fla.) added a bucket in his debut and Ethan Jacobs (Tipton, Ind.) also received some playing time. In all, nine Bobcats played 19 minutes or more during the contest.
In the first half, neither team was able to build a lead larger than four and that showed on the stat sheet. UD shot 46 percent from the field but made two less baskets on the whole. Ohio stayed in the game with their ability to rebound the ball on the offensive glass, garnering eight to the Blue Hens' one.
The Bobcats also did a nice job with their transition defense, not allowing Ohio's guards to push the tempo. In the process, the Bobcats kept UD from scoring any fast-break points over the first 20 minutes.
It also seemed like this would become a battle of attrition with the teams combining for 25 fouls in the first half. That style of play did not favor the Green & White as its bench was out-scored 17-4 early on.
The Bobcats are back home Monday night for an interesting non-conference matchup with Oakland. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. against the favorites from The Summit League.
