Nov. 21, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio got 39 points from its bench as the Bobcats rebounded from a setback their last time out with an 83-70 win over the visiting Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to open play in the Las Vegas Invitational Sunday afternoon in the Convo. Four Bobcats scored in double figures, led by DeVaughn Washington's 16 points and Nick Kellogg's 13 off the bench.
Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.) and Reggie Keely (University Heights, Ohio) both scored 12 points, while Baltic pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. Sophomore D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) kept up his high assist numbers to start the season, tying a career-best 12 dimes to go with six points, five rebounds and two steals. Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) knocked down three treys to chip in nine points, while Ricardo Johnson (Covington, Ky.) added seven points.
Ohio converted on nine long-distance tries and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc en route to a 49-percent outing from the field. The `Cats also won the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Islanders 36-33. The charity stripe was kind to the Green and White, converting at an 84 percent clip from the line. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi did not fare as well from the stripe, however, finishing just 51 percent.
"Over that 16 minutes in the first half, the bench gave us tremendous energy and a lot of momentum that helped us make some plays both offensively and defensively," Ohio coach John Groce said. "Ultimately, that was kind of the difference. Give them (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) a lot of credit though. From their last two games, we knew they were going to keep fighting. They're an experienced team, and they battled back. I was pleased with the way we responded."
The Islanders held the advantage early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Washington scored eight points to help spark a furious 13-0 run that put the `Cats on top by eight at 13-5. Ohio attacking defense forced Texas A&M-Corpus Christi into some costly turnovers, which Ohio capitalized on. Johnson converted on a lay-up off a Keely feed to give Ohio a nine-point advantage with just under 11 minutes left in the opening half.
An 8-0 Islander run cut the Green and White lead to one at 18-17, before Kellogg scored seven of the next 11 Bobcat points to give Ohio a little more cushion with its lead. Baltic capped off a 14-4 Ohio run to put the `Cats on top 39-23 with just over two minutes left in the opening half. Asown Sayles' (McKeesport, Pa.) first trey of the season capped off the team's highest-scoring opening half of the season as Ohio took a 44-26 lead into intermission.
Washington and Kellogg each scored 10 points off the bench to pace the `Cats, whose reserves outscored the Islanders' subs 27-8 in the half. After the slow start, Ohio finished the frame shooting at a 50 percent clip from the field. The Green and White also took advantage of strong inside play in the opening stanza, outscoring Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 24-14 inside the paint.
Ohio opened the second half scoring the first five points of the frame to jump out to a 49-26 lead with just over 18 minutes left. The Islanders would not go away quietly, reeling off a 9-0 run to pull within 14.
Play remained even over the next several minutes with a Baltic bucket putting the `Cats up by 15 with 5:19 left. The Islanders battled back to pull within 73-63 after a pair of Jaamon Echols free throws with 2:29 left. A pair of Freeman treys in a 30 second span dried up Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's hopes, putting the `Cats on top by 13 with just over 90 seconds remaining.
The Islanders continued to push, but Ohio sunk its free throws the rest of the way to hold on for the 83-70 win.
Demond Watt tallied a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead three Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in double figures. Terence Jones chipped in 11 points, while Justin Reynolds scored 10 points to go with six rebounds.
The `Cats will have a quick turnaround, playing host to Valparaiso of the Horizon League Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
