Feb. 11, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio- The Bobcats made the inaugural Be Blue event a memorable night in the Convocation Center Thursday, playing well across the board for an exciting 89-74 win over the visiting Central Michigan Chippewas. Armon Bassett scored 25 and DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) tallied a season-high 24 points in the win, Ohio's fifth such result in the last seven games. Bassett has now scored 20 or more points in six games this season. Freshman D.J. Cooper's 19 point effort means that he has now reached double figures in 19 of his first 25 collegiate games. He also pulled down six rebounds and generated four assists, only turning over the ball twice.
Ohio (14-11, 5-6 Mid-American Conference) was outrebounded by Central Michigan at a clip of 38-31, but the Bobcats forced the visitors into 14 turnovers while only committing six of their own. The Green and White did a great job of drawing contact on Thursday, sinking 35 free throws.
The Chippewas jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, which Bassett broke up by finding Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) streaking down the lane for smooth lay-in.
The game became a very back-and-forth affair throughout the rest of the first half, as the teams were matching one another just about shot for shot. Central Michigan led by six at two points in the first half (8-2 and 27-21) but neither team pulled away by a more significant margin. The Bobcats took the lead at 34-32 with two minutes remaining in the half when Bassett (Terre Haute, Ind.) stole the ball just off the in-bounds pass and laid it in. This and tenacious Bobcat defense on the ensuing in-bound play forced the Chippewas (11-12, 6-5 MAC) to take back-to-back timeouts.
As Central Michigan took a 40-37 lead into halftime, Bassett was leading the `Cats in scoring with 12 points. D.J. Cooper was not far behind, adding ten of his own. Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman each had a solid first half for the visiting Chippewas, as they each scored 12 points.
The Green and White had great ball security in the first half, assisting on four field goals and only turning it over twice. The team did this while forcing the visitors into nine turnovers, scoring seven points off those miscues.
DeVaughn Washington began the second half the right way for Ohio, hitting a jumper a few seconds after Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, Netherlands) blocked an attempt by William McClure. The `Cats kept up the pressure to the tune of a 13-4 run at the outset of the second half, putting them ahead 50-44.
A big play came with Ohio holding a 53-50 advantage when Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) fired a laser of a pass through the lane to Freeman on the block. The junior was able to lay it in through contact and convert on the ensuing free throw for an old-fashioned three point play.
With a 56-52 advantage, the Bobcats went on an 8-0 run to take a comfortable 12 point lead. The Chippewas were kept at bay for the rest of the contest, never getting closer than within six. Two free throws by Freeman in the late stages of the contest gave Ohio a game-high 17 point lead.
Ohio shot 49 percent from the field in the game while holding Central Michigan to 39 percent.
Ohio will look to keep up its solid play as it prepares for a tough stretch that includes games at Akron (February 14) and Kent State (February 17) before returning home on the 20th for the Bracketbuster game against Wright State.
