March 11, 2010
Final Stats
CLEVELAND, Ohio-Ohio's Armon Bassett exploded for 38 points and seven assists to lead the ninth-seeded Bobcats past top-seeded Kent State 81-64 Thursday evening in MAC Quarterfinal action at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ohio improved to 19-14 overall and advanced to Friday evening's semifinal matchup (9 p.m., FSN Ohio) with either fourth-seeded Miami or fifth-seeded Buffalo. Kent State dropped to 23-9.
Bassett connected on 16 of 16 from the free throw line, while Ohio made 27 of 32 (84.4 percent) attempts as a whole. Kent State was not as fortunate, making just 50 percent (13-26).
The Bobcats also got 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench from DeVaughn Washington, who made all eight of his field goal attempts with an array of numerous dunks. The perfect clip from the field tied a school record for single-game field goal percentage with Gary Trent (12-12, 11/25/94) and Paul Morris (10-10, 1/30/95). Washington and Bobcat center Kenneth van Kempen led the team with eight rebounds apiece.
Kent State was led by Chris Singletary's 19 points (6-13 FG, 7-16 FT) and three assists, while Rodriquez Sherman and Anthony Simpson had 12 points apiece. Justin Greene and Simpson added nine and eight rebounds apiece. Frank Henry-Ala chipped in with three steals.
The Bobcats looked to be in early trouble after point guard D.J. Cooper picked up his second foul just three minutes, seven seconds into the game. However, Ohio took a one-point lead (3-2) and turned it into a 16-point bulge (40-24) by the end of the half without Cooper even seeing the floor.
After Kent State's Mike McKee hit a 3-pointer with 13:37 left to tie the game, the Bobcats exploded for a 13-2 run over the next two minutes, 58 seconds to take an 11-point lead on a Bassett layup with 10:39 left. The lead grew to as many as 17 (34-17) when Bassett connected again for another layup with 3:57 remaining.
Ohio made 55.6 percent of its shots (15-27) in the first half, compared to 25 percent (8-32) for the Golden Flashes. Most the damage was done from beyond the arc, as the Bobcats shot 50 percent (5-10), while KSU made just one of 10 (10 percent). Ohio won the rebounding battle 24-16 in the first half and had 10 assists to Kent's two.
Bassett was the Bobcats' leading scorer in the first 20 minutes, with 18 points and five assists on 6-9 shooting (3-5 3FG). Singletary led the Golden Flashes with 12 points.
Kent State came out ablaze in the second half and chopped the Ohio lead down to three (49-46) on a jumper by Sherman with 10:39 left. However, the Bobcats were able to keep the Golden Flashes at bay by consistently getting to the free throw line.
The Bobcats improved to 4-0 on Thursdays this season. The win snapped the Golden Flashes' nine-game winning streak as the tournament's No. 1 seed and their 18-game winning streak as the higher seed, which dates back to the 2000 season. KSU also had 36 points in the paint, the first loss for the Flashes when scoring 30+ in the lane this season. Finally, the defeat was KSU's first when Simpson scores in double figures (13-1).
There will be a pregame reception at Zocalo (2071 East 4th Street), beginning at 7 p.m. All Ohio fans are encouraged to attend.
With the victory over, Ohio advances to the semifinal round of the MAC tournament to be played Friday at 9:30 p.m. against Miami. A ticket for this session is $32 and includes Ohio's game as well as the 7 p.m. game, Western Michigan vs. Akron. Student tickets are $10 with a valid student ID. All tickets must be purchased at Quicken Loans Arena for the Semifinal and Final round games. An Ohio table will be set up at the main entrance to the Arena. By purchasing a ticket at the Ohio table, you will sit in the Ohio fan section and help Ohio reach its mandatory ticket allotment set by the MAC. Come cheer on the Bobcats as we try and move one step closer to the NCAA tournament!
