Jan. 15, 2011
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio - On a night it honored the 1960 team, Ohio dropped its a contest to MAC East rival Kent State, 69-66. The Bobcats (8-9, 1-2) put four players in double figures and limited Kent State (11-6, 2-1) to a season-low total from beyond the arc, but could not change its fortune at home.
Ohio's starting forwards began the game in a good way, scoring 12 of the Bobcats' first 15 points. During the early going, Ivo Baltic (Kansas City, Mo.) scored six, DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) contributed four and Reggie Keely (University Heights, Ohio) added a bucket.
With 7:23 remaining in the first half, Kent State held a 25-21 lead. Both teams were shooting at a pretty impressive clip, as the Bobcats were shooting 63 percent (10-for-16) and the Golden Flashes were connecting on 55 percent (11-for-20).
When the teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime, Kent State held a 32-26 advantage. The visitors were led in scoring by Justin Greene's eight points while Baltic's seven paced the Green and White. Ohio faced a deficit in rebounding at the end of the first 20 minutes, 17-10.
Trailing 34-26 early in the second half, Ohio rattled of an 8-2 run to pull within two points at 36-34. The teams traded short runs over the next few minutes until Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) nailed a long-range three-pointer to pull within one at 44-43.
With 9:13 remaining in the game, Washington stepped up to the line and sank two free throws to give Ohio its first lead since there was 11:03 remaining in the first half. The teams exchanged the lead a few more times and with 3:22 left in the contest, Ohio held a 64-61 lead. To this point there had been 13 ties and nine lead changes in the game.
Facing a one-point deficit with 24 seconds on the clock, Kent State's Carlton Guyton converted on two free-throw attempts to give the Golden Flashes a one-point lead. Ohio was unable to score on its next possession, and the visitors were able to drive the length of the court and make a layup to go ahead, 69-66.
The Bobcats had two cracks at a tying three-pointer on the next possession, but were unable to convert and Kent State escaped the Convocation Center with a three-point win.
D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) finished with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Bobcats. Washington added 16 points, his sixth-straight double-digit scoring game. Freeman added 12, going 4-for-8 from three-point land and passing Steve Esterkamp for second all-time at Ohio. The senior now needs 30 trifectas to break the Bobcat all-time mark. Baltic also finished in double figures for Ohio with 11 points and a team-high tying six rebounds.
Greene led Kent State with 18 points and eight rebounds while Rodriquez Sherman added 13 points and six rebounds. They were the only two players in double figures for the visitors who out-rebounded the Bobcats by 13 and scored 42 points in the paint. Kent State also benefited from 11 missed free throws by the home team.
Ohio Athletics honored the first MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament teams in program history at the first media timeout. In 1960, Ohio won its first Mid-American Conference Championship under Head Coach "Gentleman" Jim Snyder. The Bobcats went 17-8 overall and finished 10-2 in the conference. Howard Joliff set the single-season record for rebounds with 468, a number that still stands today in the Ohio annals. The `Cats defeated the likes of Toledo, Bowling Green and Miami en route to its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and a No. 18 national ranking in late February.
The Bobcats will next be in action when they travel to Bowling Green on January 19. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.
