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THE BASICS
Score: Ohio 73, Appalachian State 47
Location: Convocation Center â€" Athens, Ohio
The Short Story: The Bobcats defeated Sun Belt foe Appalachian State 73-47 Saturday afternoon. Freshman guard Ryan Taylor led all scorers with 21 points while Maurice Ndour added 12 points and commanded the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds.

OHIO STARTERS: #4 Wadly Mompremier, #5 Maurice Ndour, #14 Ryan Taylor, #24 Mike Laster, #22 Stevie Taylor

APPALACHIAN STATE STARTERS: #0 Mike Kobani, #3 Dustin Clarke, #10 Chris Burgess, #15 Tommy Spagnolo, #21 Frank Eaves

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bobcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead aided by senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) and freshman guard Mike Laster (Detroit, Mich.) and never looked back from that point, leading for the entire contest.
- With Ohio leading 20-15 at the 10:10 mark, freshman guard Ryan Taylor (Gary, Ind.) scored the Bobcats’ next four field goals, which along with a pair of Maurice Ndour free throws, pushed Ohio’s lead to 31-23 with 5:10 remaining in the half.
- Ryan Taylor led all Bobcats with 11 points on five of eight shooting in the first half, as Ohio took a 35-27 lead to the locker room.
- Ohio held the Mountaineers to two points in the first 7:23 of the second half, building a 54-29 lead on a 19-2 run.
- The Bobcats had a 41-35 edge on the boards and held Appalachian State to a 32.7% shooting percentage.
- Ryan Taylor was one of three Bobcats in double figures, finishing with 21 points. Ndour (12) and sophomore forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio) (13) also reached double digits.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Saturday’s victory marked Ohio’s 11th straight victory in season openers, all of which have been played at the Convocation Center.
- The win was also Saul Phillip’s first as the coach of the Bobcats and improved his career mark to 135-84.
- Ndour reached at least 10 points for the 26th time in his Ohio career while also recording his fifth double-double as a Bobcat.
- Ryan Taylor’s 21 points marked first time a Bobcat scored at least 20 points in his first career game since Ivo Baltic put up 20 against Ohio Valley in 2009.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Saul Phillips:
"Our length, our ability to apply our defensive game plan and some freshman who just walked in like he owned the place; I think those were the three things that really stuck out to me."

"I want to be a part of the fun. I came down here to Ohio University and I looked around and it looked like everybody was having fun. I want to add to that fun."

Freshman guard Ryan Taylor:
On what led to his success:
"It was just swinging the ball and being comfortable on offense and also defensively."

Senior forward Maurice Ndour:
On opening with a win:
"It feels great to win this game, especially at home. Today I just came out trying to be aggressive, trying to set the tone early for the team and they responded well."

COMING UP
The Bobcats will face their first road test of the season next Wednesday, facing off with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in Fort Myers, Fla. Tip time at Alico Arena is set for 7 p.m. 

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