THE BASICS

Score: Western Michigan 80, Ohio 69

Location: University Arena - Kalamazoo, Mich.

The Short Story: Despite 21 points from redshirt senior guard Javarez Willis (Homer, La.), the Ohio men's basketball team (9-15, 4-9 MAC) dropped an 80-69 decision to Mid-American Conference West Division foe Western Michigan (16-10, 7-6 MAC) on Wednesday (Feb. 18) at University Arena.

OHIO STARTERS: #3 Javarez Willis, #5 Maurice Ndour, #11 Khari Harley, #14 Ryan Taylor, #33 Antonio Campbell  

WESTERN MICHIGAN STARTERS: #1 Tucker Haymond, #2 Connar Tava, #5 David Brown, #10 Thomas Wilder, #42 Drake LaMont

HOW IT HAPPENED 

- Ohio took a 67-65 lead on a three pointer by freshman guard Ryan Taylor (Gary, Ind.) with just over six minutes to play, but Western Michigan outscored the Bobcats by a 15-2 count down the stretch to secure the win. 

- The Broncos shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the field -- including 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the second half. Western Michigan held the advantage in second-chance points (15-2) and bench points (36-18) and outrebounded the Bobcats, 36-23.

- Ohio lost despite shooting 47.5 percent (28-of-59) -- including 50 percent (13-of-26) in the second half.

Willis led all scorers with his 21-point effort, shooting 8-of-15 from the field - including 5-of-10 from long range. He also dished out an assist. 

- Senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds to go along with a team-high two steals, a block and an assist. 

- Redshirt junior forward Treg Setty (Maysville, Ky.) tallied 11 points off of the bench in addition to a team-high three assists, 

- Senior guard Austin Richie led Western Michigan with 19 points off of the bench, going 7-of-9 from the field - including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in three rebounds and two assists.

- Junior forward Connar Tava tallied 15 points, a game-high seven rebounds, two assists and a steal for the Broncos.

- Graduate guard David Brown contributed 12 points, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line for Western Michigan. He also posted four rebounds and two assists and a steal. 

- Redshirt sophomore forward Kellen McCormick went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc to score 12 points off of the bench for the Broncos. He also recorded four rebounds and two assists.

- The first half was hotly contested, with Western Michigan entering halftime clinging to a 38-36 lead over Ohio. The Broncos shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play -- including 40 percent (6-of-15) from three-point range. The Bobcats shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) in the opening act.

- Willis led Ohio with a 10-point effort in the first half, shooting 4-for-9 from the field - including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Setty added seven points off of the bench.

- The Broncos jumped out to an 11-7 lead with 14:29 left in the first half after McCormick sunk a three.

- Setty put together a 5-0 run for Ohio to give the `Cats a 12-11 ledge with just under 14 minutes to go in the opening half. He sunk a trey, then took a steal for a fastbreak layup.

- Western Michigan answered with a 15-7 run highlighted by threes by Brown, McCormick and freshman guard Thomas Wilder to extend their lead to a game-high seven points at 26-19 with 8:32 left in the first half.

- A 9-2 charge by Ohio cut Western Michigan's lead down to two at 30-28 with 4:22 to play in the half, thanks to a three by Willis, jumpers by Ryan Taylor and Ndour and a transition layup by Willis. 

- A pair of free throws by Tava and a trey by Richie upped the Broncos' lead to seven again at 35-28, but senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) countered by sinking a pair of freebies, then driving for a layup on Ohio's next trip down the floor to cut Western Michigan's edge to three at 35-32 with 2:32 to go.

- Richie nailed another three less than a minute later, but Ohio scored the final four points of the first half to make it a two-point affair at the break, thanks to a layup by Campbell and a jumper by Setty. 

- Ohio and Western Michigan traded baskets over the course of the first three-plus minutes of the second half until the Broncos bumped their lead back up to six at 49-43 with 15:51 remaining, aided by a jumper by sophomore forward Tucker Haymond and a conventional three-point play by Brown.

- The Bobcats responded with a 6-0 run to tie the contest up at 49-all with 13:01 to go, as Campbell scored on a layup and a jumper and Setty connected on a jumper. 

- The Broncos retaliated with a 7-0 run thanks to a three by McCormick and two layups by Richie to make it 56-49 affair with 10:33 remaining.

- Ohio used a 16-9 stretch to take a 67-65 lead on the trey by Ryan Taylor with 6:01 to go. Three treys by Willis, a jumper and a dunk by Ndour and a layup by Setty helped the Bobcats power through the stretch.

- Unfortunately for Ohio, Western Michigan took control over the final six minutes of play, using a jumper Richie and a layup by Tava to jump back in front and never look back.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- Willis reached double figures in scoring for the 16th time this season and 28th time in his career. He tallied his sixth 20-point effort of the season and seventh of his career. Willis led the Bobcats in scoring for a team-high 11th time in 2014-15. He reached double figures for the fifth time in the last six games and scored at least 20 points for the third time in the last six games.

- Ndour achieved double figures in scoring for the 20th time this season and 46th time in his career. He has reached double digits in five of the last six contests. Ndour led the Bobcats in rebounding for a team-high 13th time this season. His 53rd block of the 2014-15 season matched him with Gary Trent (1993-94) for the 10th-most blocks in a single season in school history. Ndour's 108 career blocks rank as the seventh most in program history.

- Setty recorded his second double-digit scoring effort of the season and third of his career.

- Campbell posted his 13th double-digit scoring outing of the year and 18th of his career.

UP NEXT

Ohio plays host to MAC East Division rival Kent State on Saturday (Feb. 21) in a 2 p.m. ET clash at the Convocation Center. The game will be carried on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel in Ohio and Western New York as well as ESPN3 and ESPN Full Court nationally. The Bobcats will be making their fifth appearance of the season on ESPN3 and eighth on one of ESPN's platforms.

Saturday's contest will serve as Ohio's 'Blackout.' Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game. Ohio Athletis and Varsity Ohio will be welcoming back over 40 Hall of Fame members for the celebration of the 50th anniversary and rededication of the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame.

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