THE BASICS

Score: Ohio 83, Akron 82

Location: The Convocation Center - Athens, Ohio

The Short Story: In a game defined by its perimeter shooting, the Ohio men's basketball team (8-12, 3-6 MAC) came out on top in a heart-pounding 83-82 victory against Mid-American Conference East Division rival Akron (15-7, 6-3 MAC) on Wednesday (Feb. 4) at the Convocation Center.

OHIO STARTERS: #3 Javarez Willis, #5 Maurice Ndour, #14 Ryan Taylor, #24 Mike Laster, #33 Antonio Campbell

AKRON STARTERS: #2 Kwan Cheatham, Jr., #3 Nyles Evans, #5 B.J. Gladden, #14 Noah Robotham, #34 Pat Forsythe

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ohio edged Akron in a hotly contested shooting battle, knocking down 51.9 percent (28-of-54) of its shots - including 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from three-point land. The Bobcats shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) in the second half - including 70 percent (7-of-10) from long distance. The Zips shot 46.4 percent (32-of-69) from the field - including 50 percent (18-of-36) from beyond the arc. Akron shot 43.3 percent (13-of-30) in the second half.

• Redshirt senior guard Javarez Willis (Homer, La.) powered the Bobcat attack, pouring in a game-high 31 points to match his career high, grabbing a game-high seven rebounds and handing out a game-high five assists in 34 minutes. He shot 12-of-18 from the field - including a scorching 6-of-8 from three-point range. He tallied 21 points in the second half, going 8-of-10 - including a percent 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

• Senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) totaled 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting in addition to hauling in four boards, blocking a game-high three shots, dishing out an assist and collecting a steal in 40 minutes.

• Senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) pitched in 14 points off of the bench, knocking down four of his seven attempts and going 5-for-8 from the charity stripe. He also posted five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes of work.

• Sophomore forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 11 points, four rebounds, a game-high three steals to set a new career high, two blocks and an assist in 28 minutes.

• Senior guard Deji Ibitayo put together a big night off of the bench for Akron, tallying 21 points off of 8-of-11 shooting -- including 5-of-7 from three -- in addition to recording four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 22 minutes.

• Junior center Pat Forsythe and freshman guard Noah Robotham each posted 11 points for the Zips. Forsythe snatched five rebounds to go along with a team-high two blocks as well as a steal and an assist in 26 minutes. Robotham handed out a team-high four assists and grabbed a rebound in 29 minutes.

• Ohio jumped out to an 11-8 lead at the first media timeout, fueled by Ndour and Willis. The pair combined for nine points and seven rebounds in the first 4:31 of the game.

• The Zips started the game on fire from behind the arc, shooting 8-of-13 from long distance to take a 30-25 lead at the 9:30 mark of the first half.

• Akron took a 47-37 lead into the halftime break, Ibitayo leading all scorers with 13 points.

• Campbell went a tear out of the halftime break, scoring Ohio's first ten points of the second half to bring the Bobcats within two points of the Zips, 51-49, at the 16:49 mark.

• Willis then scored 17 straight points -- including four threes -- to provide Ohio with a 72-69 lead with 5:58 remaining in the game.

• The Bobcats used a 23-5 run to take an 81-71 lead at the 2:21 mark of the second half.

• The Zips did not quit, though, putting together an 11-2 run over the final 1:39 of the contest and pulling within one courtesy of a trey by junior wing Jake Kretzer with eight seconds left.

• After Ohio turned the rock over against the Akron press on an inbound play with five seconds left, the Bobcat defense dug deep for a game winning stop. Ohio freshman guard Ryan Taylor (Gary, Ind.) played smothering defense as Ibitayo attempted to drive for the game winner, and the Akron guard's attempt missed its mark to seal the win for the 'Cats.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Ohio snapped a two-game home losing skid to Akron, defeating the Zips at the Convo for the first time since an 85-61 win on Feb. 26, 2012.

• Willis matched the career high he set on Dec. 23, 2014, against DePaul in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. He has surpassed the 20-point mark four times this season, has reached double figures 13 times this year and 23 times in his career and has led Ohio in scoring a team-high nine times in 2014-15. Willis has also led the Bobcats in assists a team-high 12 times this year. He led Ohio in rebounds for the first time this season.

• Ndour reached double figures for a team-high 17th time this season and 42nd time in his career. He's posted double digits in 11 of the last 12 games. Ndour has recorded at least three blocks in seven of the last 10 games.

• Stevie Taylor achieved double figures for the seventh time this year and 21st time in his career.

• Campbell hit double figures for the 10th time this season and 13th time in his career. He's reached double digits in each of the last three contests.

QUOTABLE

First-Year Head Coach Saul Phillips

• "I thought that this was the second time this year -- this and Ball State -- where all three seniors had a significant impact on the offensive end. That seems to be a model for success for us." 

Redshirt Senior Guard Javarez Willis

• "Thanks to my teammates. They were looking for me a lot, so I was able to get some catch-and-shoots, and I feel like that's what I'm best at."

Sophomore Forward Antonio Campbell

• "For the most part, I thought I did a pretty good job on the block with (Forsythe) and all their bigs."

UP NEXT

Ohio plays host to MAC West Division foe Eastern Michigan on Saturday (Feb. 7) at the Convocation Center in a 2 p.m. ET clash. The Bobcat coaching staff will participate in Autism Awareness by wearing blue puzzle piece lapel pins.

#SaulBall