A tale of two halves
Bobcats snap losing streak with rout of Bowling Green
By Zach Swartz, Staff Writer
February 20, 2008 | 8:50 p.m.
Bowling Green’s defense entered the game leading the MAC in opponent field-goal percentage (40.5 percent) and second in opponent three-point percentage (31.7 percent). That defense showed up in the first half for the Falcons, who held the ‘Cats to just 2-13 from beyond the three-point arc and 9-29 overall, for 31 percent.
The Bobcats’ defense countered and made up for their missed shots, though. The ‘Cats held the Falcons to just 33 percent from the floor and entered the locker room at halftime with the score knotted at 22.
Ohio came out firing in the second half, opening the first 12:45 with a 27-7 run, during which the Bobcats shot 56.3 percent from the floor and committed just two turnovers. In the end, the Falcons, who turned the ball over 19 times, did not have enough to pull out a victory.
“We didn't attack their zone as well, and they just kind of ballooned from there,” said Falcons coach Louis Orr, whose nephew is Bobcat guard Justin Orr. “When you're out there coaching, you try to come up with solutions and I didn't have them. We couldn't get going offensively. The second half was a struggle and turnovers led to more turnovers.”
After losing to the Falcons 52-49 Jan. 5 in Bowling Green, OU coach Tim O’Shea credited the home-court advantage for the Bobcats’ ability to win.
“Too bad we can't play all of our games in the Convo,” O’Shea said. “It's a whole lot different playing at home. The story of the second half is we just shot the ball so well. We defended well throughout, but a lot of good looks in the first half that just didn't go in the basket started to fall in the second half.”
Guard Allen Hester agreed.
“It’s always a good thing to get a home win,” Hester said. “It gives a boost of confidence. Losing home games is never fun, but we definitely needed this win to get us back up and get us going.”
While MAC Player-of-the-Year candidate Leon Williams was held to just five points and three rebounds in the game, forward Jerome Tillman took over and put up a game-high 14 points and team-high eight rebounds to lead the Bobcats to victory.
“Coach [O’Shea] has been harping on me to stay on the offensive glass more,” Tillman said. “Leon is a big body down there. They were keying on him a little bit, and that kind of opened it up for me to get on the glass and just slip behind the zone.”
O’Shea was finally happy to see what his big man can do.
“[Tillman] is so strong,” O’Shea said. “He can jump, and he's athletic. He just has to get into his mind that every time a shot is taken, he should take it as a pass to him. He just needs to get in there, give us some energy, and see if he can't come up with some balls. He really got after it in the second half.”
Hester, who got his fourth start of the season and second in a row, put up 12 points and two steals, and Bubba Walther chipped in 10 points to give him his fifth double-digit scoring game in his last six games. Underclassmen Kenneth van Kempen, DeVaughn Washington and Tommy Freeman played 13 minutes apiece, and Asown Sayles and Andrew Vroman appeared in their first MAC home game of the year.
“I was just thrilled to distribute the playing time to a lot of deserving guys,” O’Shea said. “Everyone that got on the floor played well. I was really happy about that, because a lot of these guys come to practice and work their butt off, and they don't really get a chance to play in the games that much, so it was great to give them meaningful playing time tonight.”
Ohio’s 11th straight home win halted a two-game losing streak for the ‘Cats, who have also lost their last three road games at Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Kent State. The Bobcats remain in third place in the MAC East behind Akron (19-7, 9-4 MAC) and Kent State (22-5, 11-2 MAC). Kent clinched a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament with a 10-point victory over Buffalo Tuesday.
Ohio’s next game is huge as they take on George Mason in ESPN’s Bracketbusters at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Convo. A win over George Mason, who made the Final Four in 2006, would be a big boost in helping the Bobcats nab an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m very excited about Saturday to have a team that went to the Final Four two years ago on national television in our building,” O’Shea said. “This game could definitely have postseason implication. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the spirit and atmosphere we have here.”
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