Jan. 6, 2007

Box Score |  Quotes

ATHENS, Ohio - Four Ohio players reached double figures in scoring, led by Leon Williams with 19, as the Bobcats defeated Akron 77-72 Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Ohio (10-4, 1-0) finished the contest shooting 24-of-50 (48.0-percent). The Bobcats hit 7-of-15 (46.7-percent) from downtown and 22-35 (62.9-percent) from the free throw line.

Four of five starters for Ohio reached double digits in scoring. Senior Sonny Troutman (Indianapolis, Ind.) finished with 14 points, four rebounds and was 2-for-4 from behind the arc. Junior Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) totaled 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals while shooting 7-of-10 from the field. Junior Bubba Walther (Cincinnati, Ohio), who transferred from Akron last season, posted 16 points, four rebounds, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals.

"This was a big win for us. There was a lot more pressure on us to win tonight than Akron because this was a home game for us," Head Coach Tim O'Shea said. "I'm just glad we survived. We have to get better, but this team can get better, especially at the end game situation."

Akron (9-4, 0-1) finished 27-of-57 (47.4-percent) from the floor and was shot 7-of-21 (33.3-percent) from behind the three-point arc. The Zips were perfect from the free throw line in the first half as they made all three free throws and finished the game shooting 8-of-11 (78.6-percent) from the charity strip.

Akron had two key contributions off the bench Saturday night with performances from Rome Travis and Cedrick Middleton. Middleton shot 8-for-12 including 3-of-5 for three's totaling the game high 20 points. Travis ended the game with 13 points (5-of-9 shooting) and nine rebounds.

The Zips started the game on a 6-0 run before a Williams lay-up got the Bobcats on the board. A Tillman three-pointer brought the Bobcats to within one point, 15-14, and a Williams lay-up with 13:32 left in the first half gave the Bobcats their first lead of the game 16-15. Akron answered with an 8-0 run lasting 5:05, until Bubba Walther ended the run with three strait free throws as he was fouled by Akron's Nick Dials while attempting a three pointer.

Later in the half, Zips guard Dru Joyce fouled Walther behind the three point line and Walther again made all three free throws that sparked a Bobcat 10-0 run. The outcome was a 26-23 Ohio lead with 6:43 left in the half. A three-point shot by Nate Linhart and a basket by Middleton gave Akron a 34-32 lead but Williams lay-up tied the game with one minute left in the half. After a pair of free throws by Tillman the Bobcats had a two-point lead, but a three by Middleton with eight seconds left gave Akron a 37-36 lead at the break.

Akron came out strong in the second half as they scored the first five points and pushed their lead to 42-36. The Bobcats answered with four straight points and eventually pulled ahead of Akron from a Tillman lay-up that gave Ohio a 46-45 advantage with 12:46 left to play.

With 11:13 left to play, Tillman stole the ball and passed to Troutman who returned the pass for an alley-oop dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and gave Ohio a 51-47 lead. Dials answered the alley-oop with a three of his own and Jeremiah Wood's two free throws put Akron back on top 52-51 with 10:12 left to play. Akron then scored the next four points to take a 56-52 with 8:29 left in the game. A three by Whitney Davis, (Ann Arbor, Mich.) brought Ohio within a point at 58-57 with 6:48 left and a pair of Davis free throws tied the game at 59-59.

With 5:35 to go, Williams grabbed a rebound and gave an outlet pass to Davis, who threw another alley-oop pass to Tillman. The dunk put the Bobcats up 61-59. Akron answered right away with a Middleton three pointer to retake the lead 61-62, but just as fast as Middleton scored, Sonny Troutman answered with a three of his own to put the Bobcats up 64-62 with 5:18 to play.

With a Walther three-pointer and an Antonio Chatman (Dorchester, Mass.) lay-up Ohio pushed to a 10-point advantage at 72-62 with 3:18 to play. Akron's Romeo Travis then scored the next eight points in the game and pulled the Zips back within two points 72-70 with 1:54 left. A jumper by Sonny Troutman put the Ohio up 74-70, but again Romeo Travis hit another big shot and pulled the Zips within two. A lay-up by Williams and a missed three-point shot by Middleton gave the Bobcats a 76-72 lead and the ball with :16 seconds left. Troutman hit 1-of-2 free throws with eight seconds left to give Ohio a 77-72 advantage and their first MAC win of the season.

The Bobcats look to make it two wins in a row next Thursday when they host Bowling Green at 7:00 p.m. at the Convocation Center.