Feb. 24, 2010

Final Stats |  Quotes

Athens, Ohio - The 185th Battle of the Bricks was settled on Wednesday night when Tommy Freeman (Muncie, Ind.) hit a 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to give Ohio University a 70-68 victory over Miami. DeVaughn Washington (Virginia Beach, Va.) tied his career high with 25 points for the Bobcats (16-13, 6-8 Mid-American Conference) and Freeman scored 19 points, going 6-for-8 on 3-pointers.

"I honestly didn't know how much time there was on the clock but just knew I had to take the shot," Freeman said. "I just tried to slow it down as much as I could. K.V.K. [Kenneth van Kempen] took some guys out, and I was able to squeeze it off. Honestly, I thought it was off when I let it go, but I'm glad I was wrong."

The RedHawks (12-16, 8-6), who led by as many as 10 points in the first half and 28-22 at halftime, had regained a 67-66 lead with nine seconds left on a jumper by Kenny Hayes. Hayes scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, including 13 of the final 17 Miami points. He also doled out a team-high six helpers. Washington scored a layup and four free throws for Ohio, which had come back to lead 66-65 after trailing 64-59 with 1:53 left.

Both teams shot well in the second half, with Ohio at 57.1 percent (16-for-28) and Miami at 63.6 percent (14-for-22). But the Bobcats were more effective on 3-pointers, going 5-for-8 in the second half to Miami's 1-for-5.

"It feels good to be on the winning end of one like that in this case," Head Coach John Groce said. "It was certainly a game that could have gone either way. They shot over 50 percent from the field against us for the second time this year, and only three teams have done that to us all year. The difference in the game is that we just made a few more plays late in the game."

Armon Bassett (Terre Haute, Ind.) finished in double figures for the seventh consecutive game with 10 points and three assists. Kenneth van Kempen (Weert, The Netherlands) added eight points and five rebounds while D.J. Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) dished out a game-high nine assists but struggled shooting, chipping in only four points.

"He [Cooper] wasn't the in groove that has been in offensively," Groce added. "I've always told him that good point guards find a way to put their team in position to win, and I think a lot of his attention and focus was that he had to play with effort on the defensive end against Hayes. With nine assists, helping us out rebounding, and getting three steals, there's no question he [Cooper] impacted the game without scoring at as high of a level that he has normally."

After giving up the first bucket of the game, Ohio rattled off eight consecutive points, four from Bassett and held Miami scoreless for the next five minutes to snag a six-point lead, its largest of the contest.

After the first media timeout, Miami responded with a 20-6 run, six coming from Julian MaVunga. Five different RedHawks scored as they built a 22-14 lead on the Green & White.

Facing its largest deficit of the game, down 10 with 3:35 remaining in the half, Ohio went on a 6-0 run, four by Freeman to claw back in the game. However, a turnover and bucket by Nick Winbush made the score 28-22 in favor of Miami at the intermission. The 22 points was the lowest first-half output for Ohio since the contest at Eastern Michigan (Feb. 6, 2010).

Ohio started the second half strong and went on a run behind two quick buckets by Washington. Freeman would follow those with a three to give Ohio a 32-30 lead less than three minutes into the period.

Miami responded and led 44-39 with 11:53 to go before Ohio went on a 7-0 to retake the lead, capped by a Freeman three-pointer at the 9:48 mark.

The Bobcats hit the road this weekend for a Saturday night contest at Buffalo. The game tips off at 7 p.m.