March 1, 2008

Box Score |  Notes

OXFORD, Ohio-The Ohio men's basketball squad ran into a tough Miami squad Saturday evening as the RedHawks cruised to a 73-49 win over the Bobcats at Millett Hall. Miami improved to 14-13 overall and pulled into a tie with Ohio at 8-6 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats dipped to 18-10 overall.

Michael Bramos led Miami with 31 points, while Kenny Hayes had 12 and Tim Pollitz had 10. Tyler Dierkers and Eric Pollitz had a team-high nine rebounds, but Miami lost the overall rebounding battle to the Bobcats by a 37-35 margin. Tim Pollitz had the best floor game for the victors with three assists and four steals.

Senior forward Leon Williams (Baltimore, Md.) powered the Bobcats with his 41^st career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). Junior guard Bert Whittington IV (Hankamer, Tx.) also chipped in 11 points and three steals. Junior guard Michael Allen (Detroit, Mich.), who entered the day as the MAC's leader in assists per game, had three assists.

Ohio was dogged by an ice-cold shooting touch and finished with a 24.6 percent (15-61) clip from the field. Conversely, the RedHawks hit on 56.1 percent (23-41).

The 49 points scored by the Bobcats matched a season-low (Jan. 5 at Bowling Green).

Ohio did lead very early in the contest on a tip-in by junior forward Jerome Tillman (Beavercreek, Ohio) to go up 4-3 just one minute, 53 seconds into the game. However, Bramos responded with a 3-pointer just six seconds later to give the RedHawks a lead they would never come close to relinquishing.

Miami took a 37-14 lead into the locker room. The 14 Bobcat points represents the fewest points in a half under head coach Tim O'Shea.

The lead swelled to as many as 29 (47-18) on a layup by Hayes with 14:52 remaining. Ohio only got as close as 16 (63-47) on a pair of free throws by Whittington IV with 2:15 to go.

"There's not a whole lot to say, we just had a horrendous first half," said O'Shea. "We just couldn't find the basket. We just have to move on and get ready for Tuesday night."

Ohio made just 19.4 percent (6-31) of its first-half field goals, including two of 13 3-point attempts.

The Bobcats will be back in action against Akron Tuesday night at the Convo at 7 p.m. The Zips improved to 20-8 overall and 10-4 in the MAC with a 76-56 win over Buffalo Saturday evening.