Dec. 22, 2008

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Ohio vs. Holy Cross
The game saw nine lead changes and four ties in the first 10 minutes of action.

Freshman Stacey Waters attempted the first free throws of his Ohio career in the first half, knocking down 1-of-2 for his first made free throw as a Bobcat. He played a career-best five minutes in the game.

Ohio was tied with Holy Cross at 26 at halftime, marking the first time the Bobcats have been tied at the break this season.

The Bobcats grabbed 19 first-half rebounds, including eight offensive boards, both of which were first-half season highs.

Ohio held Holy Cross without a made 3-point field goal in the first half, as the Crusaders went 0-for-5 from behind the arc, marking the first time this season the Bobcats have held their opponent from making a 3-pointer in a half (first or second). Holy Cross finished just 2-of-13 from deep for 15.4 percent, with the two makes and 15.4 percent being season lows for an Ohio opponent.

The Bobcats forced seven Holy Cross turnovers in the first four minutes of the second half, after forcing just nine turnovers the whole first half. Holy Cross finished with 18 second-half turnovers and 27 turnovers for the game. The last time Ohio forced a team into at least 20 turnovers was Feb. 13, 2008, when the 'Cats forced Toledo into 21 turnovers. The 27 Holy Cross turnovers are more than Ohio forced in any game last season and the most since Dec. 17, 2005 when the Bobcats forced Shippensburg into 28 turnovers. Of the 27 turnovers, 13 were Bobcat steals, giving the team its most steals since Feb. 19, 2008, when Ohio had 13 steals against Bowling Green.

Senior forward Jerome Tillman scored in double figures for the 16th-straight game, including all 11 games this year, as he finished with a game-high 18 points (14 in the second half) on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line. It was the 72nd double-figure point game of Tillman's career and the eighth time this season he has led Ohio in scoring. With his 18 points, Tillman moved into a tie for 18th place on Ohio's career scoring list with former teammate Sonny Troutman, with 1,272 points.

Trailing 37-36, Ohio went on a 9-0 run over a two minute stretch in the second half to put themselves ahead 45-37, as the Bobcats would not trail again.

Sophomore forward DeVaughn Washington scored in double figures for the third straight game, after playing in 40 previous games for Ohio without reaching the double-digit plateau. He had 10 points in the game. With his six rebounds, he has now led the Bobcats in rebounding in three-straight games. Washington also collected a career-high four steals and played a career-high 34 minutes.

Freshman guard Steven Coleman scored 13 points in the game, as he was one of three Bobcats in double figures, while playing 36 minutes, which tied his career high. It was the sixth time this season Coleman has scored 10 or more points.

Senior forward Justin Orr tied a career high with two blocks, while sophomore guard Tommy Freeman nabbed a career-high two steals. Ohio tied its season high with five blocked shots.

The Bobcats outscored Holy Cross 32-27 in the second half, marking the eighth time in 11 games Ohio has outscored their opponent in the final 20 minutes of play. They now hold a +37 margin in the second stanza.

The 53 points allowed by Ohio are the second fewest this season, as the Bobcats limited Indiana State to just 50 on Dec. 8. It was also the fewest points Ohio has surrendered at home this season and the fewest at home since Feb. 19, 2008, when Bowling Green managed just 48 points in The Convo.

Holy Cross made just nine free throws (on 14 attempts), which is the fewest by an Ohio opponent this season.

With the win, Ohio improved to 1-1 all-time against Holy Cross and 9-4 all-time against teams from the Patriot League. The Bobcats face one more Patriot League team this season when they host Bucknell Jan. 3.

The 58-53 win extended Ohio's non-conference home winning streak to 24 games, dating back to Nov. 29, 2004.

Ohio improved to 2-0 on Monday games this year and earned its first win when scoring less than 60 points, as well as its first win in a game decided by 10 points or less this season.