Dec. 30, 2008

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Ohio vs. St. Francis
Game Notes
Ohio started the game on an 8-0 run, as they forced St. Francis to miss their first four shots and held them without a point until the 15:47 mark. The Terriers made just two of their first 13 shots and had only four points at the 10:12 mark, with Ohio leading 17-4.

The Bobcats used a 14-0 run over a stretch of 2:23 in the first half to gain a 33-11 edge, thanks in part to five points from senior Justin Orr and four points from freshman Steven Coleman.

Ohio registered seven different scorers in the first half, including six with at least five points.

The Bobcats made five of the first six 3-pointers they attempted, including a pair from senior Michael Allen and a pair from sophomore Tommy Freeman. Ohio finished the half 5-of-7 from distance for 71.4 percent, with the five makes and 71.4 percent being first-half season highs. The Bobcats continued their hot shooting from deep in the second half, knocking down their first three tries from beyond the arc. Ohio finished 9-of-17 from distance for 52.9 percent, with the nine makes being a season high for the Bobcats.

Ohio led at halftime 41-21, marking just the third time the 'Cats have led at the break this season. The 20-point halftime cushion was by far Ohio's largest on the year, as they had led by just two in their other two halftime leads. The 41 first-half points were a season best for Ohio, bettering their previous high by seven. By holding the Terriers to just 21 points, the Bobcats set a season low for points allowed in the first half, as their previous best effort was limiting Indiana State to 25 first-half points on Dec. 8.

The Bobcats hit 14-of-25 field goals in the first half for 56.0 percent, with the 14 makes and 56 percent marking first-half season highs. Ohio also set first-half season highs with 21 rebounds and nine assists against St. Francis. The Bobcats forced nine Terrier turnovers, of which seven were steals, which tied their first-half season high.

St. Francis went just 7-of-25 from the field in the first 20 minutes, including just 2-of-12 from behind the arc for 16.7 percent. The seven first-half field goals and 28.0 percent shooting by the Terriers were both first-half season lows for an Ohio opponent. St. Francis' 12 first-half rebounds also tied a first-half season low for a Bobcat opponent.

Ohio opened the second half on a 13-3 run, with five points coming from senior Jerome Tillman, to open a game-high 30-point lead at the 16:02 mark.

The Bobcats finished with four double-digit scorers in the game (Tillman, Orr, Freeman, Allen) for just the third time this season. It was the first time Ohio achieved the feat since Dec. 17 at Marshall.

Ohio forced 18 St. Francis turnovers, which continued the Bobcats' streak of forcing at least 17 turnovers in all four home games this year. Opponents were averaging a 0.48-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in The Convo this season and St. Francis didn't fare much better, collecting just nine assists to its 18 miscues for a 0.5-1 ratio.

Senior Jerome Tillman notched his fifth double-double of the season and 23rd of his career, as he finished with a team-high 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, including eight in the opening half. The 19 points marked Tillman's 17th-straight double-figure scoring game dating back to last season, including all 12 games this season. It was the 73rd double-figure scoring game of his career and 23rd double-figure rebounding game of his career, including five this season. He has led Ohio in points and rebounds in nine games this season. The 19 points put Tillman in sole possession of 18th place on Ohio's career scoring list with 1,291 points, breaking a tie with former teammate Sonny Troutman. He needs just six points to move into a tie for 17th place on the scoring list, which would tie him with Kirk Lehman. He shot 6-of-8 from the floor against the Terriers, which makes him 10-of-12 in his last two games, as he hit all four of his shots in his last outing. Tillman also tied a career best with four steals.

Senior Michael Allen tied a career high with two 3-pointers (on just three attempts) and dished out a game-high-tying five assists, marking the seventh time this season he has at least shared the team lead in assists. With 10 points, he has now scored in double-figures five times in his career, including three times this year.

Senior Justin Orr scored 11 points against the Terriers, giving him 15 career double-digit scoring games, including seven already this season.

Sophomore Tommy Freeman scored 11 points, giving him his sixth career double-digit scoring game, four of which have come this season. He also dished out a season-high three assists, falling one short of his career high.

Redshirt freshman Zach Nagtzaam saw action for just the fourth time this season and managed to grab his first rebound as a Bobcat.

Freshman Steven Coleman dished out a game-high-tying five assists, marking the fifth time this season he has at least shared the team lead in assists.

With the 70-53 win, Ohio extended its non-conference home winning streak to 25 games dating back to Nov. 29, 2004. Ohio led the entire game, leading by as much as 30 early in the second half. The 'Cats are now 4-0 at home this year, and have now started that way for the fifth-straight year, and 3-0 this season when leading at halftime. Ohio is also now 3-0 when scoring at least 70 points this season, with five of its six wins coming by double digits. The 53 points allowed tied for the second fewest this season.

The Bobcats improved to 2-0 all-time against St. Francis, as Ohio defeated the Terriers in New York a year ago in the teams' only other meeting. With the win, Ohio also upped its all-time mark against the Northeast Conference to 17-4.

Ohio improved to 6-6 on the season, putting them back at .500 for the first time since Dec. 12.