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Bobcats fall to RMU in overtime |
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 ROBERT MORRIS 79, OHIO 76, OT
Tommy Freeman led the Bobcats with 15 points on five treys, while Nick Kellogg chipped in 14 points. D.J. Cooper added 13 points and eight assists, while T.J. Hall and DeVaughn Washington picked up 11 and 10, respectively. Reggie Keely led Ohio with nine rebounds.
OHIO THRIVES ON EARLY TREYS
The `Cats came out of the gates sizzling, hitting six of their first nine shots en route to a 15-4 lead. Ohio continued its strong shooting, especially from distance, where six of the team's first nine field goals were from beyond the arc. RMU made a small run of its own to cut the lead to seven at 26-19 with 6:05 left in the first half.
Ohio cooled down a little as action continued to go back and forth before Freeman knocked down a triple with just over two minutes remaining to cap an 8-0 run that gave the Bobcats their largest lead of the half at 34-21.
The Colonials wouldn't go away, however, as they finished off the half with a big 9-0 run to make it 34-30 heading into the locker room.
Freeman knocked down three treys to pace Ohio in scoring with nine points. Kellogg, Washington and Hall each chipped in six for the `Cats, who finished the half shooting 40 percent from the field while converting on 8-of-19 from distance. The Green and White held a 10-4 advantage in second-chance points, while the RMU bench scored 18 of the Colonials' 30 first-half points.
SECOND HALF
Defense controlled the first three minutes of the second half as just three points were scored before Ohio capped off an 8-0 run when Cooper found Freeman for another long-range bomb from the left corner to give the `Cats a 42-30 lead with 15:39 left. It was the 100th career assist for Cooper.
Meanwhile, the Green and White's defense held the Colonials scoreless for the first 4:32 of the half and without a field goal for a span of 6:23, before a pair of three's cut the advantage to just two at 42-40.
RMU's run, a 12-0 spurt over a span of 4:14, tied the score at 42 before Cooper knocked down a pair of freebies to stop the outburst. A pair of triples from Freeman and Hall extended Ohio's lead back to eight with 9:26 left.
However, the Colonials still would not go away. Instead, they came back to take their first lead of the game at the 6:06 mark as part of a 16-3 run that put them up 58-53 with 5:36 left. RMU took its largest lead of the game at 63-56 after a Russell Johnson layup. Ohio then came storming back to tie the game at 64-apiece following a pair of Kellogg free throws with 1:16 left.
Following a defensive stop by the `Cats, Washington converted on two free throws with 28.9 seconds left to put Ohio up by two. RMU came down and answered with a driving floater with just less than 15 seconds left. A `Cats' three-point try at the last second missed to send the game into overtime.
Ohio struggled shooting the ball in the second half, connecting on only 31.6 percent of its shots (6-of-19) but converting 16 free throws kept the team in the game.
OVERTIME
The Colonials scored the first four points of the extra frame before Keely converted inside to stop the RMU scoring. Cooper knocked down a free throw to make it 70-69 before Johnson converted on a three-point play to make it 73-69 with 2:46 left. The `Cats had a pair of opportunities to tie the game inside of a minute, but were only able to get a free throw.
After RMU connected on two free throws to take a four-point lead with 27 seconds left, Kellogg knocked down a three from the corner to pull within one at 76-75. The Colonials missed the second free throw of their subsequent trip to the line, and Ohio had another chance to tie the score. Cooper drove to the bucket and picked up the foul, sending him to the line with a chance to tie the game. His second attempt rimmed in and out, however, and the Colonials were able to seal the win.
The Colonials were led by Karon Abraham's 28 points, while Coron Williams, Johnson and Gary Wallace all reached double figures.
Ohio will now open Mid-American Conference play as it welcomes rival Miami on Sunday, Jan. 9 for a 2 p.m. tip.
Courtesy of Ohio Athletics
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