If there has been one thing missing from the Ohio men's basketball team this season, it was leadership.
However, last night against Northern Illinois, the Bobcats got just what they needed.
Leadership was supplied in full by guard Tony Chatman's play - all 35 minutes of it. In his time on the court, Chatman passed, shot and most importantly, led the Bobcats (14-6, 8-4 Mid-American Conference) to a 78-67 victory over the Huskies (13-8, 8-5 MAC) in The Convo.
Not only did Chatman run his team's offense fluidly, he also put up 14 points in the contest. His effort helped Ohio snap its skid of two losses at home with a payback win against the Huskies.
That's just my game
to control the flow and I have been doing that since I have been playing basketball Chatman said. We got a lot of scorers on this team and I just try to get the ball to whoever is hot.
One of Ohio's hot hands on the night was forward Leon Williams.
Williams had his first 20-point night of the season as he shot seven-of-11 from the field. Post touches were a plenty, as he and his fellow front court player Jerome Tillman were getting the ball fed to them from Chatman on a on a consistent basis.
Tillman was able to chip in 11 points on the night.
Tony has done a big part in getting me more touches
Williams said. We are playing better team ball
and it also helps to have Jerome in here with me
but I got to say it helps to have Tony getting us the ball.
While Chatman only had five assists on the night, his ball movement rubbed off on the team as the Bobcats got 14 assists on 26 field goals. Chatman's strong guard play was mentioned multiple times in the post-game news conference by coach Tim O'Shea.
Leadership at the point is a big thing and he is making a big impact on how we play
O'Shea said. He was getting the team under control
understanding tempo and getting players the ball. He has really stepped up for us here
and you could really see the team coming together.
The Bobcats' ball movement was a main reason why they shot the ball much better than in the past stretch of games. The 'Cats blitzed the Huskies' defense by shooting 49 percent from the floor for the game and were able to get to the free-throw line and convert - both aspects the Bobcats struggled with in their loss to the same team in DeKalb, Ill., earlier in the season.
The Bobcats shot 18-of-19 from the charity stripe with contributions from all over the roster. Williams knocked in six-of-seven, including two in the final minute of the game. Guards Jeff Halbert and Mychal Green also hit a pair at the line to fully seal the win in front of 4,126 people including Ohio President Roderick McDavis and other former presidents Vernon Alden and Charles Ping.
Going down the stretch
hitting our free ones were big
because they are a strong three-point shooting team
