Bubba Walther and Tommy Freeman gave the Bobcats an early boost from behind the arc, and Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman took care of the rest.The guards each hit three 3-point field goals in the first half, and Williams and Tillman poured in a combined 21 points in the second half as Ohio cruised to a 73-55 victory over the Northern Illinois Saturday.
I always say one of the biggest things on the road is hitting 3-point shots
coach Tim O'Shea said. Today we made seven and that opened up the inside game for us.
In the first half, the Bobcats totaled seven 3-point field goals, which equaled as many long-range shots as Ohio made in its previous two games.
Freeman said the pair took advantage of a zone defense employed by the Huskies, and the 'Cats built a 40-20 lead at halftime.
It was pretty big the 3-pointers in the first half got us out to a big lead he said. When one of us drew more than one guy
they left the other one open and luckily me and Bubba knocked down shots.
With Northern Illinois switching its defense to man-to-man in the second half, Ohio (15-6, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) turned to Williams and Tillman who did not disappoint. Williams led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Tillman added 17 points.
Freeman said it was important for Ohio to turn to its big men with the Huskies changing defenses.
We knew we couldn't rely on our 3-point shots all game
and Leon and Jerome didn't really get many touches in the first half
he said. It was a combined effort of the shooters in the first half and Jerome and Leon in the second half.
Walther added 15 points to join the frontcourt duo in double figures, his highest scoring output since the Bobcats game against St. John's in late December. The senior also added six assists and zero turnovers, playing the point guard position for much of the game with Michael Allen nursing an injured shoulder and Bert Whittington IV aggravating a hip pointer injury. O'Shea credited Walther with stepping up huge with their two best ball handlers on the sidelines.
Bubba had to step up at the point and he did great
O'Shea said. He played terrific.
Ohio built its lead to as high as 27 in the second half, with the Huskies getting as close as 16 points late in the second half.
I thought we got a little complacent the last eight minutes
but overall we did a good job maintaining the lead
O'Shea. We did what we had to do to pull out a very good road win for us.
Ohio's victory over the Huskies coupled with a Kent State defeat at Toledo gives the Bobcats a share of first-place in the MAC halfway through conference play.
We really feel like in order to compete for a MAC title we're going to have to win some games on the road
Freeman said. This was a good opportunity for us. QUICK STATS
OHIO 73,Northern Illinois 55Saturday, The Convocation Center, DeKalb Illinois
- As a team Ohio shot 48.1 percent from the field including 53.6 percent in the first half. - The Bobcats had dropped three of its previous four games to the Huskies, including an 81-74 defeat at home last season.-As a team the Bobcats were called for only 13 fouls in the game.
Scoring leaders(Ohio)Leon Williams, 20 points
(Northern Illinois)Sean Smith, 19
Rebound leaders(Ohio)Williams, 10
(Northern Illinois)
Darion Anderson, 8
Assist leaders
(Ohio)Bubba Walther, 6
(Northern Illinois)Anderson, Smith, 3
