After making as many three-pointers in its first five attempts than Ohio knocked down the entire game against No. 22 Massachusetts on Wednesday, the Bobcats’ success from beyond the arc was capped by a game-winning trey from Nick Kellogg.
The senior guard’s bucket with 7.8 seconds remaining led Ohio (8-3) to a 70-69 overtime victory against Richmond (8-4) on Sunday, which was the first overtime contest the Bobcats had played this season.
As time was about to expire in the second half, junior guard Stevie Taylor dished a pass to Kellogg, who attempted a contested shot, but missed and the game was sent into overtime. However, the extra five minutes meant only more time for Kellogg to redeem himself.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Kellogg said.
He would finish with 14 points, tied with Ricardo Johnson for the second-most points on the day for the Bobcats.
Junior forward Maurice Ndour showcased his consistent play by making 8-of-10 shots from the field, including one from beyond the arc. After scoring Ohio’s first seven points, he finished with 19 alongside seven rebounds.
After committing seven turnovers through the first 10 minutes of play, Ohio gained momentum nearing the end of the half and rallied to trail by just four points after Richmond had held a 10-point advantage with eight minutes before halftime.
“We found a couple of shots in the first half, and tried to stay consistent, buckling down and keeping the ball out of the lane,” Kellogg said.
At the start of the second half, Richmond reappeared in dominant form, racking up a 6-0 run, but Ohio responded with12-0 run, which was capitalized by a one-handed throwdown by Ndour to give the Bobcats a two-point advantage.
With less than a minute remaining in play, Johnson made one-of-two free throws to give the Bobcats a two-point advantage but Richmond’s Kendall Anthony then tied the game at 61 to launching the game into overtime.
Cedrick Lindsay led the Spiders with 23 points and five assists, but plagued the Richmond offense with a team-high seven turnovers. Anthony was the Spiders’ second-leading scorer, finishing with 17-points, as six of those points came at the charity stripe.
Ohio’s junior guard Javarez Willis and senior forward T.J. Hall each finished with seven points off the bench, but they each scored all their points in the first half.
Senior forward Jon Smith and Taylor finished with six and three points, respectively.
The Bobcats, which are 3-0 in games decided by five points or less, will travel back to Athens for their last game of 2013 against Longwood on Jan. 30. It will be the second-to-last game before Mid-American Conference play begins in January.
@ColinHanner
ch115710@ohiou.edu
