Ohio defeated Akron Wednesday, led by a second-half comeback to snap a two-game losing streak.
Midway through the second half, Javarez “Bean” Willis looked up at the scoreboard and saw the Bobcats were trailing by eight points.
“I just said to myself — I put a lot of pressure on myself — to just hit every shot (from then on),” he said.
And he hit every shot. Willis, a redshirt senior guard, scored 17 consecutive points in less than four minutes for the Bobcats, to go from an eight-point deficit to a three-point lead with less than six minutes left in the second half.
Not only did he score those points consecutively, he didn’t miss during that span. Willis, helped by teammates who gave him assists and forced turnovers, made all four of his 3-point attempts, prompting the Convo crowd to erupt in excitement.
He went on to tie his career high with 31 points and led the Bobcats to a 83-82 victory Wednesday against Mid-American Conference rival Akron.
“Every shot that I shot I just felt like it was going to go in,” Willis said. “You know lately, it hasn‘t been like that consistently and tonight was a good night.”
The Bobcats (8-12, 3-6 MAC) entered halftime trailing by10 points after Akron made nine 3-pointers and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.
But Ohio showed resiliency after halftime. Sophomore forward Antonio Campbell scored 10 of the Bobcats’ first 12 points to begin the second half, cutting their deficit to just two points.
Campbell was upset with a referee for calling him on a foul that forced Phillips to take him out of the game.
“I came out, gave that referee a stare, gave him a little mean-mug, and then I scored,” Campbell said.
Although Akron soon went ahead by double-digits again, Willis started shooting lights-out and the Bobcats didn’t trail the rest of the game.
“If we get a normal night from (Willis), we probably win the game,” Akron coach Keith Dambrot said.
The Zips attempted a comeback, scoring 11 points during the game’s final three minutes, but Ohio held on — even after missing free throws and struggling to inbound the ball on multiple occasions.
“We obviously don’t have enough experience playing from ahead, so let’s work on that,” Ohio coach Saul Phillips said.
Phillips credited the victory to Ohio’s three seniors: Willis, Maurice Ndour and Stevie Taylor. Each finished with double-digit points and stepped up to make shots and defensive stops whenever Ohio needed them.
“This was the second time this year — this and Ball State — where all three seniors had a significant impact on the offensive end,” Phillips said. “That seems to be a model for success for us.”
Willis combined to score just 19 points in three games against Akron last season. Wednesday, he helped Ohio snap a two-game losing streak and gave Phillips his first win against the Zips — equaling former coach Jim Christian’s win total in six attempts.
“Sounds like a rivalry game to me,” Phillips said. “I’m glad we’re on the winning end of it.”
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