CLEVELAND - A stoic-faced Jerome Tillman walked off the floor of Quicken Loans Arena one final time as a Bobcat. In Ohio's 74-61 loss, Tillman scored a quiet 15 points, struggling to get into any offensive rhythm.
He wasn't the senior who carried his team to a victory in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
It was Bowling Green forward Nate Miller.
Ohio couldn't do anything to stop Miller yesterday. As Miller ducked and dodged through Bobcats' defenders, he ended Ohio's hopes of a Mid-American Conference Tournament run.
He scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, getting the best of Tillman, a friend he has played against since high school in Dayton.
Nate Miller really put us in a predicament
coach John Groce said. He's as difficult a mismatch as there is in the league.
Miller's Falcons beat Tillman's Bobcats for the third time this season. He was dominant from the very start, scoring 12 of his team's first 14 points. His spurt helped push the Falcons to an early lead.
Any player that makes his first few shots is pumped up and ready to play Miller said.
While Miller hit those shots, Tillman didn't find the same success. Each time he caught the ball inside of Bowling Green's 2-3 zone, Tillman was swarmed by multiple defenders who limited his offensive mobility.
They packed it in Tillman said. You can't get as many post touches.
Yet despite Tillman's lack of touches, Ohio was still in the game. The Bobcats sliced the score to 32-27 before halftime after Justin Orr hit a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining. But Falcons guard Daryl Clements answered as time expired with 3-point field goal of his own to push the margin back to eight.
I thought it was a huge play
Groce said of Clements' shot.
And once the second half started, it was Miller time again.
He scored on an easy jumper to put his Falcons ahead by 10. On Ohio's possession, Tillman couldn't answer. He missed a layup.
But Miller didn't miss on the Falcons' next opportunity, and he scored another short jumper to increase the lead to 39-27. On the Bobcats' end, Tillman made only 1 of 2 free throws to cut the deficit to 11.
Once again, though, Miller poured in another layup to put the Bobcats in a second-half hole they were unable to dig out of.
He played like a champion
Bowling Green coach Louis Orr said of Miller. Nate has taken the game in his hands.That's what great players do.
Ohio cut the lead to 10 after guard Tommy Freeman made a 3-pointer with 12:51 remaining, but forward Eric Marschall responded with a three-point play to push the score to 48-35.
From there, it was nothing but a celebration for Miller and his Falcons. While Tillman frantically fouled in hopes of prolonging his college career an additional minute, Miller could relax as his teammates calmly sank free throws.
Unlike Tillman, he didn't have to worry about his career ending earlier than expected.
2
Sports
Steve Gartner
27562a.jpg
Ohio forward Jerome Tillman loses the ball as he goes up for a shot in the first half of Ohio
