ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio Bobcats (11-6, 2-3 MAC) had four players in double figures as redshirt sophomore guard Jaaron Simmons led the way with 24 points to help the Bobcats defeat MAC West Division foe Western Michigan (7-11, 1-4 MAC), 82-64, on Tuesday at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
Ohio limited Western Michigan to 21-of-62 shooting (33.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from three-point range, holding an opponent below 70 points for the first time in conference play.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, shot 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) from the field and 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from three-point range. They outrebounded the Broncos by a 45-32 margin. Ohio held a 30-22 advantage . . .
Ohio limited Western Michigan to 21-of-62 shooting (33.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from three-point range, holding an opponent below 70 points for the first time in conference play.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, shot 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) from the field and 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from three-point range. They outrebounded the Broncos by a 45-32 margin. Ohio held a 30-22 advantage . . .
. . . on points in the paint, and the Bobcat bench outscored Western's bench by a 28-15 margin.
Simmons led the Bobcats with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting , including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from behind the arc, in addition to going 6-of-8 clip from the free throw line. He also paced Ohio with a game-high nine assists to pair with five rebounds in 36 minutes.
"They helped off of me. I saw the first one go in, so I shot another one,” Simmons said. “I saw the next one in, so I shot another one. It just felt good today, and I was happy to see it go in."
Junior forward Antonio Campbell recorded his eighth double-double of the season, pulling in a career-high 16 rebounds while scoring 15 points on 8-of-11 shooting -- including a perfect 8-for-8 mark on two-point field goals. He also recorded two blocks, one steal and an assist in 32 minutes.
Freshman guard/forward Gavin Block scored 16 points for Ohio off of the bench, shooting 5-of-7 from the field -- including 2-of-3 from behind the arc -- in addition to a 4-of-6 performance from the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes.
Redshirt junior forward Kenny Kaminski tallied 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and was 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also hauled in four rebounds, handed out two assists and swiped a steal in his 33 minutes.
Sophomore guard Mike Laster (Detroit, Mich.) notched seven points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field. He shot 2-of-4 mark from the free throw line and knocked down a triple on his only three-point attempt. He also grabbed three rebounds in 18 minutes.
"The storylines are pretty obvious with Tone and Jaaron, but Gavin and Mike Laster, to me, tonight, were guys who stepped up,” Ohio head coach Saul Phillips said.
“I'm not going to tell you what (redshirt senior forward) Treg (Setty) was doing in the locker room in the first half, but he needed a breath mint afterward. He wasn't feeling very good, and we got into some foul trouble. Mike had a day in practice the other day that made me almost lose my mind in terms of we were trying to guard him and we couldn't do it. So, on a gut feel, we put him in."
Sophomore guard Thomas Wilder led the way for Western Michigan, scoring 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and a 9-of-12 mark from the free throw stripe. He also grabbed four rebounds, tallied a team-high three assists and swiped a game-high five steals in 35 minutes
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• Junior guard forward Tucker Haymond scored 15 points for the Broncos on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and a 6-of-9 mark from the free throw line in 29 minutes. Sophomore center Drake LaMont tied for a team-high with seven rebounds while tallying eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes for Western Michigan. He also logged an assist and a steal.
The Bobcats built an 18-13 lead at the 9:59 mark of the first half. Campbell scored each of Ohio's first eight points and had 10 on the run while Block added five and Kaminski contributed a triple.
Western Michigan retaliated with a 14-0 run over the next 3:46, taking a 27-18 lead with 6:13 remaining in the first half. The Broncos utilized treys by redshirt junior forward Kellen McCormick, senior guard Jared Klein and three points apiece from Haymond and senior forward Anthony Avery.
Ohio fought back with a 12-2 run to take a 30-29 lead with 3:22 left in the opening half. The stretch featured a pair of triples and a free throw from Simmons, a three from Block and a lay-in by junior forward Wadly Mompremier .
Ohio headed to the locker room with a 35-31 advantage after forcing the Broncos to miss their final six shots of the half. Campbell and Block led all first half scorers with 10 points each.
Western Michigan started off the second half with an 8-0 run, holding the Bobcats scoreless for the first 4:11 of the final 20 minutes of play before a triple by Laster broke the drought . A triple on the following possession by Kaminski provided Ohio with a 41-39 lead with 15:25 left in the contest.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 60-49 with 7:50 remaining in the game, outscoring Western Michigan by an 11-1 margin over a 2:40 span. Ohio's run included a stretch of eight consecutive points by Simmons on a pair of triples and a mid-range jumper.
Ohio stayed hot down the stretch, hitting each of its final six field goal attempts in the final 4:32 of the contest to cruise to an 82-64 victory. Kaminski was a factor the final stretch, knocking down two treys and converting a layup.
(Courtesy of Ohio Athletics)
Simmons led the Bobcats with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting , including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from behind the arc, in addition to going 6-of-8 clip from the free throw line. He also paced Ohio with a game-high nine assists to pair with five rebounds in 36 minutes.
"They helped off of me. I saw the first one go in, so I shot another one,” Simmons said. “I saw the next one in, so I shot another one. It just felt good today, and I was happy to see it go in."
Junior forward Antonio Campbell recorded his eighth double-double of the season, pulling in a career-high 16 rebounds while scoring 15 points on 8-of-11 shooting -- including a perfect 8-for-8 mark on two-point field goals. He also recorded two blocks, one steal and an assist in 32 minutes.
Freshman guard/forward Gavin Block scored 16 points for Ohio off of the bench, shooting 5-of-7 from the field -- including 2-of-3 from behind the arc -- in addition to a 4-of-6 performance from the free throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes.
Redshirt junior forward Kenny Kaminski tallied 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and was 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also hauled in four rebounds, handed out two assists and swiped a steal in his 33 minutes.
Sophomore guard Mike Laster (Detroit, Mich.) notched seven points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field. He shot 2-of-4 mark from the free throw line and knocked down a triple on his only three-point attempt. He also grabbed three rebounds in 18 minutes.
"The storylines are pretty obvious with Tone and Jaaron, but Gavin and Mike Laster, to me, tonight, were guys who stepped up,” Ohio head coach Saul Phillips said.
“I'm not going to tell you what (redshirt senior forward) Treg (Setty) was doing in the locker room in the first half, but he needed a breath mint afterward. He wasn't feeling very good, and we got into some foul trouble. Mike had a day in practice the other day that made me almost lose my mind in terms of we were trying to guard him and we couldn't do it. So, on a gut feel, we put him in."
Sophomore guard Thomas Wilder led the way for Western Michigan, scoring 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and a 9-of-12 mark from the free throw stripe. He also grabbed four rebounds, tallied a team-high three assists and swiped a game-high five steals in 35 minutes
.
• Junior guard forward Tucker Haymond scored 15 points for the Broncos on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and a 6-of-9 mark from the free throw line in 29 minutes. Sophomore center Drake LaMont tied for a team-high with seven rebounds while tallying eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes for Western Michigan. He also logged an assist and a steal.
The Bobcats built an 18-13 lead at the 9:59 mark of the first half. Campbell scored each of Ohio's first eight points and had 10 on the run while Block added five and Kaminski contributed a triple.
Western Michigan retaliated with a 14-0 run over the next 3:46, taking a 27-18 lead with 6:13 remaining in the first half. The Broncos utilized treys by redshirt junior forward Kellen McCormick, senior guard Jared Klein and three points apiece from Haymond and senior forward Anthony Avery.
Ohio fought back with a 12-2 run to take a 30-29 lead with 3:22 left in the opening half. The stretch featured a pair of triples and a free throw from Simmons, a three from Block and a lay-in by junior forward Wadly Mompremier .
Ohio headed to the locker room with a 35-31 advantage after forcing the Broncos to miss their final six shots of the half. Campbell and Block led all first half scorers with 10 points each.
Western Michigan started off the second half with an 8-0 run, holding the Bobcats scoreless for the first 4:11 of the final 20 minutes of play before a triple by Laster broke the drought . A triple on the following possession by Kaminski provided Ohio with a 41-39 lead with 15:25 left in the contest.
The Bobcats extended their lead to 60-49 with 7:50 remaining in the game, outscoring Western Michigan by an 11-1 margin over a 2:40 span. Ohio's run included a stretch of eight consecutive points by Simmons on a pair of triples and a mid-range jumper.
Ohio stayed hot down the stretch, hitting each of its final six field goal attempts in the final 4:32 of the contest to cruise to an 82-64 victory. Kaminski was a factor the final stretch, knocking down two treys and converting a layup.
(Courtesy of Ohio Athletics)
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