Ohio-Brown recap

Special to The News
By Nick Brockman

ATHENS, Ohio — For Ohio’s seniors the Bobcats’ first-round College Basketball Invitational game meant postponing their collegiate basketball retirement one more game, but for younger players it provided valuable experience.

Ohio defeated Brown 80-74 in the first round of the inaugural CBI Tournament, and although the ’Cats usual leaders stepped up, the team’s younger players gained the most.

“I was so proud of Tommy Freeman’s performance as a freshman,” Ohio coach Tim O’Shea said. “What a valuable thing for him to have that postseason. Asown Sayles, we wanted to give him a chance. He got extended minutes tonight and really did a lot with it I thought. These are guys that are building not only for this season, but for next year.”

Freeman started his third game in a row and scored 11 points, two shy of his career high. Freeman’s biggest shot of the game came with 55 seconds remaining when he knocked down a 3-pointer to give Ohio a 72-67 lead. The shot was Ohio’s last field goal of the game.

“Just getting that three, getting it to a two-possession game really let us control the rest of the game,” Freeman said.

Freeman later added the last two points of the game on free throws to seal Ohio’s win.

Along with Freeman, Sayles made the most of his opportunities. Sayles played a season-high eight minutes and even started the second-half. Sayles tied a season-high with three rebounds and recorded one assist as well.

“I really thought Sayles and Freeman opened my eyes,” O’Shea said, “because they’re both back next year, in terms of what they could mean for the program.”

Ohio’s upperclassmen also contributed with impressive performances. Junior Michael Allen had 10 points and senior Bubba Walther finished with a career-high 12 assists and had 10 points for a double-double. Jerome Tillman dropped a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds while Leon Williams ended perhaps his final game at home with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Williams said he was happy when he learned the team’s season would continue in the new CBI Tournament.

“It felt good when we found out we were going to play another game,” Williams said, “at least to me it did, because me being a senior I didn’t want it to end.”

The Bobcats needed Williams’ points as well as every one his teammates to defeat Brown who dominated from three-point range throughout the game’s duration. The Bears finished 16-of-31 from beyond the arc.

“That’s hard to do if you’re playing a game of ‘H-O-R-S-E’ and nobody is guarding you,” O’Shea said after the game. “They did it with guys with hands up and guys closing out.”

Brown senior Damon Huffman, brother of former Kent State guard Trevor Huffman and also a three-point threat, scored a career-high 39 points. He tied a school record by hitting nine of his 15 three-point attempts.

O’Shea said he is familiar with Huffman’s older brother.

“I think that’s the last of the Huffman clan, I hope there are no more,” O’Shea said. “That has to be the best performance of any player that has stepped on the Convo floor this year from the opposing team. I don’t think there’s any question about it.”

While one player ends his career, Ohio’s Freeman, who became part of Ohio’s first team to earn a post-season win since a 1995 N.I.T. victory over George Washington, said he hopes this is just the beginning of his four-year run.

“Just getting that opportunity to play in the postseason for my first year at Ohio, that was a big thing,” Freeman said. “One of my goals is go to the postseason all four years. Going the first year was real exciting just to get that experience under my belt.”

Ohio advances to play the winner of Wednesday night’s first-round CBI game between Bradley and the University of Cincinnati next Monday. Times and locations have yet to be determined.