Special to The News
By Nick Brockman

ATHENS, Ohio — Bubba Walther saw his Ohio basketball memories flash before him while Bobcat fans witnessed flashes of brilliance from the team’s seniors on Sunday afternoon.

Walther treated the home crowd one more time to his characteristic long three-pointers and Leon Williams dominated inside as Ohio locked up a bye in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, defeating Buffalo 94-80.

“It was my last day,” Walter said. “In those two minutes I was standing at half-court it all like flashed in front of me.”

By the end of the game Walther scored 17 points, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, and had seven assists. Walther’s teammate Williams had an equally impressive Senior Day performance. Williams scored a game-high 30 points, just one point shy of trying a career-best.

“It was my last game in The Convo,” Williams said. “I just wanted to leave on a high note and give the fans something to remember me by.”

Williams scored his last points on the Convo floor with 3:27 left to give Ohio a 92-74 advantage. Walther tried to find Williams on a designed three-point attempt in the final minutes, but Williams had other plans. The crowd roared as Williams went for the pump, but decided to pull the ball back down.

Williams who attempted and made his first career three-pointer against George Mason said the attempt was not worth it.

“I was really close, but I was hesitant because I didn’t want to miss it and mess my percentage up,” he joked after the game.

Ohio’s third senior, walk-on Andrew Vroman, also contributed in the final minute. Vroman scored his first career points by sinking two free-throws with under two seconds left.

The Bobcat junior class also stepped up to secure the bye. Jerome Tillman had a career-high 25 points to lead the younger ’Cats. Michael Allen and Bert Whittington IV combined for 13 assists and 11 points as well.

By game’s end, however, the Bobcats’ attention was on wrapping up the fourth seed.

“We’re just happy to get the bye,” Ohio coach Tim O’Shea said. “That was huge. The teams with the bye in these types of tournaments have their chances go up significantly of having a chance to win the tournament.”

For the seniors a last victory on the home floor may have meant even more than a higher seed in the MAC Tournament.

“It was emotional,” Williams said. “Seeing all the fans, my family was here, and just getting the win all meant a lot. These past four years have meant a lot too. Playing for Ohio is a great place to be, so getting the win was really emotional and it felt good.”

Ohio next plays in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament against the winner of fifth-seed Miami and 12th-seed Buffalo. The game is set for 9:30 p.m. tip-off and can be seen on Fox Sports Net Ohio.