Sports
Big Nights From Kaminsky and Campbell Give Ohio Win over Ball State
By: Blake Baker
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Critical plays at critical moments helped Ohio hold onto a 72-69 victory over Ball State Tuesday night.
With about a minute to go, Kenny Kaminski hit a 3-pointer to give the ‘Cats a three-point lead, and Treg Setty’s jumper found the bottom of the net with 15 seconds to play to seal it for Ohio.
The deep ball was a trend for Kaminksi all night, as he went 5-11 from long range. He also showcased his seldom seen ability to score from inside the 3-point line with a couple contested drives in the paint. Kaminski ended the contest with 20 points.
Tony Campbell provided the Bobcats with critical plays as well on his way to his 11th double-double of the season. Campbell touched the ball sparingly to start the second half but made his impact felt when he gave Ohio the lead by canning a 3-pointer twice in the final half. The big man finished the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Jaaron Simmons chipped in a solid outing as well, scoring six points and recording seven assists on the night. Jordan Dartis also played well for the Bobcats. The box score may not show it as he scored just five points and nabbed three rebounds, but Dartis impacted the game as much as anyone else as he helped make the necessary plays that led to a Bobcat victory. An off-balance feed to Campbell for an easy bucket and a steal leading to a Kaminksi triple were huge plays down the stretch to give Ohio a chance to win the game.
Ball State led for 17 minutes in the first half. Franko House played a key role in the Cardinals’ first half production, beating Campbell for buckets on several one-on-one opportunities and drawing a few double teams early on. He finished the night with 13. Bo Calhoun and Jeremiah Davis also finished with double figures, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Cardinals could not follow up their 3-point shooting performance from Saturday, shooting just 28 percent Tuesday after nailing 15 long balls against Western Michigan. However, they too hit critical shots, including a Ryan Weber long ball that brought Ball State within two with just over two minutes to play.
Overall, the two teams were evenly matched. Ball State edged Ohio in the rebounding category by a single board, and both teams traded leads and runs throughout the second half. The Cardinals were one 3-pointer away from sending this game into overtime.
The win gives Ohio its seventh straight victory over the boys from Muncie and also completes the season sweep against Ball State.
The Green and White will stay on the road to take on East division rival Buffalo on Friday at 7 pm.