Sports
Ohio Finishes Out Regular Season with Win over Miami
By: Blake Baker
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Ohio used a hot start to a solid offensive outing to outlast the red hot Redhawks of Miami 67-65 Friday night.
Directly following the tip, Jaaron Simmons found Tony Campbell off a pick-and-roll for the game’s first points, and it sparked a 10-2 run to force a Miami timeout less than four minutes in. Ohio compiled a lead that grew as big as 18 in the opening half and shot close to 70 percent shooting the first 16 minutes of the contest.
Miami led for three seconds all game but wouldn’t go down lightly. The Redhawks clawed their way back from the big deficit as they put together a few runs of their own, including a 14-3 run to end the first half and cut Ohio’s lead to just six.
Senior Eric Washington served as the emotional leader for Miami when it needed one most. His long ball with under two minutes left that brought Ohio’s lead down to one was one of his big shots down the stretch. Geovonie McKnight added 22 points in his final game in Millett Hall.
Campbell rebounded from uncharacteristic performances the past two games. After scoring 15 total points in those games, Campbell recorded his 15th double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He hit two triples in the game, and he halted several Miami runs with his ability to score from all areas of the floor.
Gavin Block also pitched in an impressive performance for the Bobcats. In the first half, Block scored 11 points on five straight possessions that contributed to the early lead and finished with 16. Ohio had two more scorers in double figures. Treg Setty scored 11 points, and Simmons had 12 along with eight assists.
Three straight offensive rebounds for Miami that gave them chances to even the score in the final minutes almost spelled doom for the ‘Cats. Stretches of good shooting and scoring off of several Bobcat turnovers were key elements in the Redhawks’ comeback throughout the game.
The ‘Cats rode their large first half lead to the end and were able to stop Miami’s runs just enough to preserve a victory. When the momentum was against them, they scored critical buckets to maintain the lead and keep the Redhawks at bay, including a go-ahead drive by Simmons to regain the lead for good with under two minutes to play.
With the win, Ohio sweeps the season series with Miami and doubles its win total from last season with 20 wins. It also clinches the second overall seed in the conference and is guaranteed a first round bye in the MAC tournament.