It was domination from the opening tip.
Ohio (6-1) never trailed Evansville in its 81-59 victory Saturday, winning the last of its four Ohio Classic contests and extending its winning streak to five games.
The Bobcats fired on all cylinders offensively, and unlike in the first half against Mercer, when it only shot 33 percent from the field, Ohio shot the ball well throughout, hitting 48 percent of its shots.
Domination of the offensive boards continued as well. Ohio hauled in 13 offensive rebounds and held a 40-31 rebound advantage Saturday.
What made the offensive performance more impressive was the balance up and down the Ohio lineup.
Senior guard Nick Kellogg was Ohio’s leading scorer with only 13 points, and six other players recorded at least eight points.
“I think coach has confidence in us that we’re going to work our hardest and that we just have to be ready, whether it’s the guys who are starting or the guys who come off the bench,” said senior guard Travis Wilkins, who added 10 points, which is his highest point total of the season so far.
The bench also contributed to the game in a way Ohio coach Jim Christian had been hoping it would all season.
“What I was really proud of the most was for the first time all season, when we went to the bench and the energy of the game picked up,” Christian said. “I thought it was obvious. You could see it on both ends of the floor, and that’s what you have to have to have a good basketball team.”
Christian’s assessment proved true, as the bench contributed 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Perhaps the most encouraging bench player was junior guard Javarez Willis, who scored 12 points and added three assists and two steals in 22 minutes while splitting point guard duties with junior guard Stevie Taylor as he has all season.
“We’re fortunate to have two point guards,” Christian said. “(Willis) played great on defense, he was aggressive on offense and he makes plays. … He played really well.”
From Willis’ perspective, this kind of performance was a long time coming.
During the week of practice leading up to Ohio’s Nov. 17 game against Valparaiso, he said he hadn’t quite found his groove yet and that he didn’t know when it would come, but that he would definitely find it and people would notice.
Saturday’s performance against Evansville was perhaps a move in the right direction for Willis, who has shot only 34 percent on the season and has averaged two turnovers per game.
ch203310@ohiou.edu
@c_hoppens
This article appeared in print under the headline "Ohio’s teamwork shines in 81-59 win"
