PREGAME
After besting Cleveland State Wednesday, the Bobcats host Wright State in the second round of the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament.
This is the 11th time the schools have met, and the Bobcats hold an 8-2 lead in the all-time series. The teams have not met since 2011, when Ohio won at Wright State 82-54. The Bobcats (24-11, 11-7) were paced in scoring against the Vikings by freshman forward Antonio Campbell who scored a career-best 21 points.
Wright State (21-14, 10-6) defeated East Carolina 73-59 in the first round of the tournament. Senior forward A.J. Pacher leads the Raiders with 11.3 points per game. He also averages 4.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Reggie Arceneaux is a threat from beyond the arc, as he shoots 48.4 percent from 3-point territory.
STARTING LINEUP:
OHIO:
redshirt junior guard Javarez Willis, junior forward Maurice Ndour, senior guard Nick Kellogg, senior guard Travis Wilkins, freshman forward Antonio Campbell.
WRIGHT STATE:
senior forward A.J. Pacher, senior forward Cole Darling, senior forward Jerran Young, senior guard Miles Dixon, senior guard Matt Vest.
FIRST HALF
In a lackluster shooting effort from both teams, Wright State held a 21-20 advantage at halftime. The Bobcats shot 33 percent from the field, while the Raiders finished the first half 23.3 percent from the field.
Ohio redshirt junior guard Javarez Willis scored nine points in the half and kept the Bobcats in the game, thanks to three triples. He keyed a late first stanza comeback after his back to back 3-pointers in the two-minute mark of the first half drew the Bobcats within one point at 19-18. Points didn’t come in bunches for the Bobcats as Wright State flustered the Bobcats early, opened up a 7-2 lead with 15:41 left in the first half. The Raiders pounced on the early Bobcat miscues to pad its lead. Ohio racked up four turnovers while the Raiders added seven points in the opening minutes. The Raiders padded their lead to 13-2 after back to back 3-pointers from senior guard Miles Dixon and junior guard Reggie Arceneaux. At the 13:24 mark the Bobcats scored four straight points to cut Wright State’s lead to 13-6. The Raiders did not score a points until the 7:53 mark of the first half however still held a five-point advantage. Following a dunk from senior guard Matt Vest, Wright State increased its lead to 16-9. Ohio then trimmed the deficit to four points, at 16-12 following 3-pointer from redshirt junior guard Javarez Willis. A layup from Ohio junior guard Stevie Taylor at the buzzer drew the Bobcats within one point.
SECOND HALF
Once again, Javarez Willis provided the late game fireworks for the Bobcats as Ohio advances to the third round of the CIT with a 56-54 win against Wright State.
Willis lead all scorers 21 points, however his last five points in the final minute of the game Saturday proved to be the difference in the Bobcats win. He hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining in the game to give Ohio a 51-50 lead. Willis then hit a layup to give the Bobcats a 53-50 lead with 42 seconds left in the contest. Another key in the Bobcats win was their defense, as the team combined for 32 defensive rebounds. While Wright State started the second half energized, cold shooting haunted them the whole game. The Raiders shot 32.2 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from behind the arc.
Ohio tied the game with 12:32 left in the game after a layup from senior forward T.J. Hall. With 10:19 remaining in the game, Ohio got its first lead of the game following a layup by freshman forward Antonio Campbell to go ahead 39-37.
The Raiders then charged right back, and regained the lead at 45-43 with 6:33 remaining in the contest after seven straight Wright State points. Both team’s traded baskets and the Raiders held on to the lead until the final minute of regulation.
FINAL BOX:
Ohio:
Javarez Willis- 21 points and four rebounds
Antonio Campbell- 8 points and five rebounds
Treg Setty-seven points and five rebounds
WRIGHT STATE:
A.J. Pacher-16 points and four rebounds
Matt Vest- 13 points and five rebounds
Jerran Young- six points and two rebounds
