When Javarez “Bean” Willis hit a three from the “O” in “Ohio” at halfcourt, it looked to be a making of another dominating offensive performance.
It was senior night for Willis and the Bobcats, and some who have watched Ohio for the past four years may have called his career-best 34-point night during his last game in The Convo a D.J. Cooper-type performance.
He’s done it before, however, during his two seasons with the Bobcats. But Friday’s 95-65 win over Miami exemplified another level of domination by Ohio (10-19, 5-13 Mid-American Conference). Amid a seven-game losing streak, the team’s seniors — Willis, Maurice Ndour and Stevie Taylor — found a way to close out their careers with the Bobcats' largest senior night victory since 2006.
After a 27-point loss against Buffalo on Tuesday, it was a complete flip in performances after just a three-day span. Friday, coach Saul Phillips commended the seniors, adding that they were a more collective unit compared to the past games when one problem would create a domino effect, ultimately leading to a discouraging loss.
“I just thought we really shared the ball well regardless of what offense we were in,” Phillips said. “When that happens, it sure is much, much easier to feel good about yourself and your teammates.”
The three seniors combined for 67 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, with Ndour finishing with a double-double (27 points, 11 rebounds). In the past, the Bobcats have been forced to live and die by individual performances, but on Friday they were fueled with an all-around showing that had the entire team clicking on all cylinders.
Willis, a guard, hit a program fourth-best 10 3-pointers on 15 attempts and was 12-for-20 from the field. But he dished the ball around as well, which helped get his teammates into the game. He finished with six assists.
“Pop it. If you’re open, by all means,” Taylor, a guard, said. “That’s just our relationship just as seniors and how we police each other and be OK with it.”
Miami (13-18, 8-10 MAC) struggled to get things going out of the gate, as it shot just 32 percent in the first half and the Bobcats went into the locker room with a 23-point lead. Miami came out in the second half firing, but it ultimately resulted in a loss, as it finished shooting 36 percent from the field.
But the outcome really came from an unmatched energy by Ohio, fueled from the three seniors’ final home games as Bobcats.
“We made each other better today. We played off each other,” Willis said. “If I had to go out any way, then I wouldn’t take it any other way.”
With the results around the MAC on Friday, Ohio will hit the road to take on Western Michigan (19-12, 10-8 MAC) Monday in the first round of the MAC Tournament.
@Alex_Busch91
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