Ohio beats Cleveland State behind Antonio Campbell's double-double.
Two seasons ago, junior forward Antonio Campbell -- then a freshman -- totaled 21 points during Ohio's win over Cleveland State.
Two seasons later, Campbell had another career-night, tallying 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the Bobcats (5-3) bested the Vikings (2-7) in the Quicken Loans Arena 76-67 on Saturday.
“When (Campbell) gets going like that…he’s opening a lot of doors for everybody else to knock down shots,” Freshman guard Jordan Dartis told Jason Arkley of The Athens Messenger. “He can do everything. When he gets going, we’re in great shape.”
Campbell didn't dismantle the Vikings alone, however. Dartis, who received his first start of the season after redshirt sophomore Khari Harley sat out with an back injury Saturday, added 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field.
Dartis' first start provided the Bobcats with an offensive spark, as the Bobcats shot 49 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the line (9-15). Ohio outscored Cleveland State 40-33 in the second half behind Dartis' 3-point shooting and Campbell's work on the lowpost, two assets missing when Ohio lost to St. Bonaventure last Saturday.
"I thought we did a good job surviving a team that came out and shot the ball, really, pretty well," Ohio head coach Saul Phillips said. "I thought we did a decent job of handling their pressure, and I thought we did a good job figuring out different ways to score. For awhile, you had screen-and-roll going pretty well. Jordan Dartis kind of put on a little shooting clinic for a little while, but then we settled into Tony. Tony inside was really good for us."
Ohio point guard Jaaron Simmons also added 13 points and seven assists in the win, with Simmons' control of the ball reiterating what Phillips harped on during the week leading up to Cleveland State.
Simmons committed six turnovers with only one of those coming in the first half.
"We started taking care of the ball more and started going inside to Tony and he started doing his thing down there," Dartis said. "After he started doing his thing, we started knocking down threes, getting to the line, and most importantly, taking care of the ball."
Michigan State transfer Kenny Kaminski rolled his ankle on the first Ohio possession Saturday but continued to play. Kaminski was just 1-6 from the field and finished with two points, four rebounds and a steal. Kaminski has shot 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc in his first season with Ohio
In the macropicture of the 2015 season, though, the trio of Campbell, Dartis and Simmons pushed Ohio to its fifth win of the season -- already half of what the Bobcats won (10) in 2014.
The Bobcats have changed since last year and Saturday's win added onto that belief.
"Good win for us," Phillips said. "It’s a good game for us to play, and we’re grateful we got a chance to play here in 'The Q.'"
@Lukeoroark
Lr514812@ohio.edu
