Senior forward Michael Bramos takes a jump shot Wednesday. He finished with 17 points.
Ohio University defeated two separate opponents on Wednesday night: Miami University and the weather conditions.
The Bobcats of OU traveled from Athens in blustery, snowy conditions to hand the RedHawks their first MAC loss of the season.
Senior forward Michael Bramos gave the 'Hawks their only lead of the game 2:10 into the first half, after hitting a three point field goal. Thirty seconds later, Bramos was whistled for his second personal foul, and was forced to head to the bench.
"It's tough you know," Bramos said. "It's my fault. Two fouls in two minutes, I can't put my team in that situation. That's unacceptable."
With Bramos forced to the bench, the 'Hawks, who played catch-up the entire game, failed to sustain any early momentum.
They regained a share of the lead with 1:14 left to go in the first half, but their balloon of confidence was soon popped, as Ohio guard Michael Allen knocked down a three with four seconds to go in the half.
Bramos began to heat up a bit in the second half where he scored 14 points. However, the senior leader's performance was not enough. The second half was taken over by one particular individual, and unfortunately he wasn't wearing red and white.
Ohio senior forward Jerome Tillman scored 29 points in the second half, including the Bobcats' first 18 points of the period. Tillman finished the game with a career-high 35 points. He added seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end which all led to Ohio points.
"I just credit the coaching staff and my teammates," Tillman said. "Guys were setting screens and helping me get open. Guys like Mike (Allen) and Tommy (Freeman) got defenders off of me, which gave me the freedom to get open and shoot the ball more."
Miami didn't have an answer for Tillman, who leads the MAC in scoring (20 points per game) in the early goings of the 2009 season.
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"We knew that kid was good," Coles said in reference to Tillman. "Tonight we find out he is really good."
Along with a career performance from Tillman, the Bobcats received stellar efforts from guards Allen and Freeman. Freeman provided seven points and three assists for the 'Cats in their winning effort. Despite the preaching from Coach John Groce about being a "team win," Freeman wanted to keep the stoplight on the evening's star.
"We know what (Jerome) is capable of, we see it in practice all the time," Freeman said. "He is such a versatile player, he creates a tough match-up for any team."
With 2:48 left in the game, after the 'Hawks had climbed to within four, Michael Allen cut across the top of the key and banked in a jumper as the shot clock neared zero. Coles referenced this play as the turning point in the game.
With big shots and all-star-like performances from the Bobcats, Miami was unable to come from behind as the final buzzer sounded, losing the game 66-62.
Despite the tough loss, the 'Hawks walk away with some bright spots for the evening. After missing the last seven games with a thumb injury, sophomore Antonio Ballard scored 10 points and gathered 8 rebounds off the bench.
"I was excited about getting back out on the court and helping my teammates out," Ballard said. "I just wanted to contribute and help out my team as much as I could."
Things do not get any easier for the RedHawks, who travel to Kent Saturday to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. The Flashes (8-8 overall, 1-1 conference) are coming off a loss to Ohio, and look to right their ship as the preseason favorites to win the MAC conference.
"It is going to be a very difficult game for us," Coles said. "Kent is a good team with a lot of talent. We've got a difficult road ahead of us ... we need to get some guys going; we've got to get Bramos going. We'll learn from the loss and get back at it tomorrow (at practice). Hopefully, we'll find a way to score some points."
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