Box Score

Senior point guard scored a team-high 18 points against Ohio on Monday evening. Photo by Matt Riley

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio Bobcats eliminated the Marshall Thundering Herd from the First Energy MAC Tournament with a 72-66 win at the Convo in First Round action Monday evening.

Marshall’s season ends at 6-22, 3-15 in the conference, while the Bobcats head to Cleveland to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes with a 18-10 overall record, 11-7 in the Mid-American Conference.

Bobcat forward Terren Harbut led the Bobcat effort with 19 points, while Sonny Troutman (17), Mychal Green (16), and Leon Williams (13) added double-figures for Ohio.

Marshall was led by A.W. Hamilton (Georgetown, Ky.), who scored 18 points, including 12 of those in the final two minutes. Fellow senior Enoch Bunch was the only other Herd scorer with double-digits with 12 points.

Marshall never led in the game, but the Herd made it competitive throughout. Ohio led 48-43 with 8:37 in the second half, and then expanded their lead to 11 points with a 5-0 run over the next three minutes to build a cushion it would use the rest of the way. The Herd cut it to four points with 47 seconds to go (68-64), but Marshall could not get over the hump the rest of the way.

Ohio took a 33-28 halftime lead and never trailed in the first period. The Bobcats surged to a 10-0 lead to start the contest, but the Thundering Herd gradually clawed back in the game and got as close as one on a three-point basket by freshman Casey Wohlleb (Boca Raton, Fla.) at 22-21 with 8:38 to go in the half. Ohio upped its lead to 26-23 two minutes later, but a Joe Miles (Forestville, Md.) three-pointer tied the score at 26 with 4:48 to go in the period. Ohio responded with a 7-2 run to close out the half, and took the five-point margin into the locker room.

Marshall out-shot the Bobcats, 43.5% to 42.9%, but the Herd turned the ball over 12 times in the first half. However, the Herd did out-score Ohio, 13-0 in Bench points. Miles led the Herd at the break with five points, as nine different Marshall players scored in the opening period.

For the game, Ohio shot 50% from the floor, compared to 45.1% for the Herd. The deciding statistic for the game was the Bobcats’ ability to get to the free throw line – Marshall made 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, while Ohio knocked in 24-of-41 free throws.