Ohio Bobcats Start off Home Stand With Win Over Kent State

The Ohio Bobcats Men’s Basketball Team played at a much slower pace than usual on Friday night, yet they still managed to secure a 72-61 home victory against the MAC (Mid-American Conference) East-leading Kent State Golden Flashes. The Bobcats lost 89-82 two weeks ago in Kent.

Ohio Bobcats Start off Home Stand With Win Over Kent State

“Kent plays downhill and tries to get the rim quite a bit,” Ohio’s Kenny Kaminski said after Friday night’s win over the Golden Flashes at the Convo. “We packed the paint as much as possible and tried to make them take tough shots at the rim. Personally, I thought we controlled the pace. This wasn’t their pace.”

The game appeared to be the best one of the season for the Bobcats on both ends. Kent was forced to take contested and blocked shots almost everywhere on the court, and they finished shooting 38.6 percent from the field, while Ohio rebounded after missing its first eight shots and finished shooting 42.2 percent from the field.

The star of the game was Ohio junior forward Tony Campbell, who scored a career high 28 points, 23 of which came in the second half. Campbell finished it all off by scoring a three-pointer (swish) with 35 seconds left.

“That’s my shot,” he said after the game while smiling and sporting a pair of bright green sunglasses made from glow sticks. Campbell also proved to be a strong asset on defense.

The game marked Ohio’s first consecutive wins in conference play. Freshmen Gavin Block and Jordy Dartis both returned from injuries, and Bobcats coach Saul Phillips has decided on a strict eight-man rotation after experimenting with several different lineups earlier in the season.

Ohio will next host the Akron Zips on Tuesday. The Zips are tied with Kent 6-2 in the MAC, and two games ahead of Ohio in the MAC East.

Caption: ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 23: (L-R) D.J. Cooper #5, Walter Offutt #3 and Nick Kellogg #15 of the Ohio Bobcats react against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional Semifinal at Edward Jones Dome on March 23, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)