Bobcats shake spell, notch road win

by Joe Arnold
Staff Writer

Following a 24-point loss at Miami a week ago, Ohio men's basketball coach Tim O'Shea raised the possibility that his team might be cursed every time it takes the road. A 71-66 win at Marshall Saturday might have lifted the spell and exorcised the Bobcats' demons.

Paced by forward Brandon Hunter's 27 points and career-high 22 rebounds, the Bobcats pulled off their first sweep of a conference opponent this season. The win also was Ohio's first victory in Huntington, W.Va. since 1984.

"Brandon was just awesome," O'Shea said. "I thought he carried us on his back."

Ohio (15-8 overall, 10-5 Mid-American Conference) jumped ahead of the Thundering Herd, taking a 4-3 lead on a jumper by guard Sonny Johnson and a baseline lay-up by center Patrick Flomo.

The lead proved short-lived, however. Ohio spent the entire first half playing catch-up. The Bobcats' road woes added to the pressure of a big game, Johnson said.

"There was pressure, because in the last three games we haven't played well on the road," he said. "But like coach said, we came out and responded."

A hook shot by Marshall forward Latece Williams stretched the Thundering Herd lead to 30-20. But baskets by Hunter, Johnson and forward Jon Sanderson cut the lead to 31-28 with 1:39 to play in the half. After trailing by10 points on four separate occasions, the Bobcats ended the first half on a 11-2 run which cut Marshall's lead to 32-31.

In a complete reversal of the first half, Ohio held the lead for the entire second half. A three-pointer by Steve Esterkamp gave Ohio its second lead of the game at 34-32.

Marshall guard Tamar Slay kept the Thundering Herd in the game. Slay's third trey of the game knotted the score at 43. But two lay-ups by Sanderson on consecutive possessions put Ohio ahead 47-43 with12:31 left.

With Flomo and Johnson on the bench with four fouls, Hunter dominated Marshall's interior defense. Hunter's dunk off an Esterkamp miss put Ohio ahead 58-55 with 5:33 left in the game. The teams traded baskets until the final minute.

Trailing 66-64 with 30.5 seconds left, Marshall in-bounded the ball with a chance to win its second straight game, but the pass bounced off Slay's foot and out of bounds. Three free throws by Hunter gave Ohio its first road win in its last four road games.

Hunter accounted for nine of the Bobcats' final 13 points. Marshall's defensive strategy allowed him to have a career day, Hunter said.

"When you're used to getting double and triple teamed, and when just one person is coming at you, it's like you're free," he said. "That was new to me, not to get double-teamed, and I just had to exploit it."

Johnson had 14 points for the Bobcats. Ohio guard Jaivon Harris dished out six assists in the win. Slay paced Marshall with 20 points and guard Ronald Blackshear added 14 for the Thundering Herd.

The Bobcats' road trip continues when they travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to take on the Tar Heels. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Chapel Hill, N.C.