Ohio survives first half scare

by Paul Shugar
Staff Writer

Sometimes it is hard to play without instant offense, but do not tell the Ohio men’s basketball team that.

Without forward Sonny Johnson, who missed the game with an ankle sprain, the Bobcats had five players step up and score in double figures. This helped Ohio overcome a seven-point first half deficit to pick up an 80-66 win against Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich. last night.

Forward Patrick Flomo said Ohio responded well despite not having Johnson in the line-up.

"We all knew that with Sonny gone that we were missing at least 15 points, and everyone needed to chip in tonight," Flomo said. "Everybody knew they had to score above their average by one or two points, and we had that happen."

The second half comeback helped Ohio (11-4 overall, 6-1 Mid-American Conference) avoid a scare from Eastern Michigan (5-14, 1-7). The win keeps Ohio tied for the top spot in the MAC East.

Ohio endured a tumultuous first half. The Bobcats sank their first five shots, including a three-point shot by forward Steve Esterkamp, to take an11-4 lead with 16:20 left in the first half.

Esterkamp, despite battling the flu, went perfect from the three-point line in the first half, hitting 3 of 3.

Esterkamp said he was ready to play despite his illness and would be 100 percent before Ohio’s next game.

"I have a lot of confidence in my shot, and I have been shooting very well of late," he said. “It doesn’t matter if I am either sick or hurt — I can still shoot. That is what I am best at."

Despite Esterkamp’s hot shooting, the Eagles scored 14 of the last 19 points and ended the half with a 38-31 on the Bobcats. Ohio did not score a basket in the final four minutes.

Flomo, who had eight first-half points, said the Bobcats did not play fundamentally sound basketball in the first half.

"We were kind of flat in the first half dogging picks, and we just did not come out mentally prepared," Flomo said. "But we got a talking to and we came out with a lot more energy in the second half."

The Bobcats woke up and outscored the Eagles 9-2 in the first five minutes of the second half. This wiped out the seven-point deficit, and Ohio regained the lead 42-40.

Flomo and Hunter teamed up for the first seven points, and Esterkamp sealed the lead with a dunk. From there the Bobcats continued to roll. Forward Jon Sanderson found his shot, and guard Jason Crawford stepped up to replace the missing Johnson.

The run continued to plague Eastern Michigan. Ohio went on a 15-2 rush after taking the lead. This extended the Ohio lead to 57-42 with 10:55 left in the half. Scoring by five different Bobcats helped Ohio repent for the slow start.

After hitting their largest lead of 18 points with 9:18 left in the game, the Bobcats turned to their bench. Strong defense by guard Zach Kiekow and forward James Bridgewater helped keep the Eagle’s momentum at bay until the finish.

Flomo led Ohio’s balanced scoring attack with 16 points. Esterkamp and Hunter followed close behind with 15 and 13 points respectively. Hunter also added 12 rebounds for the double double.

Forward Sanderson scored 12, and Crawford had a season high 11 points to round out the scorers in double figures.

Eastern Michigan guard Ricky Cottrill led all scorers with 25 points, but he finished the lone scorer in double figures for Eastern Michigan.

Ohio coach Tim O’Shea said the win should prepare his team to come out strong against Western Michigan this weekend.

"It is going to be a tremendous challenge for this team, but it helps that we had a wake up call today," he said. "Hopefully we will be ready to play both halves at Western (Michigan). This game will be key because usually championship teams get 14 wins. If we win our fifth game on the road, we should be able to hit at least that mark."

Ohio and Western Michigan tip off 4 p.m Saturday in Kalamazoo, Mich.