Turnovers doom Ohio in catfight

by Joe Arnold
Staff Writer
Joseph.Arnold@ohiou.edu

CINCINNATI - Saturday's game between the Ohio men's basketball team and No. 21 Kentucky was supposed to be a neutral contest. After all, neither school is located within 80 miles of U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

After forty minutes, however, Ohio's first-half performance proved to be the only neutral aspect of the game. Early turnovers and Kentucky's superior rebounding buried Ohio early, as the Wildcats edged Ohio 83-75.

Ohio (3-6) took the floor amid a frenzied display of blue and white pompoms peppered throughout U.S. Bank Arena's 16,000 seats. Kentucky (8-3), playing with the same emotion as its fans, forced the Bobcats into eight first-half turnovers, leading to 10 points.

"It's tough when you get pressured the whole game," Ohio forward Steve Esterkamp said. "You just gotta be able to handle the pressure. A lot of times we didn't."

Kentucky guard Keith Bogans' three-pointer sparked a 9-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead 28-14 with eight minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the first half. Four of Ohio's turnovers came during the four-minute span. Bogans added another three-pointer with five minutes left in the half to push the lead to 18.

A three-pointer by Esterkamp and a pair of free throws by guard Thomas Stephens pulled the Bobcats to within 14 before Marquis Estill's put-back with one second remaining gave the Wildcats a 41-25 halftime lead.

At the break, Kentucky owned a 30-12 rebounding advantage, including an 11-2 edge in offensive boards. But it was turnovers that put the Bobcats in a hole early, Ohio coach Tim O'Shea said. Kentucky's pressure forced Ohio into 19 turnovers, leading to 25 points.

"We turned the ball over too much under pressure," he said. "They brought more pressure than we've seen all year."

Kentucky's dominance continued in the second half with the Wildcats seemingly scoring at will. Bogans and Guard Cliff Hawkins connected on an inbounds alley-oop to push Kentucky's lead to 52-34.  

With four minutes left in the game, Ohio's offense finally started moving. Ohio forward Brandon Hunter, who had just three points and four rebounds at halftime, teamed with guard Sonny Johnson to spark a 15-4 Ohio run that cut Kentucky's lead to 76-73 with 1:54 remaining in the game. The run was capped by Johnson's three-pointer that caught every inch of the rim before finally falling through.

"We started to throw in some crazy shots and that helped," O'Shea said. "Sonny Johnson hit a couple of threes that weren't exactly the way the coach drew them up, but when they went in, I was happy. That can spark a team."

Johnson, the nation's leading scorer off the bench a season ago, said he was looking for any way to get his team going.

"I just take chances," he said. "That's the way I play. If it's a one dribble or two dribble, and I feel like shooting it, I'll just take a chance with it."

Following a time out by Kentucky, Kentucky forward Erik Daniels followed his own miss with a lay-up to extend the lead to five points and end the Ohio threat. Bogans closed out the game with a lay-up and a free throw.

Hunter finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Johnson scored a game-high 24 points. Esterkamp added 18 points. Hunter has posted a combined 40 rebounds in Ohio's last two games.

Ohio opens Mid-American Conference play against Akron at 7 p.m. Wednesday in The Convo.

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