Setty's double-double leads Ohio to easy win
Campbell, Simmons also have big games
By Lonnie McMillan / Contributor Wednesday, December 30, 2015
ATHENS – Treg Setty had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Ohio cruised to an 81-59 victory against UC Riverside to conclude non-conference play Wednesday night at The Convo.
Antonio Campbell just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Jaaron Simmons had 15 points and eight assists.
"My teammates gave me the ball, and the shots were kind of falling,” Setty said. “I got a lot of shots up. Tonight, my number was called, and I came through for the team. I was proud of myself for that. The most important thing is we got the win. Individual accolades are great, but at the end of the day, if you don't win, then they mean nothing."
The Bobcats (9-3) never trailed, and after leading 36-29 at halftime, they used an 11-0 run to start the second half to take control. The advantage grew to 59-33 on a Simmons three-point play with 12:55 remaining, and the Highlanders (9-6) got no closer than 18 the rest of the way.
Ohio used a 9-0 run late in the first half to stretch out a 19-18 lead to 28-18.
The Bobcats dominated the boards with a 44-27 advantage, including 14-5 on the offensive end. They also had fewer turnovers, 13-9, and got to the line more often, going 20 of 21, compared to 7 of 9 for the Highlanders.
UC Riverside finished below 40 percent shooting.
Kenny Kaminski had nine points, Jordan Dartis finished with eight, and Khari Harley, in his return from injury, scored seven for Ohio.
Jaylen Bland had 12 points, and Gentrey Thomas and Menno Deijkstra each scored 10 points for UC Riverside.
"It's progress; that's all it is,” Ohio coach Saul Phillips said. “I'm not ready to parade down Court Street with confetti flying yet, but I am excited to start conference play because we took a step forward tonight as a team."
Ohio begins Mid-American Conference play against Nothern Illinois at 8 p.m. Wednesday in DeKalb.
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