Welcome Guest!
Create an Account
login email:
password:
site searchwhere to watchcontact usabout usadvertise with ushelp
Ohio Basketball
   >> News Stories Archive
Simmons has 24 points, 12 assists as Ohio tops Northern Illinois

Bobcats finish strong after Huskies rally from 18-point deficit


ATHENS – Ohio built an 18-point lead, saw Northern Illinois storm back to go up by four and then finished strong to beat the Huskies, 80-69, on Saturday at The Convo.

The Bobcats (14-8, 5-5 Mid-American Conference) led 51-33 after a basket by Antonio Campbell to start the second half, before the Huskies (16-7, 5-5 MAC) came back with 12 straight points and eventually took a 65-61 lead with 6:26 remaining. Ohio, though, outscored Northern Illinois, 19-4, the rest of the way.

Jaaron Simmons was huge with 24 points and 12 assists.

"The other night I wrote in my thankfulness journal that I was thankful for Jaaron Simmons' court vision, Jaaron Simmons' toughness,” Ohio coach Saul Phillips said. “Recently, I went through a whole list of things that I love about Jaaron. Great programs have great point guards. We have a great point guard I'd pay to watch him play. I don't have to; actually, they pay me to watch him play. It's a heck of a deal. He is the quintessential leader. If you're in a tough spot, you want Jaaron on your side."

Jordan Dartis knocked down 4 of 7 3-pointers and scored 17 points. Treg Setty added 12 points and five rebounds, and Antonio Campbell had 11 points and seven boards.

Aaric Armstead’s 15 points and 10 rebounds led the Huskies. Marin Marci also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards, and Travon Baker scored 10 points with four assists.

Levi Bradley’s three-point play gave Northern Illinois a 63-59 lead, and Michael Orris put the margin back at four with a layup at the 6:26 mark.

Wadly Mompremier split two free throws, Kenny Kaminski knocked down a jumper and Simmons put Ohio ahead with two free throws with 3:57 remaining.

Armstead briefly put the Huskies back on top with a layup, but Simmons and Dartis hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Bobcats ahead, 72-67. The run continued with a Simmons free throw before Baker got to the hoop for two points, making it 73-69 with 2:17 to go.

Simmons assisted on a Campbell bucket inside, and after a Huskies turnover, Simmons got enough space to knock down a jumper to make it 77-69. Setty added one and Simmons two free throws in the final minute.

"I didn't want to lose, so I did whatever I had to do, whether that was dropping it off to a teammate or getting a bucket or get to the line,” Simmons said. “That was my mindset. I had to do it."

The Bobcats got rolling late in the first half. Leading just 18-16 with 8:30 left, they scored eight straight points to make their lead double digits. They continued to add to the lead, going up 49-31 on a Setty 3-pointer and then taking a 49-33 lead into the locker room.

Campbell opened second-half scoring before the Huskies finally got it together and moved in front.

Ohio shot 60.6 percent in the first half but cooled off to 43.5 percent in the second half. Northern Illinois was good on only 35.7 percent of its attempts in the first half but 55.6 percent in the second half.

The Huskies committed 16 turnovers and the Bobcats 11. They made up for it with 11 offensive rebounds to only three by Ohio.

After three straight home games, the Bobcats hit the road to face Ball State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Worthen Arena.








Copyright ©2024 BobcatAttack.com. All rights reserved.  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use
Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties