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Seniors carry Bobcats to 1st MAC win

Willis, Taylor, Ndour combined for 62 points


MUNCIE, Ind. - Ohio was on fire and cruised its first Mid-American Conference victory, 82-73 against Ball State on Wednesday night at Worthen Arena.

Previously struggling senior point guards Javarez Willis and Stevie Taylor led the way. Willis knocked down 7-of-9 3-pointers and finished with 27 points and six assists, while Taylor was perfect from the field before a late miss, going 7-of-8 overall for 18 points with seven assists and four steals.

The Bobcats (6-10, 1-4 MAC) were 13-of-18 on 3-pointers and shot 62 percent (29-of-47) overall.

Maurice Ndour added 17 points and a team-leading eight rebounds.

Ball State (7-9, 2-3 MAC) was led by Francis Kiapway's 19 points. Sean Sellers added 16 points. Jeremiah Davis had 12 points and seven assists, and Bo Calhoun finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Ohio started slowly, falling behind 10-3 early and did not hit its second field goal until Willis made his second 3-pointer six minutes into the game. From then on, the Bobcats did not miss often.

Willis and Taylor hit consecutive 3-pointers, and a Taylor layup tied the game at 14 at the 11:11 mark. Treg Setty completed a three-point play, Ndour scored a putback and Willis scored a fast-break layup to cap a 12-0 run that put the Bobcats up 21-14.

With a 31-28 lead, the Bobcats closed the half strong, going on a 9-2 run with another Willis trey making it 40-30. The halftime lead stood at 40-31.

Ball State got as close as 49-47 on a Kiapway 3-pointer with 14:45 remaining, but Taylor answered with a 3 of his own. After a Franko House jumper, Taylor drained another trey to make it 55-49. That shot was the start of a 14-2 run with another Setty 3-pointer play making it 66-51 with 8:15 to go.

Both of Setty's baskets were three-point plays, but he continued a foul trouble trend, managing only 17 minutes. Antonio Campbell picked up two fouls in the first minute of the game and did not return until the second half. He finished with seven points and two rebounds in 12 minutes.

The foul trouble resulted in 23 combined minutes for Khari Harley and Wadley Mompremier, who had seldom seen the floor in recent games. The two combined for only one shot attempt and one rebound.

Ohio will try to carry the momentum of its victory back to Athens with a 2 p.m. home game Saturday against Ball State at The Convo.








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