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Freshmen Dartis, Block help Bobcats rally past Tigers

Ohio overcomes double-digit deficits in both halves


ATHENS – Freshmen Jordan Dartis and Gavin Blocked helped Ohio turned a double-digit second-half deficit into a 75-67 victory against Tennessee State on Monday night at The Convo.

Dartis finished with 17 points, and Block had 12 points, as the Bobcats (2-0) went on a late 21-3 run. The freshmen went scoreless in Saturday’s season opener.

"I think that I can shoot the 3-ball pretty well," Dartis said. "I shot it pretty well in high school. When I finally saw one go in today, I started playing with more confidence and more just kept going in for me."

Keron DeShields scored a layup with 9:30 remaining to put Tigers (1-1) ahead 58-48, but they did not make another field goal until 28 seconds remained.

Jaaron Simmons scored a fast-break layup to begin the Ohio run, and Block hit a pair of free throws. After a foul shot by Tennessee State’s Wayne Martin, Dartis connected on a 3-pointer to cut the Bobcats’ deficit to 59-55.

Dartis followed with a steal for a layup, and Block put Ohio on top with a 3-pointer with 5:02 remaining. Dartis assisted on an Antonio Campbell fast-break layup, before Tahjere McCall hit two foul shots to make it a one-point game again.

Simmons scored a layup, Treg Setty hit two free throws, and Dartis hit another trey with 1:23 to go for a 69-61 Ohio lead.

"I've seen (Dartis and Block) do it their whole lives," Simmons said. "If you went and talked to their high school coaches and you ask what they expected out of them their freshman year, you would have been like, 'Come on'. All Gavin did was carry teams to state tournaments. All Jordan did was go up against Gahanna with those two D-I big guys and beat them. These guys have been through it, and, in both cases, they just have such an assassin's mentality, and they look like they're having fun out there. The moment doesn't seem too big for those guys, and it never has, and they've been in some pretty big moments."

Tennessee State only got as close as six the rest of the way as Ohio closed out the game at the foul line.

Simmons had a good shooting game, going 6-of-9 from the field, and scoring 15 points, but he had nine turnovers with five assists. Antonio Campbell finished with 12 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats.

It was not the first big deficit of the game Ohio overcame. Tennessee State scored the first 14 points, with Ohio missing its first four shots with three turnovers before Simmons finally connected on a shot from beyond the arc. The Tigers, on the other hand, made four 3-pointers in the first three and a half minutes.

Ohio’s deficit was still 22-12 at the 11:21 mark in the first half when the Bobcats tied the game with a 10-0 run. Dartis had a pair of 3-pointers during the span.

Tennessee State pushed its lead back out to seven, but Ohio came back with 13 of the next 15 points to go up by four, and the teams eventually settled for a 37-37 deadlock at halftime.

An early 8-0 second-half run gave the Tigers a 51-41 lead, and they scored back-to-back baskets midway through the half to go up double-digits again after the Bobcats had cut into the lead.

Dartis finished 5-of-9 from long distance, and Block was 2-of-4, while the rest of the team was 3-of-15. Michigan State transfer Kenny Kaminski, who led the Big Ten in 3-point percentage as a freshman, struggled for the second straight game, going 0-for-3 from deep and 0-for-8 from the field overall.

Ohio shot 41.1 percent from the field and was almost perfect at the foul line, going 19 of 20.

After going 4-for-5 on 3-point tries to start the game, Tennessee State did not make another one, attempting only seven more. The Tigers shot 40.4 percent and went 21-of-28 on free throws.

McCall went 9-of-10 at the foul line and led Tennessee State with 17 points. Martin had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnny Woodard (11 points) and DeShields (10) also scored in double figures.

Ohio’s competition will be tougher when it takes part in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam beginning with a 1 p.m. game Friday against Tulsa.








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