March 11, 2005
Box Score
MAC Tourney Central
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND - Sonny Troutman scored 19 points and made three crucial 3-pointers in the second half as Ohio moved into the Mid-American Conference championship for the first time since 1994 with a 63-56 win over top-seeded Miami on Friday night.
Mychal Green scored 15 points and freshman Leon Williams 12 - all in the first half - as the fourth-seeded Bobcats (20-10) knocked off their bitter rival and moved within one win of an NCAA tournament berth.
Ohio will play the winner of Friday's second semifinal between seventh-seeded Buffalo and third-seeded Western Michigan, the defending tourney champion, on Saturday for the league title and the MAC's automatic NCAA bid.
Nathan Peavy scored 15 points and Danny Horace had 13 points with 11 rebounds for the Redhawks (19-10).
Miami led by 53-49 after Chet Mason's layup with 4:14 left, but Ohio freshman guard Jeremy Fears converted 3-point plays on consecutive possessions, the second on a steal and length-of-the-floor drive.
After a turnover by Mason, Troutman scored on a layup to give the Bobcats a 57-54 lead with 2:10 left.
Miami worked the perimeter, looking for a tying 3-pointer, but misfired three times. Green hit a 12-foot fadeaway for Ohio with 29 seconds remaining. The Redhawks were off the mark on another 3-pointer, and were forced to foul.
Green and Troutman each made a pair of free throws in the final 14.7 seconds to ice it for Ohio, which has won seven of its last eight.
The Bobcats were able to advance despite shooting a season-low 29 percent and getting nothing offensively from Williams, the MAC's freshman of the year, in the second half.
Ohio also started 1-for-19 on 3-pointers before making four in a row - three by Troutman - while rallying. The Bobcats missed their first 14 3s before Green finally connected from the left wing, putting the Bobcats ahead 33-31 with 16:33 left.
Chad Troyer's 3-pointer capped a 7-0 run as Miami took a 41-35 advantage, but Troutman knocked down consecutive 3s - making Ohio 3-for-21 from long range - as the Bobcats closed within 43-41 with 8:25 to play.
In the first half, Miami had trouble solving Ohio's aggressive zone defense, which tempted the Redhawks into rushing outside shots they might normally pass up. Miami went just 2-of-14 on 3s in the opening 20 minutes.
Green, averaging 14.9 points per game, went 1-for-7 and didn't score his first points until the final minute of the first half when his slashing layup gave Ohio a 26-24 halftime lead.
