Offutt leads Bobcats to exhibition win
Ohio State transfer scored 23 in victory against Mercyhurst
By: Lonnie McMillan / Contributor
Monday, November 7, 2011
ATHENS, Ohio – Walter Offutt scored 23 points in his Ohio debut to lead the Bobcats to an 82-63 exhibition victory against Mercyhurst at The Convo on Monday night.
Nick Kellogg added 17 points and Ivo Baltic posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.
Offutt was 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and added four steals. Kellogg knocked down 7 of 9 shots, with 3 of 5 3-pointers included, as Ohio shot 51.9 percent from the floor overall and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Matt Lee and Bill Weaver each had 15 points for Meryhurst, while Paul Bilbo scored 14 points.
After trailing 41-30 at the break and falling behind by 14 on a Kellogg trey to start the second half, the Lakers got as close as 60-58 on a steal and dunk by Jonathan Ouegnin with 8:08 remaining.
Ouegnin had a chance to put Mercyhurst on top after an Ohio turnover, but he missed a 3-point attempt and T.J. Hall knocked down a trey for a 63-58 Ohio lead.
An Andrew Rickard free throw made it a three-point game again, 63-60, with 5:51 left, but Ohio closed the game on a 19-3 run that began with a pair of Stevie Taylor free throws.
Taylor had nine points and four assists in 18 minutes. D.J. Cooper, who played only 16 minutes, had six points and two assists.
Mercyhurst, which shot 43.5 percent both overall and from beyond the arc, hurt itself with 23 turnovers leading to 32 Ohio points. The Bobcats also used 11 offensive rebounds to hold a 9-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Ohio got its original separation in the first half after falling behind 12-11 early. Hall tied the game with a free throw at the 11:40 mark and Kellogg gave the Bobcats the lead for good on a 3-pointer.
It was part of a 16-1 run capped off by a steal and layup by Kellogg and finally a free throw by Ricardo Johnson at the 7:31 mark giving Ohio a 27-13 advantage.
Ethan Jacobs was held out with a sore leg and ankle, and Kenny Belton also did not play.
The Bobcats open the regular season at 2 p.m. Sunday at home against Tennessee-Martin.