LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Jerome Tillman and Bubba Walther each scored 19 points, leading Ohio to a 79-72 win over Saint Joseph’s on Sunday at the NABC Classic.
Rob Ferguson led Saint Joseph’s with 16 points.
Ohio’s Bobcats (6-2) never trailed in the game.
The Hawks (5-4) got as close as a point twice in the second half but couldn’t complete the comeback. Ohio shot 60 percent, including 46 percent from 3-point range. Walther shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Two 3-pointers by Walther late in the second half made the score 67-58 with about five minutes left. Ohio pushed its lead to as much as 12 points twice and led at halftime 33-30.
The Bobcats were outrebounded 33-24.
Both teams lost to Louisville and beat Bellarmine in their other two games of the Classic.
The Hawks’ Jawan Carter shot 5-for-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points.
The Bobcats’ Sonny Troutman added 18 points and set a school record with his 198th career steal. Leon Williams and Tillman led the Bobcats with six rebounds each.
Ferguson and Ahmad Nivins had eight rebounds each for the Hawks.
