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ATHENS, Ohio – Host Ohio shot 57.1 percent and scored 51 points in the second half on the way to defeating the Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team Saturday afternoon, 74-62. This was a rematch of last year’s ESPN BracketBusters contest.

Senior Josh Taylor led all scorers with 18 points. Junior Justin Stommes added 17 points for EKU (7-4), but also turned the ball over a season-high seven times.

Tommy Freeman and Steven Coleman paced Ohio (7-3) with 16 points apiece. Meanwhile, point guard D.J. Cooper recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 assists.

Eastern led the entire first half and built its biggest advantage of the game, 9-2, following three free throws from Stommes. Ohio came back to tie the game twice before intermission, but could never gain the lead. The two teams combined to shoot 1-for-19 (5.3 percent) from three-point range in the first half as the Colonels took a 24-23 lead into intermission.

Ohio finally went ahead with 15:13 left in the game after a Coleman jumper made the score 33-31 in favor of the Bobcats. After missing its first 16 three-point attempts, Ohio heated up by netting five of the next six long-range shots to turn a 36-35 deficit into a 54-42 cushion.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Freeman later in the half gave the Bobcats their biggest lead of the game, 61-46, with 5:41 showing on the clock. Freeman scored all 16 of his points in the second stanza thanks to netting four trifectas.

Eastern Kentucky made one final charge, capped by a Stommes three-pointer, to close the gap to eight points with 3:55 left, 63-55. However, the Colonels would get no closer the rest of the way.

The 51 points scored in the second half by Ohio were the most given up in a half by EKU this season.

Eastern Kentucky will be back in action following the holiday break in the 2009 Dr Pepper Classic (Dec. 29-30) hosted by Chattanooga. The Colonels first take on Morgan State on Dec. 29 beginning at 6 p.m.