GAME NOTES: The Ohio Bobcats try to get back to .500 on Monday as they tangle with the George Washington Colonials in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Ohio, which placed second in this event back in 2007, is one of only three teams in the Mid-American Conference that currently sports a losing record. The team is coming off an 81-69 overtime loss at Evansville last Thursday, marking the third setback in the last four outings for the program.

The Colonials have been out of action now for more than a week, last taking the floor at Penn State on Dec. 14 where they were turned away by the Nittany Lions in a 64-51 final. The defeat snapped a three-game win streak for the program, but still they are off to a strong start to the 2014-15 campaign with six wins in nine opportunities.

Ohio leads the all-time series by a count of 3-2, the most recent of those coming in 1999 with the Bobcats capturing a 95-77 victory at home.

Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday in the semifinals, matching up against either Colorado or DePaul, based on Monday's outcomes.

Ohio managed to make it to overtime against the Purple Aces, but once there the Bobcats were not just dominated, they failed to score a single point, en route to the double-digit setback. Maurice Ndour managed to record a double- double for the visitors with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Javarez Willis added 12 points and both Antonio Campbell and Stevie Taylor came up with 10 points for a squad that was outscored at the free-throw line by a 23-2 margin.

Maurice Ndour, who is playing in excess of 33 minutes per contest, paces the Bobcats in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg), not to mention accounting for 11 of their 28 blocked shots through seven games. Willis pitches in with 15.2 ppg, thanks to a team-high 17 3-pointers, an area in which the team is not all that competent at a mere 29.5 percent.

Against Penn State, the Colonials not only shot a disappointing 34.0 percent from the field, they also missed all eight of their chances behind the 3-point line and were just 65.2 percent accurate at the free-throw line. Kevin Larsen and Patricio Garino tried to keep the visitors competitive with 15 points apiece, the former also accounting for a game-high 13 rebounds and four blocked shots along the way.

Garino, a strong shooter from the floor overall at 57.1 percent, leads the team in scoring with his 15.1 ppg, although he is far from a perimeter threat where he has connected on just 2-of-15 tries. Kethan Savage adds another 12.1 ppg to the offensive assault, and Larsen 11.1 ppg to go with his 7.2 rpg for a squad that is holding opponents to just 59.8 ppg, as those foes convert a mere 28.9 percent of their 3-point attempts.

A very tough matchup on the interior, Ndour could be the deciding factor in this meeting, but he will need more than Willis to add some punch on offense to get the job done.