ATHENS, Ohio -- Treyvion Kirk scored 16 points in his debut with Ohio, leading the Bobcats to a 61-53 victory over Alabama A&M in the season opener Saturday.

The true freshman hit 6 of 11 from the field and was 4 of 6 from the free throw line while grabbing four rebounds and dishing a pair of assists.

Ohio is now 6-0 all-time against teams from the Southwestern Conference.

Gavin Block had 12 points and Doug Taylor grabbed a dozen rebounds for Ohio, which hit just 24 of 65 from the field, including 5 of 21 from long range.

Alabama A&M, under first-year head coach Donnie Marsh, who spent the last two seasons as associate head coach at Texas Southern under Mike Davis, was just 21 of 62 from the field, including 4 of 19 from behind the three-point arc. The Bulldogs managed to get to the line for just eight attempts, knocking down seven.