Sports
Ohio Seeks First Conference Win Against Rival Miami
By: Brad Friedman
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For the 77th time, the Ohio Bobcats (5-7) will face rival Miami of Ohio (4-8) Thursday in the Convocation Center. The RedHawks hold a 51-25 lead in the series and have not lost to the Bobcats since January 2011.
Ohio last played Miami in the first round of the 2013 Mid-American Conference Tournament where the Bobcats fell 83-61.
With a win, Ohio will pick up win number six, the same number of wins that the 2012-13 squad accumulated. A loss would extend Ohio’s conference losing streak to seven.
Through 12 games, Miami has been a night-and-day squad. In its four victories, Miami averaged 73 points and shot 44.7 percent from the field. In its eight losses, the RedHawks lost by an average of 12 points and just allowed Western Michigan to shoot 53.8 percent from the field last week’s 88-78 loss.
As for the home squad, shooting will be an area in need of improvement. In Ohio’s 74-51 loss to Northern Illinois, the ‘Cats shot 25 percent from the field and lost the rebound battle 39-23.
The battle for boards will be crucial on Thursday for Ohio when it welcomes a team that has outrebounded its opponents 464-433, an average of nearly 39 per contest.
Tale of the Tape:
Leading scorer: Ohio G Kiyanna Black (11.4 ppg), Miami G Hannah Robertson (13.3 ppg)
Leading rebounder: Ohio F Lexie Baldwin (5.3 rpg), Miami F Nicole Anderson (6.8 rpg)
Head coach: Ohio Bob Boldon (First season), Miami Cleve Wright (First season)
Average height: Ohio 5-foot-10 and a quarter, Miami Five-foot-10 and a quarter
Team PPG vs. Opp PPG: Ohio 60.8-68.2, Miami 66.6-72.1
3-point shooting percentage: Ohio .300, Miami .361
Team turnovers: Ohio 210, Miami 250
Standard defensive set: Ohio Man-to-man, Miami Man-to-man