Sports
Oho Women’s Basketball Looks to Turn Things Around vs. UMass
By: Colin Hanner
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Since a thrilling overtime win in an exhibition game against Wheeling Jesuit and a home win against Cleveland State, the lady Bobcats have failed to stay above .500 for the season, losing three straight games to Minnesota, UNLV, and Duquesne.
Head Coach Semeka Randall sees the weaknesses the Bobcats have shown, especially the noticeable scoring droughts of the past two games, where Ohio went over nine minutes each game without a field goal.
“We’ve been getting extra shots in, we’ve tried to switch up how were shooting,” said Randall of the team’s performance in practice the past week. “You’re just trying to play devil’s advocate here; we’re just trying to finish games…We’re trying to reinforce the point of finishing games strong and not letting those highs and lows be a factor.”
The Bobcats look to the strengths of junior guard Shavon Robinson, who in the past game lead the team with 18 points. Randall notes that Robinson has the potential to be a game-changer, much like Tenishia Benson last season.
Getting to the charity stripe is also vital to the success of the Bobcats, the only statistical category Ohio leads this season against opponents.
“[Our mental strength] is very important, but what we have to learn is to get to the free throw line because that will help us get out of our low scoring funk that we have,” explained Randall.
Randall stressed the importance of focusing on Ohio’s style of play rather than letting the play of opponents dictate how the Bobcats approach the game, but she did see UMass’ turnover ratio to be in favor of the green and white.
“They are turning the basketball over a ton,” said Randall, “I think what we have to do is play to our strengths.”
This week of practice seems to be a turning point for the Bobcats, with a particular focus on decision-making when it matters the most, as well as a shift towards a more up-tempo offense that will exhaust opponents and get fast-chance opportunities.
“We remind them everyday [in practice] of the shortcomings we have and have them fix it,” said Randall. “We have to be us; we have to do what we do best.”
The Bobcats take on UMass Thursday at 11:30 a.m.