Sports
Ohio Slips Past Eastern Kentucky, 60-52
By: Brad Friedman
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Despite only shooting 33 percent from the field, Ohio (3-1) forced enough mistakes from Eastern Kentucky (3-3) to come away with the 60-52 road victory.
The road squad never opened up an insurmountable lead, but with 12 steals, Ohio maintained distance between itself and Eastern Kentucky on the scoreboard.
Ohio’s offensive productivity was spread evenly, with four different players chipping in at least nine points. However, sophomore Kiyanna Black made the biggest splash by leading all scorers with 20 points. Black also found her rhythm from the 3-point line, connecting on 4-of-9 attempts.
Though the Bobcats were outrebounded, 40-37, the post players made their presence felt. Destini Cooper, Lexie Baldwin and Jasmine Witherspoon combined for six blocks near the basket.
As for Eastern Kentucky, Shelly Harper and Jasmine Stafford led the team in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively, but turnovers and the eventual need to foul led to Eastern Kentucky’s demise.
Ohio was given many chances from the charity stripe, but they continued to struggle. The ‘Cats shot 18-of-28 from the free throw line, including making 4-of-7 attempts within the final minute of play.
With the win, the Bobcats already have half of their win total from last season. Through four games, this year’s squad is averaging 10.5 more points per game than the 2012 team.
Ohio travels to Puerto Rico next week to participate in the San Juan Shootout. The ‘Cats take on the University of Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 29 before facing Maryland the following day.