Sports
Ohio Faces a Must-Win Situation Against Undermatched Miami
By: John Jarosik
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Ohio begins their three-game homestand in another ‘Battle of the Bricks’ quarrel, as they face conference rival Miami (OH) Saturday.
This rivalry is the least of Ohio’s concerns at the moment.
The Bobcats look to get back on track late in the season by ending its three-game losing streak. This is a must-win game for Ohio if they want to top the Mid-American Conference East and gain a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. Being three games behind Kent St. and a game behind Buffalo in the division, the Bobcats can’t afford to play lackluster against a Miami team that is just (10-18, 4-11) this season.
They hope to earn the same results they did against Miami on Jan. 28, when they pulled an impressive 79-62 victory on the Miami RedHawks’ court.
The keys for the Bobcats will be to replicate what they did well in teams’ first meeting, which was getting to the foul line and connecting on 3-point looks. Ohio made 19 free throws and 12-of-28 3-point attempts vs. Miami in January.
If Ohio’s defense holds Miami to under 60 points and keys in on Miami guard Leah Purvis who had a game-high 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting in the first 2016-2017 meeting, they should be in good shape when the final buzzer sounds.
Quiera Lampkins scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in teams’ previous matchup. The Ohio senior guard will most likely produce another solid outing against the RedHawks based on the recent strong games she has had, which included snagging her sixth double-double of the season during Wednesday’s 65-54 loss to Buffalo.
Ohio must end their losing ways in a hurry. They need victories in order to go into conference tournament play with momentum and winning Saturday is the best time to build it.
Tipoff is at 2 p.m.