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Dominque Doseck, 10, dribbles down the court in response to Eastern Michigan’s attempted basket on Saturday January 19, 2019. The Bobcats defeated Eastern Michigan University 85-44. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Ohio Women’s Basketball: Forecast called for rain in Athens and it delivered

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ATHENS, Ohio —  The Ohio women’s basketball team made it rain beyond the 3-point line in their matchup against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Bobcats’ defense and stellar 3-point shooting lead them to an 85-44 win against the Eagles Saturday afternoon.

The Bobcats started the first quarter ice cold as they shot 0-for-6 behind the 3-point line. The tables quickly turned as they made six straight three-pointers and went on a 20-point run into the middle of the second quarter — Ohio hit eight from the three-point line in the quarter.

“We never really lost our confidence,” red-shirt freshman Erica Johnson said about starting the game 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point line.

The Bobcats would go on to finish the game 14-for-29 from beyond the arc.

The Bobcats three-point game is a major part of their offense during this season. They average 10.1 three-pointers per-game and are 10th in division one basketball in that statistic.

Deesh Beck (left), 32, and Erica Johnson, 4, cheer on their teammates from the bench in the second half of their home game against Eastern Michigan University on Saturday January 19, 2019. The Bobcats won 85-44. (Hannah Schroeder/ WOUB)

Senior Dominique Doseck had a season high six 3-pointers in this game and lead the team in scoring with 21 points.

“They found me wide-open on the 3-point line, just catch and shoot as we work on in practice,” Doseck said.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bobcats limited the Eagles to 44 points — the least amount of points a MAC opponent has put on Ohio since February of 2016 when the Bobcats limited Miami to 44 points as well.

The 44 points are the fewest lowest Ohio has held any opponent this entire season. The Eagles shot just 27 percent from the field and were limited by the Bobcats’ stout defense.

“I thought we did a great job of making them take tough shots,” head coach Bob Boldon said.

After giving up a season-high 31 points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over Kent State, it was encouraging to see the team step up on both sides of the floor.

“We have struggled on the defensive end the past several games,” Doseck said. “So, that was a real focus the past couple practices and we knew we had to change something if we want to win a MAC title.”

The Bobcats took a big step towards being a MAC Championship caliber team by showing how well they can play in all aspects of the game. They had 32 points in the paint to complement their dominant 3-point shooting and then have a lockdown defense to give them a 41-point margin of victory.

The Bobcats look to continue their 3-game win streak at Northern Illinois on Wednesday, January 23rd with tip-off set for 7 p.m.