Sports
Black’s 39 Points Seal Overtime Victory Over Central Michigan
By: Jordan Gallagher
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With just under three minutes left in the game the Bobcats found themselves down seven, but a huge three pointer from Lexie Baldwin, after two offensive rebounds, changed the momentum completely. The Bobcats kept the Chippewas from hitting another shot in the half, and after the Bobcats hit four straight free throws, they were down two with 15 seconds left in regulation.
With no fouls to give, the Bobcats needed to force a turnover and Mariah Harris did just that. The final shot came down to Quiera Lampkins who hit a contested layup to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In overtime, the Bobcats finally got their first lead of the game with three minutes remaining on a Kiyanna Black turnaround jumper. Black then stole the ball and hit a transition bucket on the following possession before nailing a three two plays later. The Bobcats held onto the lead, winning 86-84.
Black set career highs in both points in a game and a half with 39 points in the game and 34 points in the second half. No one else on Ohio had more than eight points at the end of the game.
“[Scoring like that] felt good, because everyone thinks of me as a great three point shooter, but I haven’t been hitting my shots so it was nice to finally have a few go in,” Black said.
The Chippewas had five players score in double digits in this game. They were led by Tinara Moore, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds tonight. Moore fouled out of the game, which opened up the opportunity for Ohio to get back into the game.
Throughout the game the Chippewas maintained their lead, thanks in large part to their ability to rebound. At one poin, they were out-rebounding the Bobcats by 15.
“If we didn’t get rebounds we were going to lose,” head coach Bob Boldin said. “Winning has always been important to these guys, and I don’t think that they necessarily thought that rebounding was important. Central showed us tonight that that’s not okay.”
Other than Black, the biggest key to Ohio’s win tonight was that they only had nine turnovers while forcing 18. Their ability to maintain control down the stretch gave them the opportunity to run the plays that they wanted to and get off their shot.
With the win, the Bobcats remain the only undefeated team in MAC play and are now 6-0 at home with a 13-3 (5-0) record. They will travel to Kent State next Wednesday to play the Golden Flashes at 7:00 p.m.