Sports
Ohio Bullies Buffalo in Win
By: Thomas Garverick
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The Ohio Bobcats sent a clear message to their Mid-American Conference East rival Buffalo Bulls: You are no longer the bully, we are.
The Bobcats came out firing on all cylinders Wednesday night en route to a dominating 83-55 victory over the Bulls to take first place in the MAC East. The Bobcats were able to avenge their three losses to the Bulls last year, one of which knocked out the Bobcats in the MAC Tournament.
Senior guard Quiera Lampkins said the Bobcats should play like they should have something to prove, but that they should treat the Bulls like they would any other opponent.
“I think we should have a chip on our shoulder just because we did lose to them three times in a row and then we lost to them when it mattered it the most,” Lampkins said. “But I don’t think anyone or myself personally will make a bid deal about it because it is just one game.”
Lampkins, the reigning MAC East Player of the Week, continues to show why she is a candidate for conference player the year as continued her strong play offensively. Lampkins scored 17 points, dished out 8 assists and corralled 6 rebounds.
One of the concerns for the Bobcats coming into the game was going to be how to establish themselves on the offensive end of the court, considering that the Bulls only allowed a MAC-leading 55 points per game.
Senior guard Yamonie Jenkins said that that the team had been working on their zone offense extensively in practice to prepare for the zone defense they are accustomed of seeing from the Bulls.
“We have been practicing our zone defense in practice a lot more than last year so hopefully it’ll be better because we will be facing a zone when we play them,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins alluded to the fact that the Bobcats struggled against the Bulls defense because they like to pack it in which inhibits the Bobcats ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Well, the Bobcats found an answer to their offensive woes against the Bulls in the form of the three ball.
The Bobcats were 14-of-26 from downtown, the best the Bobcats have shot all year. It allowed the Bobcats to get off to a blistering hot 17-2 first-quarter lead that had the Bobcats out in front for the entirety of the game.
One of the reasons the Bobcats were so effective Wednesday from three was because of the performance of Katie Barker. Barker led the Bobcats in scoring, matching her career high with 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers.
While the Bobcats used the sharp shooting abilities of Barker beyond the arch to take the early lead, they used their pesky defense to limit the Bulls to 18 first half points, including 11 turnovers. The Bulls didn’t hit their first shot of the game until the 7:58 mark of the second quarter.
Buffalo’s offense came to life in the second half, as they were much more efficient from the field. They were aided by the efforts of senior guard JoAnna Smith, who got off to a slow start but ended up scoring 23 of her 29 points in the second half to try to get her Bulls to mount a comeback win.
But the story of the night continued to be the offensive juggernaut that was the Bobcats. The Bobcats improved upon their 44 percent shooting from the field in the first half as they finished the game shooting an astounding 54 percent from the field. The Bulls had no answers for the Bobcats all night, as the Bobcats’ 83 points were by far a season high given up by the Bulls.
The Bobcats will next take on the Northern Illinois Huskies on the road in Illinois, hoping to remain undefeated in MAC play. They will then travel to Akron to the play the Zips before returning home at the Convocation Center against Kent State.