Sports
Ohio Comes Up Short Against Central Michigan
By: John Jarosik
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It was a great start for the Ohio women’s basketball team on Wednesday night at home against Mid-American Conference rival, the Central Michigan Chippewas. The downfall that ultimately led to Ohio’s 70-64 defeat was that there were three quarters left to play.
The Bobcats were the better opponent at the start. They displayed suffocating defense that created many turnovers and allowed only nine points on three made field goals in the first quarter. Their offense was also productive, earning great looks and taking a 15-9 lead at the end of the period. The Bobcats led by as much as 11 in the first half.
They came out flat offensively and lost its defensive intensity in the next quarter.
The Chippewas dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 22-11 on 60% shooting. Central Michigan had a five-point lead at halftime, and got their advantage up 10 in the second half.
Ohio battled to regain their lead at the end, cutting the Chippewas’ lead to just one with under three minutes left in the game. Fouls and made Central Michigan free throws prevented the Bobcats from earning a comeback victory.
Ohio’s defense was consistently strong, despite the loss, forcing 26 turnovers and blocking 11 shots on the night.
Quiera Lampkins scored 30+ against a stellar Chippewas (19-6, 11-2) roster. Lampkins’ game-high 32 points on 11-of-28 shooting, accounted for half of the team’s scoring.
Ohio was aggressive on offense, getting to the foul line nearly 20 times. They made 18-of-19 foul line attempts, but struggled shooting from the other parts on the floor.
The Bobcats went 20-of-66 from the field and 6-of-25 from the 3-point line, overall. This poor shooting did not get the job done against a Central Michigan team who came in tied for first place in the MAC.
This was a tough loss for the Bobcats especially when they had home-court advantage and early momentum.
Ohio has a quick turnaround, facing rival Kent, who is second place in the conference, on Saturday. This is arguably Ohio’s biggest game of the season. With a win, Ohio would increase its one-game lead to three in the MAC East division with only four conference games remaining in the regular season.
Tipoff is at 2 p.m.