Sports
Ohio Aims to Make the Most of Tournament Opportunity Tonight
By: John Jarosik
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Following a heartbreaking loss in the Mid-American Conference tournament, Ohio faces Penn State tonight as they get a shot to extend its season in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Ohio is coming in off a crushing 72-71 defeat in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament against Northern Illinois on March 8, which saw the Bobcats blow a 22-point lead.
With the team not winning the MAC Tournament championship and not having the resume to make it into the tournament, the Bobcats find themselves in the WNIT and have a chance for redemption through turning heads by coming out of State College with a win over Penn St. (19-10, 9-7).
If the Bobcats play their style of play and control the pace, there’s no reason why they can’t advance in the tournament and extend their season even further as we hit the half-way point of March.
The Bobcats will rely on the scoring of Second Team All-MAC player Quiera Lampkins, who averaged 20 points per game, and first All-MAC first team defender Jasmine Weatherspoon to pull an upset against Lady Lions on their home court.
Overall, this was a successful year for Ohio. The team reached 20+ wins for the third consecutive season and competed well in a conference with many solid teams, which proves they belong and can run with any MAC squad.
Friday is Ohio’s chance to earn the right to extend their playing time on the court. Therefore, expect a hard fought game from the Bobcats, despite it not being the NCAA tournament they wanted to compete in.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. and the game can be streamed from the Ohio Athletics website.