Sports
Bobcats Force Turnovers to Beat Eastern Kentucky
By: Thomas Garverick
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Sometimes you have one of those nights where you just have to do enough. For the Ohio Bobcats (4-1), they did just that in a grind-it-out kind of game against the Eastern Kentucky Colonel’s (2-3) as they picked up a 69-57 road win Tuesday night.
The Bobcats’ defense was the difference in the game as the team forced another whopping 27 turnovers that resulted in 28 points. The defense has been the one constant variable that has allowed the team to be winners in four of their first five games.
In a game where the offense shot just 39 percent from the floor – in the early stages of the fourth quarter – went on a 10-0 run in a three-minute stretch that saw the ‘Cats lead balloon to 13 and put the game out of reach.
This was one of the Bobcats’ early-season tests – to see how this young team would respond after its’ first loss of the season, and it passed with a gritty performance away from the Convocation Center.
“To our credit, we did regroup at halftime, and that’s not always the case,” head coach Bob Boldon said. “Some teams just shut it down. This team has shown a lot of heart and a lot of toughness, and I don’t think it’s anything but inexperience to explain that first quarter of defense that we saw.”
The Bobcats’ had four players in double figures – Dominique Doseck (15), Cierra Hooks (14), Taylor Agler (12) and Amani Burke (11) to provide a balanced attack on the offensive end of the floor.
Hooks, the freshmen, has been rock solid off the bench, averaging 12.6 points-per-game – which is tied for the team led with Doseck. Hooks has been in double-figures in four of the teams’ first five games.
Hooks & Co had all they could handle in the first half with Colonel forward Abby Wright and guard Bria Bass, who combined to score 36 of the team’s 59 points and caused the team nightmares all night long. The duo’s fantastic night was something that Boldon was prepared for.
“The first half was not what we’re accustomed to seeing and that’s a learning experience,” Boldon said. “You come off a game where you’ve won a couple and now you think you’re going to come in and beat somebody, that’s not going to happen, especially not on the road.”
After losing to 25th ranked Michigan last Saturday, this was exactly what Boldon needed to see out of his young group.
The Bobcats are back in the Convo this weekend when they take on IUPUI with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m.