Sports
Close Game Ends With an Ohio WBB Loss
By: Kellyanne Stitts
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ATHENS, OH- Coming down to the last 25 seconds of the game, everyone is on the edge of their seat, both benches full of energy as the two teams battle it out to the last couple points; that was the atmosphere in the Convocation Center Wednesday night.
The Bobcats fought hard to make up for the lack of energy in the first half, but a missed three-pointer from Katie Barker with seconds left in the game seals the Bobcats (12-9, 6-4 MAC) fate, falling short to Central Michigan (18-3, 10-0 MAC) 74-72.
Earlier this season when these two teams met, the Chippewas defeated the Bobcats 82-58.
The first half was filled with poor defense, on OHIO’s end, combined with a slow start on offense. CMU outshot OHIO from field goal range 46.9 percent compared to the Bobcat’s 33 percent. The Chippewas lead the Cats’ in rebounds; assists and three-point shooting come halftime.
However, OHIO looked like a new team in the second half.
The team went neck and neck with the Mid-American Conference leaders.
The Bobcats did what they do best and utilized their energy and tenacity to close the scoring gap, including a ten-point deficit with three minutes left of game action.
Freshman guard, and leading scorer for the Bobcats, Cierra Hooks proved why she is the freshman to watch, dropping 30 points on the night. Hooks has totaled 58 points combined from their previous standout win against Ball State and tonight’s game.
Junior guard Dominique Doseck added to the team’s momentum as well by firing threes, shooting 4-4 in the second half alone. Doseck ended the game going 7-11 beyond the arc, adding a total of 24 points for the team.
At the end of the night, the Bobcats made all the right moves but just did not end the way the envisioned.
Even though the night ended with the defeat, the team is content with how they played and the resilience they continue to show when they need to fight back the most.
Head Coach Bob Boldon notices the growth this team has shown since the beginning of this season, as well as their last meeting with CMU.
“I’m happy with where we are,” Coach Boldon says about the team’s growth. “Disappointed with this one, this hurts a little bit, but we’ve certainly shown some maturity.”
Even with key players Taylor Agler and Amani Burke still not at 100 percent, Doseck is pleased with how the team handled the MAC leaders.
“I feel pretty good, I’m confident in this team,” Doseck says. “But I have confidence in any five that we put out on the floor.”
Doseck believes another matchup with the Chippewas may have another outcome.
“I have confidence we can come back, maybe see them in the tournament. I’ll take our chances.”
With a win and a loss after a bye week, Ohio is looking for a win to keep the momentum moving against MAC foe Kent State Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN 3.