Sports

Ohio Women’s Basketball can’t get shots to fall, lose to Bellarmine 82-50

By: Joshua Jacob
Posted on: Sunday, November 10, 2024

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB)—The Ohio Bobcats (0-2) struggled to bounce back against the Bellarmine Knights (3-0) in their second matchup at the Convocation Center. Bellarmine won 82-50 with solid work all over the court. 

Hayley Harrison scored the game’s first points with free throws, but she wasn’t the only one who got to the line. In the first quarter alone, both teams combined for 13 fouls, 8 for the Knights and 5 for the Bobcats. Both teams were efficient at the line, with Ohio shooting 79% and Bellarmine shooting 86%. The Knights ended the quarter with a 24-21 lead, and what led them there was their ability to knock it down from three. Bellarmine got four of the ten they put up, but the Bobcats couldn’t match them, not getting one to fall out of the five they put up. 

Ohio looked to close the gap against the Knights, but the Bobcats, while having good looks, could not capitalize, shooting just 29% from the field. Ohio would try to shoot out of its slump, with ten out of their 14 shot attempts coming from behind the arc. Unfortunately, only one of the ten would fall, which would come from Asiah Baxter. The knights focused on getting in paint in the second quarter, and they were finishing at a 53% rate. This aided Bellarmine as they finished the quarter leading 52-33 

The second half started well for the Bobcats, with the first two scores being threes drained by Bailey Tabeling. In fact, throughout the entire third quarter, Ohio shot the ball more efficiently than the Knights. The reason they kept falling behind, however, is turnovers. The Bobcats had nine turnovers in the first half to Bellarmine’s four. In the second half, Ohio tacked on 13 more, and you can’t mount a comeback when you give your opponent so many extra opportunities. At the end of the third quarter, the Knights had a monster lead of 69 to the Bobcats 45. 

Ohio entered the fourth drained of confidence, and they played like it. They were able to slow Bellarmine down on offense, but they could not score. In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats only scored 5 points. This led to the Knights winning 82-50 in a dominant showing for Bellarmine. 

Head Coach Bob Boldon said, “We encourage players to take good shots, and I think our players understand what a good shot is. It truly is a Game of percentages, and we believe if we take good shots enough over time, it’ll work out for us” 

The Knights will look to keep their win streak alive as they face Detroit Mercy on Saturday, while the Bobcats continue their search for a win against George Washington on Saturday.