Sports
Ohio comes up short against Butler, losing 69-60
By: Marc Goldstein
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Loses are not created equal. At times, a loss is the sign of shortcomings or failure. Other times, a loss can show improvement and the hope for a better result in the future. For Ohio (2-5), its 69-60 loss against Butler (9-2) was more of the latter.
The game got off to a sloppy start for both teams. Ohio and Butler went nearly two minutes without scoring and three minutes without a made field goal. Despite the slow start, Ohio remained in the game, shaking off some early turnovers in the first quarter. Kennedi Watkins and Kate Dennis were the two main sources of offense for Ohio, scoring the first six points.
Butler showed some of its offensive chops with a couple threes splashed in, but Ohio did a good job of weathering the storm and keeping the game close. After the first quarter, Ohio, improbably considering the optics of the play on the court, led 17-16.
In that first quarter alone, Ohio gave up five offensive rebounds and turned the ball over seven times. That being said, Butler was not much more careful with the ball, giving Ohio the ball eight extra times.
The second quarter started with more positive play from Ohio. Gigi Bower made a layup before Dennis knocked down a three in the corner to put Ohio on top 22-16, forcing Butler to call a timeout.
Ohio and Butler traded buckets for the next few minutes, but Butler opened up a five-point lead on a three pointer by Kaylin McGuff. The rest of the half, Butler maintained its multi-possession lead, leading 38-33 at halftime.
With neither team particularly careful with the ball in the opening quarter, Butler came out in the second with a purpose to change that. Both teams heated up more on offense, but Butler’s balanced scoring, led by McGuff, was able to push ahead her team.
Coming out of the break, the Bobcats and Bulldogs endured a scoreless drought that lasted for over two minutes, but ended with the Bulldogs extending the lead to ten. Ohio very easily could have laid down and thrown in the towel at this very moment. Butler is a team that entered the game with as many losses as Ohio did wins and ranks better in nearly every team statistic. However, Ohio refused to give in, going on a massive 12-0 run that gave Ohio a 47-45 lead after Dennis nailed another three.
Ohio head coach Bob Bolden appreciated the resiliency that his team demonstrated during the third quarter.
“I thought we did a good job responding to what Butler was running in the third quarter, battling back and giving us a chance,” Bolden said.
The rest of the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading buckets, turnovers and defensive stands to bring the score to 51-48 in favor of Ohio heading into the final ten minutes.
In the fourth quarter, some of the underlying struggles for Ohio came back to bite. The turnovers, offensive rebounds and fouls that were keeping the dam from bursting open. Butler was able to get multiple second-chance opportunities, allowing it to take down the lead and, eventually, put itself in front.
“In the fourth quarter, (we had) a few too many turnovers and (didn’t) rebound the basketball,” Bolden said. “I thought our effort, energy and togetherness was really good.”
Despite the struggles on defense, the other side of the ball was no kinder to the Bobcats. The mere nine points and 3/13 from the field underscore the fact that the Bobcats had trouble making shots down the stretch.
The leading scorers for Ohio, Watkins and Dennis, both found themselves in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, forcing them to play slightly more conservative than in the previous three. When Watkins fouled out with a couple of minutes to play, the pressure that Ohio felt heightened without its leading scorer.
Regardless, the game ended with Ohio dropping a close one, albeit a game that can be seen, at least internally, as a positive.
“I’m actually really proud of our team because I think we grew as a team,” Watkins said. “We battled for all four quarters. And, for me, a win is a win. Even though we did not win (on the scoreboard), I think that was a big team win and a big confidence booster.”
The rebounding margin, though, is still going to be a pervasive issue that Ohio deals with during the season. Dennis notes that Ohio is “not the biggest team,” making it even more important for the team to box out and get in the right position.
The loss against Butler might go down as a loss, but Ohio can hang its hat on the fact that it played a quality team hard and gave its opponent a challenge for close to 30 minutes of the game. As the calendar nears January, efforts like this one could become key in a turnaround.