Sports
Ohio Women Fall At Miami
By: Colin Hanner
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A distraught Bobcat team, plagued by injuries, could not pull out a victory in the Battle of the Bricks on Thursday night, as Ohio (5-10) dropped its third-straight conference game to Miami (10-6), 78-56. Kiyanna Black’s career-high 26 points on 11-of-24 from the field was not enough for a desperate Green and White squad.
Injuries seemed to lead to a variety of factors Thursday night, as the majority of the starting rotation for the Bobcats played 31 minutes or more, with the exception of Lexie Baldwin, who played 23 minutes. Erin Bailes was the only bench player with any significant impact, playing 28 minutes and scoring 10 points. This was Bailes first contest since an injury suffered against Akron inhibited her from playing against Buffalo.
Tina Fisher gathered a team-high five rebounds for a team that collected only 20 total rebounds the entire game. Lexie Baldwin added six points and four boards, and Ashely Fowler scored nine points.
Mid-week, the Bobcats added two fresh faces to the roster in Laura Mastro, a field hockey player at Ohio, and Ashley Jordan, a former volleyball player at Ohio. Mastro saw 10 minutes on the floor, but had one turnover and one foul, and Jordan entered the game with time expiring in the second half.
Notable players who were out for the contest were senior Shavon Robinson, the Bobcats’ third-leading scorer, and Mariah Byard.
The Bobcats kept the contest close in the first minutes of the game, tying the game at nine apiece before Miami went on a 10-2 run. Miami’s red hot shooting would turn that run into a 27-10 stretch that seemed to weaken a tired Bobcat team.
At the beginning of the second half, the Bobcats went on an 8-2 run that closed the gap to seven points. That would be the end of any comeback for the Bobcats, though, as the RedHawks went on a 29-12 run to close out the middle of the second half.
Ohio shot 37.9 percent from the field, its best in conference play thus far, due much in part to Black’s performance. However, the RedHawks bested the Bobcats, going 60.4 percent from the field and hit 15-of-15 from the free throw line.
Three players were in double figures for Miami, including Hannah Robertson and Kirsten Olowinski, who had 21 and 19 points, respectively. Miami’s leading scorer on the season, Courtney Osbourn, contributed 12 points.
The Bobcats head back to Athens for a Sunday contest against Bowling Green, another top competitor in the MAC. The game is at 2 p.m.