Even if it has taken two plane trips this season, the Ohio University women’s basketball team is in the midst of its longest layover of the season. The Bobcats are already preparing for Saturday’s game against Ball State — their first contest since last weekend’s loss to Northern Illinois.
The absence of a mid-week game is welcomed by the team, for it will give it time to recuperate and gear up for their remaining six regular season games.
The Bobcats' 3-7 record in Mid-American Conference play is not exactly what they had in mind after gaining considerable momentum in the late stages of 2011, where they beat George Mason and closed out a double-overtime victory against Xavier.
“We need the mental rest and we need the mental confidence too,” Ohio senior guard Tenishia Benson said. “When you’re losing like that, it can be very draining and very hard on a team.”
The pair of late triumphs, which were sandwiched around a single-digit loss to Syracuse, put the Bobcats at a promising 7-7 record heading the second half of their season.
Now, with a full week to prepare for Ball State’s visit to The Convo, Ohio is taking an approach that it hasn’t been able to take the time for in 2012.
“The biggest thing for us today was just getting up and down the floor and not talking a lot of traditional ‘X-and-0’ basketball,” Ohio coach Semeka Randall said. “It’s just getting out here, playing and getting love back for the game and healthy competition, where we’re just out here competing. They did a really good job out there today.”
The next stretch will not get any easier for the Bobcats, for they will go back to a similar grind beginning with Ball State on Saturday. The Bobcats will not have more than three days off between any of their remaining games, half of which will be on the road.
“We’re focusing on the road we have ahead — the season’s not over,” Benson said. “I think when team’s lose like that, they can get really discouraged. So we’re really focusing on getting that fight back despite that fatigue and the injuries.”
The only Ohio player that was inactive in Tuesday’s practice — the first of the week — was junior forward Alesia Howard, who broke her nose during practice at the end of last week. It is likely that she will return to practice on Thursday or Friday.
Everything is business as usual for Randall and her team. She said that the only thing missing from the normal routine is a game on Wednesday, where her team will hit the hardwood for a practice instead.
Benson said that the extra time off gives the team some time to find what it needs to succeed down the stretch.
“It’s not wanting to lose — wanting to win, wanting to score, wanting to touch the ball — getting that back is helpful,” Benson said.
