For the third straight game, the Ohio women's basketball team mounted an impressive second half comeback, but for the third straight game, the Bobcats' effort fell short in the end.
Still looking for its first conference win, Ohio was upended Saturday, 78-71, by Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill.
We just don't have a sense of urgency; that's the best way to put it
Ohio coach Lynn Bria said. We don't have a sense of urgency until its urgent.
The Bobcats (6-8 overall, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) took a five-point deficit into the locker room, but it was the Huskies (7-8, 2-2 MAC) who exploded out of the break.
In a game that was characterized by big spurts from both teams, Northern Illinois saved the game's biggest run for the beginning of the second half.
The Huskies outscored Ohio 15-2 to begin the half, and a five-point halftime deficit suddenly ballooned to 18.
Getting down by 18 then trying to hurry up and get back in the game is hard forward Latreece Bagley said. We need to get a good second half start.
Ohio returned the favor, but the lead was too great.
If we can take those two or three minutes where we play really well and are really aggressive and have it continuous for the whole game
then we're going to have no problem
wing Candace Bates said.
The Bobcats used a run of their own, 25-11, to crawl back to within four with 4:32 remaining.
Inside three minutes, trailing by nine, Candace Bates hit two 3-pointers, and Elizabeth Brown added a three of her own to bring Northern Illinois' lead back to four, but time ran short on the Ohio comeback effort.
It's very frustrating
Bates said. We get down
and we're fighters; we'll fight back. We'll get the game real close
then when things don't go our way
we fall behind again and it's just a recurring event throughout the game.
Forward Jennifer Youngblood paced the Huskies with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Six of those points came from the charity stripe, where Northern Illinois connected for 29 points.
Ohio ran into foul trouble, and the Huskies took advantage. Northern Illinois shot 40 free throws, while Ohio was limited to 15-of-26 shooting from the line.
Their shooting that many free throws hurt us
Bria said. In the last two ball games
we've done that
