The Ohio women's basketball team went to Kent State last night with three games left to play in the Mid-American Conference regular season. It came back with two games left to regain momentum after the Golden Flashes handed it a 74-39 loss.
Things looked bad from the start for the Bobcats. Kent State (17-8 overall, 10-4 MAC) started the game on a 14-0 run, and Ohio (11-14, 7-7 MAC) didn't score a single point until guard Ciara Iglehart made two free throws with 14 minutes left in the first half.
We didn't come out to play
coach Lynn Bria said. Down 14-0 was not the start I wanted.
Needless to say, the Bobcats never recovered. The scoreboard was a diverting sight to the eyes of Ohio fans, as it showed large deficits for the whole first half and most of the game. Ohio finished the half down 31-16. It shot 22 percent from the field, committed 18 turnovers and made only five shots. After such dismal play, though, the score could have been worse.
At halftime they didn't have very many points; I was impressed with our defense Bria said, especially because we coughed up the ball (18) times.
A glimmer of hope marked the beginning of the second half, when Ohio came out with its trademark full-court press, caused several turnovers, and scored the first six points. The Bobcats cut the lead to 33-24 after a few minutes of play.
That's when prolific offense and clamping defense kicked in for Kent State. The Flashes outscored the Bobcats 41-15 during the rest of the game, which saw Ohio's point total almost doubled by Kent State.
Their defense was very good
Bria said. They pressured the ball very well. It just was not a good night for us. We didn't have anything falling
not even free throws.
The free throw statistic was especially surprising, after the Bobcats hit 90 percent - 27 of 30 - of their attempts against Northern Illinois last weekend. Tonight, though, Kent State prevailed in that category, making 21 of 24 at the line. Ohio made only eight of 19.
It was a night when Kristian Kirkpatrick got back on track, leading the Bobcats with 10 points. Her efforts, though futile, were at least promising.
It looked like Kris from earlier in the season
Bria said.
The game continued Ohio and Bria's woes against Kent State. Their win against the Flashes in January was the first since 1995 and Bria's first in 11 tries, but last night's game was a return to tough times.
With two regular season games to play, it's not too late for the Bobcats to get back on track.
We want to play well at this time so we can have some momentum going into the tournament
Bria said. Stealing one on the road would help us out a lot.
Ohio will get its chance to take one on the road Saturday when it plays at Ball State.
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Patrick Bourland
