Trailing 62-58 with 2:21 remaining in overtime, the Bobcats appeared ready for their second nightmarish loss in a row.
But thanks to an unlikely hero, Ohio woke up just in time to defeat Akron, 70-65, in overtime yesterday in The Convo.
DeVaughn Washington, who had just two points at the end of regulation, stole a pass from the Zips' Nate Linhart and threw down a one-handed dunk over Linhart as he was fouled.
I just thought to myself 'It's crunch time and it's time to make a play
' Washington said. I just tried to jump the passing lane and I just got the steal.
Washington, who came in shooting just 47 percent from the line, calmly knocked down the free throw to get the Bobcats back within one.
Washington was back at the line again less than a minute later with a chance to put Ohio on top. Once again, he calmly knocked down both free throws to give the Bobcats a 63-62 lead that they would not relinquish.
The sophomore forward, who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, knocked down all five of his free throws in overtime, including the game-clinching free throws with seven seconds left.
I just took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down Washington said of the free throw following the dunk. I just thought to myself that I had to make those free throws because I don't like to lose.
For the second straight game, however, Ohio almost blew a huge second-half lead. The Bobcats led 47-33 with 10:21 remaining in a game that, to that point, they had dominated.
But then Akron picked up the intensity defensively and Ohio went cold from the field. The Bobcats would make just two more shots and hit just 22 percent of their buckets in the half.
The Zips' Brett McKnight's tip in at the buzzer completed a 23-9 run for Akron, tying the game for the first time since the opening tip-off at 56-56.
With a lead we tend to relax a little bit
said Michael Allen, who finished with a game-high 17 points. Their guys were just stepping up and making big plays.
Despite the big change in momentum, the Bobcats stayed tough unlike Saturday's loss to Buffalo or their home loss to Akron last year - their most recent in The Convo.
That's when you kind of come together closer
Allen said. We've let the past be the past and just keep moving forward.
The win allowed the Bobcats to stay atop the Mid-American Conference East Division with Miami
which defeated Bowling Green 67-60 yesterday.,",2,Sports,Matt O'Donnell,",",",",",","
26671,2009-01-21 03:02:00,Women's Basketball:Ohio tries to limit mental errors
turnovers in upcoming matches,The Bobcats look to take better care of the ball at Miami.,Jennifer Bushby and Jenny Poff will both admit that Ohio's turnover problem comes from within.
The junior guards
who do most of the ball handling
know that the Bobcats make their share of mental errors.
Sometimes, we may think that someone's cutting, Poff said. Sometimes, we're just not on the same page with each other or we're just playing too fast.
Whatever the problem
it's happening a lot. The three starting guards - Poff
Bushby and senior Lauren Hmiel - have 172 turnovers between them. Hmiel has the most on the team with 67.
At times, we get a little lackadaisical with our passing, coach Semeka Randall said
