Winter usually spells trouble for cars, and the Bobcats are no different.
Ohio has slipped, crashed and taken a while to get warmed up in its three conference games thus far.
Tomorrow against Buffalo, the Bobcats (4-12, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) will try to accelerate the process.
Slow beginnings have become a trend throughout their MAC games. They found themselves down 25-6 in the first 10 minutes against Bowling Green, and Miami jumped out to a 27-8 lead in the first half.
The team played better the rest of the game against the RedHawks but found itself in too deep in a 66-58 loss.
The numbers needed to come back from some deficits would be hard for any team
coach Semeka Randall said.
There's maybe only one team in the country that can do that consistently and that's Connecticut.
The sluggish starts have obviously affected the team's psyche, and Randall said that she is trying to get her players to loosen up and avoid coming out timid.
One example has been free throws. At halftime against Miami, Randall did not put pressure on her players for missing but subtly encouraged them to make the shots. The Bobcats shot 13-for-17 from the line in the second half after going 5-for-13 in the first.
Randall says her players need to begin trusting each other in order to succeed. She said that plays a huge factor in the team's falling behind early.
Right now we're experiencing where individuals might want to feel like they have to do it all on their own
Randall said. In the second half against Miami
we came together
and it was beautiful.
The second half against Miami reminded Randall of last year's team. The squad played focused basketball when trailing late in games.
I think we were aggressive
guard Jennifer Bushby said. The biggest problem with this team is that we wait for someone to attack us first. We have to be the aggressors.
It also signaled a change in her women that she has wanted to see.
Change is a must
Randall said. We're already at the bottom; there's no where to go but up.
This weekend, Ohio goes up against a Buffalo team that is built in the same mold as Miami. The Bulls - like the Bobcats - have only four wins but play scrappy basketball.
That program is one that always plays hard
Bushby said. Regardless of their record
they're just going to come at you for 40 minutes.
