With only 10 players on its roster, Ohio understands the importance of physical well-being. For one Bobcat, the benefits of health are easy to see - if only metaphorically.
Redshirt junior Tenishia Benson is recovering from corneal infiltrations in both eyes. The injury sidelined her against UNC-Wilmington Dec. 29, but she has since returned to the lineup. Benson now sports a pair of Oakley athletic glasses to avoid irritation caused by using contact lenses. She has not been cleared to wear contacts.
But the Bobcats' leading scorer said she is not comfortable playing while wearing the glasses, especially when play gets physical near the basket.
I'm gonna be completely honest with you - when you're going in there in the paint and you're getting banged up
you're conscious about you having something on your face and you don't want to get hit Benson said.
With contacts
it's just you. You don't have anything on your face. You don't have to worry about anything.
In the game against Bowling Green last week, Benson decided the lesser of two discomforts would be to play with her contacts. She ignored her doctor's orders and left the glasses on the bench during the second half.
Benson made the decision without consulting coach Semeka Randall, who was not certain how well the former Cincinnati Bearcat could see on the court. All she knew was that her top scorer and rebounder did not care for the glasses.
She already threw them out one time
Randall said after the 66-54 loss to the Falcons. She's so used to playing without her contacts
I don't know if she has her contacts in half the time.
But she's got a feel for the basket. I understand her because I always had a feel for the basket, know exactly where it's at. I respect that as a player.
Benson said her right eye is healthy while her left is still blurry and uncomfortable when wearing contacts.
Benson is no stranger to injuries. As a sophomore at Cincinnati
she sustained a grade-2 concussion and played only 11 games in the 2008-09 season. Between that setback and sitting out for a year after transferring to Ohio
she had not logged a single minute of playing time in a year and a half.
Earlier this season
Randall said she was pleased with Benson's contributions coming off her hiatus.
She's a player. She just makes plays happen off her penetration or her going to the basket and getting to the free throw line, Randall said. That's something that we missed for the last two years.
@ThePostSports,",2,Sports,Michael Stainbrook,33250a.jpg,Ohio forward Tenishia Benson takes a shot past Bowling Green guard Lauren Prochaska during last Wednesday's game in The Convo. Ohio lost to Bowling Green 54-66. (Maddie Meyer | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
