For the second time this season, an eye injury has sidelined Ohio's top offensive threat.
Redshirt junior Tenishia Benson sustained facial swelling during Saturday's 60-54 win against Western Michigan and is listed as day-to-day.
Six minutes into the second half, Benson drove to the basket and collided with a Bronco defender. The contact point was her orbital bone, which surrounds the eye.
Benson will travel with Ohio to Eastern Michigan but will not play. Yesterday, she attended practice in sweats and non-athletic glasses but did not take part in any drills. Her doctor has implemented a no contact policy until the swelling diminishes.
She's doing whatever the doctor asked her to do
coach Semeka Randall said. We hope to have her back sooner rather than later but I definitely want to make sure she's ready to go fully out there.
Benson leads Ohio with 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. No other Bobcat places within the top 30 scorers or 20 rebounders in the conference.
Ohio (6-13, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) will dress only nine players against Eastern Michigan today.
It's tough because we're getting a lot of reps in and we are down a player sophomore point guard Ashley Fowler said. She's a key part of our offense and our defense
our energy. But we've got her back. We'll be all right.
The Eagles (13-7, 4-2 MAC) feature a spontaneous offense that fires shots frequently and at odd intervals, Randall said. Eastern Michigan leads the conference in offensive rebounds, steals and turnover margin.
I've mentioned it to our team numerous times that this is going to be a tough game
Randall said. They are the best in the league in terms of how they pursue the basketball
so it's about being smart.
The Bobcats are 4-0 this season when they score at least 60 points, but they are only 2-13 when putting 59 or fewer on the board. Ohio lost 62-53 to UNC Wilmington in its only game without Benson this year. Sophomore Symone Lyles started in place of Benson against the Seahawks and led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Everybody has to step up. This is not anything foreign or different for us
Randall said. Like I told our players
it's not about one person thinking they've got to step up and produce what she does. What's made us good thus far was a team effort.
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