Based on past performances, the Bobcats should have lost Saturday. They trailed early and then lost their top scorer to an injury, making defeat a reasonable prediction.
But then again, that's why weathermen don't predict college basketball games.
It took Western Michigan less than three minutes to build a 10-2 lead against Ohio Saturday. The Bobcats could not stop the Broncos early, as the visitors shot 80 percent from the field and scored from all over the court in the first three minutes.
But by the end of the game, members of the Marching 110 led a small crowd at The Convo in Winning team
losing team for the first time in more than a month. Symone Lyles and Shavon Robinson poured over the final statistics with wide grins on their faces.
Ohio (6-13, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) needed only seven minutes to erase Western Michigan's eight-point lead. Tenishia Benson's 3-pointer with 10:24 to play in the first half tied the game at 19. After two Western Michigan free throws, Ashley Fowler buried a trey to give Ohio a 22-21 edge.
The Broncos never regained their lead, as the Bobcats won 60-54 and celebrated the first home win by either Ohio basketball team since Dec. 21.
We're just all fighting together Lyles said. We finally just got it together after that 10-2 run that they had and we said
'All right
this is our time
this is our house. We are getting this done.'
The scariest part of the game came with 14:48 remaining in the second half, when Benson drove to the basket and collided with a Bronco defender. Benson fell to the floor and grasped her head in apparent pain. She left the court and was taken to the emergency room at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital.
At the time of the postgame press conference, coach Semeka Randall said she was unaware of the exact nature or extent of the injury.
I'll find out here in a little bit exactly what happened
she said. The goggles actually probably protected her
but she got hit in the head. So we'll see exactly what they diagnose her with.
The Bobcats controlled the glass Saturday, grabbing 41 rebounds to the Broncos' 26. The 15-board advantage tied Ohio's largest rebounding margin this season. The team has outrebounded its opponent in 11 of its last 12 games.
We work in practice a lot on rebounding
Lyles said. Since everybody knows that we're a rebounding team
they're going to try to gun us and beat us at our own game
so we just have to continue to work at it and practice.
We've also been trying to limit (opponents) to one shot
