After back-to-back losses against Horizon League opposition, Ohio will look for brighter horizons.
This time, Youngstown State was the culprit, as the Penguins defeated the Bobcats 55-47.
Head coach Semeka Randall said she found it interesting that her team could come out and play flat.
“We knew this was coming,” she said. “I found it interesting that our girls did not show more will to win.”
For the sixth game in a row, Ohio’s shooting percentage has hovered near 30 percent. The highest in that span was 39.6 percent in the contest against Duquesne.
In tonight’s game, the Bobcats (2-4) were held to a 31.1 shooting percentage.
“We’ve worked on trying to find a groove on offense in the last couple of practices,” Randall said.
One player who found her groove again was redshirt senior guard Tenishia Benson.
Against Cleveland State, Benson scored only four points. In tonight’s game, she scored 14 points and hauled in eight rebounds. Randall said it was nice to see Benson produce.
“She is in her senior year doing everything she can to help us win,” Randall said. “She is playing with so much heart.”
Junior forward Porsha Harris added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bobcats kept it close in the first half and only trailed 24-22 even though the Penguins shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc.
In the second half, Youngstown State built a 15-point lead.
At the 3:30 mark of the second half, a layup from Harris cut the Penguins’ lead to four at 48-44.
About a minute later, Youngstown State’s lead was back up to nine points.
Ohio closed the gap to seven points, but that would be as close as it would get.
QUICK STATS
Tenishia Benson: 14 points and 8 rebounds
Porsha Harris: 11 points and 10 rebounds
Youngstown State's Heidi Schlegel scored 14 points in the second half (21 overall).
nr225008@ohiou.edu
