If Saturday is dubbed “Gary Trent Day,” Thursday night should have been named in honor of Tenishia Benson.
Ohio (9-10, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) defeated Akron (8-11, 2-3 MAC) in overtime, 72-71, behind a clutch performance by Benson. Ohio pushed its record to 2-0 in overtime games this season.
Ohio also tied its win total from last season with the victory against Akron. The Bobcats finished 9-22 a year ago.
With the win, Ohio pulled into a tie for third place in the MAC East.
Benson led Ohio with a season-high 23 points, marking the 12th-straight game that she has finished in double digits.
“What you witnessed was a senior stepping up, putting her team on her back, and winning the basketball game,” head coach Semeka Randall said. “The rest of the team rallied around her.”
Ohio came out of the gate strong and established an early lead. Sophomore guard Shavon Robinson paced the Bobcats early and helped stretch the lead to 17-9 eight minutes into the game.
Akron countered with Taylor Ruper, who had eight points in the first half. But in the final minute of the half, Benson drove to the basket and made a layup to give the Bobcats a 30-28 halftime lead.
The pace of the game slowed at the start of the second half. Ohio is normally a transition team, but, in order to contain Ruper, the style of play had to change.
“She had two (3-pointers) in the first half, one in transition and one in our zone,” Randall said. “We made some adjustments and keyed in on her.”
Ohio had a 62-60 lead with 25 seconds left, but a late layup from the Zips’ Sina King forced overtime.
The Bobcats took control of the game for good with three seconds left in overtime. Benson inbounded the ball but ended up with it because of a broken play. She then was fouled on a last-second shot attempt.
Benson sank the first free throw and intentionally missed the second to seal the victory for Ohio.
“This is just like practice, just like practice,” Benson said. “I was happy with being on the line. I love being on the line.”
Randall said that when a player plays a game like Benson did Thursday, she does what she can to make sure the player stays in her groove.
“It was in her eyes. Anytime a player displays that, you don’t want to talk to them or tell them anything,” Randall said. “You just let them do their thing.”
Junior point guard Ashley Fowler had two rebounds and two assists in her return from an injury.
nr225008@ohiou.edu
