Despite holding its opponent to 20 points less than it had been allowing this season, Ohio could not escape with a victory on Sunday in the opening game of the James Madison Invitational.
The Bobcats (4-6) equaled their lowest scoring output on the season and lost to the Dukes 56-33, which was Ohio’s fifth loss in the past six games.
Ohio’s offense was cold from the field, shooting just 17 percent (10 of 58), as the Bobcats were just as dismal from beyond the arc having made just three of 20 attempts. However, James Madison didn’t fare much better as it shot just 38 percent (18 of 48) from the field.
The Bobcats found their must success by attacking the rim trying to draw contact, but when they got to the line the Bobcats failed to convert as they made just 10 of 22 shots from the charity stripe.
“We just fell on some hard times shooting the ball,” coach Bob Boldon said. “If you are going to beat a team like James Madison, you’re going to have to shoot the ball better then we shot the ball from the floor, from the three point line, and the free throw line. It just wasn’t good from anywhere for us tonight.”
Freshman guard Quiera Lampkins accounted for a third of the Bobcats’ scoring with 11 points, as she found success at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half driving to the rim and finishing in traffic.
The defense also found troubles stopping the Dukes’ leading scorer Kirby Burkholder, who finished with a game-high 18 points
With the loss Ohio will play University of Maryland-Baltimore County in Monday’s third place game after it lost to Norfolk State 56-43 in the other semifinal game on Sunday.
UMBC (1-10) has seven true freshmen on its roster, similar to the Bobcats which have six players of the same status.
The Retrievers average 51 points per game and are led by freshman forward Sara Tarbert, who averages 16 points per contest.
“(UMBC runs) a Princeton offense similar to ECU which we guard just a couple weeks ago,” Boldon said. “Scoring will still be a challenge. We’ll see a multitude of zones tomorrow and judging by our three point shooting percentage that’s probably not a good thing.”
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