The storyline from The Convo was simple: Ball State knocked down three-pointers and Ohio didn’t on Saturday.
The Cardinals (8-8, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) handed the Bobcats their first home loss, winning 79-63 in a game that was never close and included no lead changes.
“They’re really good, “coach Bob Boldon said. “I don’t know if their record is indicative of how good they are. I wouldn’t say I was particularly pleased with our defensive effort.”
Ohio (8-8, 3-2 MAC) is now .500 on the season with some of their toughest conference opposition still ahead.
However, after Saturday’s loss Boldon didn’t offer any excuses and said the poor three-point shooting wasn’t the major problem.
“If we run down those offensive rebounds and kick it to our outside shooter and she makes it, everyone thinks, ‘Oh, that’s great’,” Boldon said. “But if you kick it out to her and she misses it, everybody says, ‘Why do you shoot so many threes?’”
The Bobcats shot 23-61 from the floor, including 7-31 from behind the arc. The Cardinals went 27-46 overall, with a 13-18 three point effort (72.2 percent).
“I don’t think the way they came out shooting effected the way we came out and shot,” said sophomore guard Kiyanna Black. “I think we just need to make shots whether we’re up or down. Our focus wasn’t there to start the game and we didn’t come out with intensity.”
Black led all scorers with 23 points, but shot 5-16 from three-point land. The only other Bobcat was freshman guard Quiera Lampkins, who finished with 19.
Natalie Fontaine, Ball State’s sophomore guard, dominated and began the game with nine points in five minutes. She finished with 20 points total.
Another Cardinal that stood out was freshman guard Jill Morrison, who went 5 of 6 from beyond the arc and scored 19 points.
“We just weren’t getting out to their shooters, especially (Jill Morrison),” said Lampkins. “We knew she was a three-point shooter and that’s all she could do. It just comes down to our defense.”
Boldon emphasized that Ball State was the kind of team he would like the Bobcats turn into with time.
“Ball State played the same schedule we’ve played,” Boldon said. “Ball State plays about the same number of players we play. Good teams show up and win basketball games.”
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@charliehatch_
