Hannah Boesinger scored 18 points, as the Bobcats never trailed in their third conference win of the season.
If there were any concerns lurking around Ohio’s locker room before its 82-59 win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, they have vanished.
After relinquishing a 16-point lead in last Saturday’s win over Toledo, the Bobcats never trailed against the Eagles, thanks to multiple contributions from their bench and a quick 22-2 game-opening run.
Sophomore forward Hannah Boesinger led the Bobcats in scoring with 18 points, while senior guard Mariah Byard scored 16 and junior guard Kiyanna Black added 12 points. The last time Ohio reached 12 wins in a season was February 2012 and the last time the Bobcats held a 3-1 record in the Mid-American Conference was in January 2005.
“When we share the basketball, we get good shots. Regardless if they are in zone or in man,” coach Bob Boldon said
Going into Wednesday, Ohio’s offense struggled at times in second halves, especially during last week’s 61-51 loss to Western Michigan.
This time around, however, Ohio encountered almost no adversity on offense.
Besides fouls and free throw percentages, Ohio held the advantage in every statistical category, as it shot 48 percent from 3-point range and at one point led by 25. Eastern Michigan shot 30 percent from behind the arc.
The Bobcats, who had been outrebounded in the previous three games, controlled the glass early on and outrebounded the Eagles, 46-35. Sophomore forward Jasmine Weatherspoon, one of Ohio’s best rebounders alongside junior forward Lexie Baldwin, led the Bobcats with 13 rebounds. Baldwin finished with seven.
“When we rebounded the ball well, we looked really good, and we increased our lead. And when we didn’t rebound well they kinda got back into it,” Boldon said. “If you were to tell me we would’ve gotten more offensive rebounds than them, I would’ve thought you were crazy.”
Boldon’s motion system is known to spread the opposition out along the 3-point line with its perimeter shooting. But Wednesday the Bobcats scored 32 points inside the paint — 19 of which were second-chance points.
Earlier in the season redshirt junior guard Kat Yelle said the Bobcats wanted to play fast. The Bobcats, however, have slowed down going into MAC play — averaging 19 seconds per possession against the Eagles.
“Obviously our principles are little bit different to get the shots, but they all involve us sharing the basketball and passing to each other,” Boldon said. “I thought, that's the one thing we did well, especially in the first half.”
During the first half, Byard led the Bobcats with 12 points and hit three consecutive treys to ignite a 31-10 lead over the Eagles. Black also added 10 of her 12 points in the first six minutes of play.
“Bob’s Ballers,” a nickname some players have tweeted out on their personal Twitter accounts, have not missed in MAC play. The Bobcats began their season on a historical 6-0 start and now are on the cusp of breaking numerous conference records.
At its current pace, Ohio could set records for most wins in a season (23) and are on pace to finish among the top-10 offenses in program history.
@Lukeoroark
lr514812@ohio.edu
