Ohio is seeking to continue it’s winning ways at Eastern Michigan, who are coming off a double-digit loss to Akron.
With some slush and snow blanketing campus grounds, Ohio will be cautious not to slip in Wednesday’s matchup with Eastern Michigan.
The Bobcats, who are on pace to have one of their best seasons in the past decade, will look to clean up some mistakes from the first three Mid-American Conference games, including mid-range defense and not becoming complacent while leading.
Ohio is coming off a 65-58 win over Toledo, in which it saw a 16-point lead diminish late in the first half and some scoring droughts throughout.
“I think we’ve always known that we can compete,” said sophomore guard Quiera Lampkins, who recorded her fifth double-double this season against Toledo. “It’s just that we haven’t been tough enough to actually do it and finish out games.”
Ohio (11-3, 2-1 MAC) has let opponents back into the game numerous times this season, a result of its lack of length and offensive efficiency in the second half.
Against Toledo, the Bobcats were outrebounded 39-35 and allowed Rockets guard Brenae Harris to score off mid-range jumpers. Ohio has been outrebounded 116-109 in the past three contests, but they were without junior forward Lexie Baldwin — one of the team’s leading rebounders and defenders.
“For us, it’s just about getting ready for our next game, and not wondering what’s going to happen seven, eight or nine games from now,” coach Bob Boldon said. “We’re going to try to get ready for Eastern Michigan. Hopefully we’ve got a better approach this time around than we did last (year).”
The Eagles could be an antidote to some of those lingering questions about Ohio’s play midway through the year.
Eastern Michigan (7-6, 0-2 MAC) has lost four of its past seven games and is looking to bounce back from a 65-48 loss to Akron. The Eagles average 70 points and 46 rebounds per game. The Bobcats are averaging 72 points 38 rebounds.
Even with some inconsistent play at times, the Bobcats should be able to open the game up quickly — one of their strong suits — and make the Eagles play from behind. Eastern Michigan is 0-3 this season when it trails at half.
“You’ve got to try to bring the same level of intensity. It’s a maturation process for us. We have one senior. We play a lot of sophomores,” Boldon said. “We’re still playing a lot of young players that need to grow up and mature.”
In terms of continuing their early season success, the Bobcats are satisfied with their sloppy wins in December and are looking to remain atop of the MAC standings.
“Yeah, it’s nice, but it really doesn’t excite me because we’re 2-1 right now. That’s our real record,” junior guard Kiyanna Black said. “Yeah, we had 11 wins and all that stuff, but it really doesn’t matter right now.”
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