Ohio beats Eastern Michigan to complete 4-0 MAC start.
Eastern Michigan is seemingly always in Ohio's way.
The Eagles were the only team to beat the Bobcats at home in conference play last season. The two teams then met in the conference title game — in which Ohio prevailed — and, Wednesday, they almost ended the Bobcats' 4-0 start in Mid-American Conference play.
But the Bobcats pulled away late to grab a 71-64 win in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
"It just shows that we can fight through and we really need to come together," junior forward Quiera Lampkins said. "And that's when we win, when we come together."
The Bobcats did come together during a hectic fourth quarter in which they began to pull away after trailing for much of what was a close game. But the Eagles dominated in one area: rebounds.
EMU was monstrous on the boards, getting on the offensive glass for multiple second-chance points and forcing Ohio to try and keep them out of the paint.
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"It was a tough start," coach Bob Boldon said. "Obviously (I'm) happy where we're at today and clearly we have a ways to go from here."
Both teams were inefficient, especially EMU, as it shot 28 percent from the field and ended 23-of-80. A three-point flurry at the end of the 3rd quarter helped keep the Bobcats afloat, but their struggles inside the arc persisted throughout the game.
"We just said we have to pick it up and that's what we had to do because we weren't playing to the best of our ability," Lampkins said.
Senior guard Kiyanna Black and junior forward Quiera Lampkins propelled the Bobcats to the win, as they ended the game with a combined 37 of the team's 71 points.
"They mean a lot to this program," Boldon said. "They were here when we were really bad and they've been through it. They've put in work and it's nice to see kids like that succeed."
Lampkins was pivotal early on, as she scored 11 of the team's 14 points in the first quarter. It was Black's turn in the second, as she picked up the scoring burden while Lampkins went scoreless.
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Those two contended with Eastern's Phillis Web, who had a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. But it was not enough for the Eagles to grab the win at home.
The win was Ohio's seventh consecutive and improved it to .500 on the road.
The Bobcats return home to take on Central Michigan on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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