Ohio bests Akron on the road to win MAC East for the second-straight year.
The Bobcats can't be stopped.
Ohio went on a 17-2 run and outscored Akron 29-12 in the second quarter to earn a 101-73 win Saturday.
The win secured Ohio's second-straight Mid-American Conference East title.
It was the first time since 1991 Ohio scored 100-plus points against a Mid-American Conference opponent.
"I thought our kids showed a lot of toughness tonight, with early foul trouble. ... You gotta give a lot of credit to those kids who came off the bench," coach Bob Boldon said. "You talk about team wins; this is certainly a team win."
Fouls plagued guards Kiyanna Black, Quiera Lampkins and forward Hannah Boesinger, with each receiving three fouls going into the half.
The foul trouble for those three scorers could have crippled the Bobcats' (21-4, 13-1 MAC) offense early. Instead, role players stepped up and carried the load offensively with 41 bench points.
Black started off 0-7 and was frustrated by not being able to drive into the lane or get her shot to fall around the perimeter. And when Black picked up her second and third fouls, it was up to Yamonie Jenkins to pick up the pace.
Often forgotten as the third guard in Ohio's offense, Jenkins forced her way inside, drew fouls around the basket and spaced the floor for forwards Lexie Baldwin and Jasmine Weatherspoon to dominate the paint. Jenkins finished the game with 11 points and five assists.
Many of those drives led to fouls by the Zips (13-12, 7-7 MAC), who had some foul trouble of their own throughout the game. Megan Barilla was the only Akron player to enter halftime with three fouls, but every other starter, besides Alex Ricketts, had two fouls and struggled to keep up with the pace and quickness of Ohio.
Foul trouble didn't stop Akron's Anita Brown, however. She scored 29 points and continued her offensive onslaught of the MAC.
"I don't think we did a bad job on Anita; she's just very good," Boldon said. "You play good players, and you do your best to stop them. Thankfully, we were able to guard the rest of their players down the stretch."
Other than Brown, Akron struggled heavily on the offensive end. It took the Zips until the third quarter for them to make their first 3-pointer, and no player other than Brown scored in double digits.
That helped fuel Ohio's 17-2 run in the second quarter that basically sealed the game for the Bobcats.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="cd098360-d8da-11e5-a580-cb452942cb49"}}
The disparity in the score belies the importance of the game.
The win gives Ohio a further cushion atop the MAC. It also shows that even Akron, which is No. 2 in the MAC East, will need to improve if it is to beat Ohio in the conference tournament.
Ohio's returns to The Convo on Wednesday to play Kent State at 7 p.m.
"We have some work to do at home. We love being at home," Boldon said. "It's a big week with the two home games and senior night. It's a big week for women's basketball, and we're happy to be in this spot."
@KellenBecoats
kb749012@ohio.edu
