Katie Barker knows she’s a good shooter.
So when Barker and the Bobcats’ shooting slump commenced, it was weird. Shots that usually fall still aren’t falling.
Barker is shooting just 19.4 percent from the floor and 20 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Her teammates are in the same rut; it seems like nobody can knock down open shots.
“I think it’s just experience and getting comfortable in the game,” Barker said. “Practice shooting, this is the best our team has done in the three years I’ve been here. We need to get more game reps.”
Ohio will look to escape the shooting woes that have plagued it through the first five games of the season with one of those game reps Saturday; it hosts IUPUI in The Convo.
Although they’ve struggled to find their stroke, the Bobcats have been winning. They’re 4-1 to start the season, with the only loss coming to a ranked Michigan team.
The start has the Barker excited for what is to come. They have found ways to win games without shooting well, and that’s a great sign for when they are finally able to knock down shots.
“I think once we knock down shots, I think we’re going to be really good,” she said. “Sometimes me, Taylor (Agler) and Dom (Doseck) joke in practice like, 'if all three of us are knocking down shots, what we could do to another team,' so it is really exciting.”
With shots coming at a premium, the Bobcats have been forced to make plays defensively. They’re No. 1 in the country in turnover margin and No. 3 nationally in turnovers forced. The defensive effort has fueled them to the 4-1 start.
Effort defensively starts with leadership, and Barker, along with her experienced teammates have been molding the young players, teaching them how to play defense at the division I level early in the season.
It’s paying off.
“(The defense) has definitely grown since the freshmen have gotten here,” she said. “I think our coaches have done a really good job of breaking down the defensive rotations and getting the freshmen to learn them that way, instead of just throwing them in there and trying to go five on five, live.”
As the defense continues to look better each game, the offense struggles. But Barker knows if her and her teammates keep hoisting up shots, they’ll eventually find a rhythm.
“(It’s big) having that confidence in your teammates that your shots will eventually go in and you’ll be okay,” she said.
