INDIANAPOLIS— Erica Johnson laid stiff on her side for a few moments. Ohio’s medical staff rushed to her aid and helped her to her feet. Johnson took off her glasses as she walked to the bench and sat for the remainder of the game.
When the redshirt freshman point guard exited, there were 17 seconds remaining. The team needed her, but she had already done more than enough.
Despite leaving the game in the final minute, Johnson’s 22-point, seven rebound and six assist career-high performance willed Ohio to a 73-66 victory over nonconference foe IUPUI on Sunday at The Jungle.
Johnson said after the game that she aggravated her left knee — the knee she had surgery on two years ago.
“I heard a pop,” Johnson said. “I just got nervous, but I will be OK.”
Ohio (9-0) came into Sunday’s contest looking to tie its best start in program history. The Bobcats were also looking for revenge. Ohio lost to IUPUI last year in Athens but defeated the Jaguars in The Jungle in 2016. Both teams were familiar with each other, and it showed early.
The Bobcats struggled early against the Jaguars and their dominant sophomore center Macee Williams. Williams bullied every defender coach Bob Boldon sent her way, finishing with 27 points and 16 rebounds.
Johnson kept her team ahead though, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. She helped the Bobcats climb out to a seven-point lead.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Bobcats continued to struggle to contain Williams. Ohio has never been dominated by one player but always found a way to respond. Despite Williams leading all scorers at the half, Ohio led 39-36.
“It was definitely a battle with her (Williams),” forward Gabby Burris said. “I’m shorter and I don’t have as much meat on me as her so it was easier for her to bully me around and get the ball.”
Williams commanded the paint, but Ohio came out for the second half looking to take over the game. Ohio started off the third quarter with a 7-0 run. Three minutes into the second half, Ohio had its biggest lead of the game.
It looked like Ohio was going to overwhelm the Jaguars, and another second half rout was imminent.
IUPUI had other plans.
The Jaguars came out after a timeout and dominated the Bobcats for the rest of the quarter.
IUPUI hit two back-to-back 3 pointers. Ohio put its best offensive weapons on the court but still went scoreless for six minutes.
“We needed to be better,” Boldon said. “In that six minutes we were a little bit sloppy but Dominique (Doseck) missed a wide-open three, Gabby missed a wide-open three. There’s gonna be a stretch where you make a couple there’s gonna be a stretch where you miss a couple.”
Ohio was sitting on a double digit lead, but after an 18-2 IUPUI run it was looking at a four-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
Ohio could have given up but instead it embraced its first back-and-forth game of the season.
“That just shows how encouraging our coaches and teammates were,” Johnson said after being told the Bobcats were outscored 18-2 and held scoreless for six minutes. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”
Trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time this season, Ohio needed some momentum, and it quickly found some.
Doseck hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth, and then Cece Hooks took back the lead with a layup seconds later. It looked like Ohio would be able to ride its momentum to the win. IUPUI continued to fight back, though.
But Erica Johnson was too much.
Each time the ball was in her hands, she took in to the rim. IUPUI defenders fouled her hard, but still she sank her shots. Johnson had been waiting for stiff competition, and she wasn’t going to shrink in the biggest moments.
“I really like the challenge,” Johnson said. “I like when the game goes back-and-forth,”
Johnson sat on the bench with satisfaction on her face watching the IUPUI defenders frantically try to foul for a hope of staying in the game.
But it was too late.
