Ohio forward Dominique Doseck is one of the best 3-point shooters in the Mid-American Conference, so it puzzled coach Bob Boldon why conference opponent Eastern Michigan let her repeatedly get wide-open during Saturday afternoon’s game.
“The book is out on her (Doseck),” Boldon said chuckling during the post game presser.
She had a game-high 21 points in Ohio’s (15-1, 4-1 MAC) 85-44 blowout win at The Convo shooting 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Most of Doseck’s points came in the second quarter. After going scoreless in the first quarter, she had 12 points off of four shots and zero dribbles. Doseck founds ways to get to her favorite spots on the floor and when the ball found her, she didn’t hesitate to pull up.
“My teammates were just finding me wide-open,” Doseck said. “It felt good being left alone for a change.”
Most teams know not to leave Doseck— who leads the MAC in field goal percentage (.462) — unguarded. She’s a pull up shooter who needs little time to get her shot off. Eastern Michigan (9-7, 2-3 MAC) left her by herself, with hopes of stifling Ohio leading-scorer Cece Hooks’ game. She finished with 13 points and nine assists, most of them to Doseck.
“Cece (Hooks) puts so much pressure on people,” Boldon said. “You have to decide if you’re going to guard her with one person or if you’re going to help.”
Hook’s selflessness was a main reason why other Bobcats found open looks at the basket. Doseck was only a part of Eastern Michigan’s problem of stopping Ohio’s 3-point shooting. The Bobcats shot 14-of-29 from 3-point range and went 8-of-10 in the second quarter.
Ohio’s hot streak came after it had missed its first five 3-point attempts, but on a team full of shooters you can’t lose faith.
“We never lost our confidence,” guard Erica Johnson said. “Your not going to make everything, but we’ve got some really good shooters, and as you can see if you keep shooting they’re going to fall.”
Johnson finished second behind Doseck in points with 16.
The easy win was therapeutic for Ohio. After a difficult stretch of conference games where the Bobcats looked underwhelming, dominating a team of Eastern Michigan’s caliber reminded Ohio of how good it can be when it’s at its best.
It also felt good for the Bobcats to see other teammates score at ease. Players who don’t get many minutes like senior forward Kendall Jessing and redshirt freshman Kaylee Bambule took advantage of their time on the court, and scored five and six points, respectively.
“It feels good, all of us get excited for each other,” Doseck said. “It makes it fun to move the ball and see shots go in.”
