AKRON — Ohio defeated Akron 81-71 on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena, but the score might be the only comforting thing the Bobcats could take away from the road trip.
Ohio performed well enough to maintain a lead against Akron, who never led in the game, but it wasn’t a great win for the Bobcats. Ohio’s offense struggled again to make shots, and its defense surrendered several late-game scoring runs that nearly allowed the Zips to even the game.
Here are three stats that mattered:
31
Without Cece Hooks, Ohio’s offense wouldn’t have looked much different than it did in its loss to Buffalo last Wednesday. Hooks led all players with 31 points and three assists and surprised everyone when she opened the night with three consecutive 3s.
The Bobcats still have problems to fix on offense. Hooks was the only player to eclipse 14 points for the Bobcats, and the versatility that Ohio carried in its offense has been absent the past two weeks. It’ll have two weeks to find it before the Mid-American Conference Tournament begins.
0
Amount of turnovers by Erica Johnson and Hooks. Ohio’s top scoring duo combined for five turnovers in Ohio’s loss to Buffalo, but bounced back in the win over Akron. Coach Bob Boldon said he wanted Ohio to be less hesitant in its shooting and passing after Wednesday, and Johnson and Hooks responded better than any other player.
12
After Ohio defeated Akron and Miami fell to Buffalo, the RedHawks and Bobcats both have 12 conference wins. It sets up a huge game Wednesday when Ohio travels to Oxford for the rematch, where the winner will take first place in the East Division and potentially the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament.
