CLEVELAND— On Saturday, for the third time this season, Ohio will face Buffalo, but this time it’s special.
This time it’s to clinch the season series, to own the yearly bragging rights and most importantly, for the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.
The two teams each have a victory over each other. Ohio’s came back in January when it stole a 74-71 overtime win at Buffalo. The Bulls exacted revenge seven weeks later when they blew out Ohio in The Convo 73-43.
It was the Bobcats’ worst loss of the season. But that won’t be their mind come Saturday.
“We won the first outing, they won the second outing,” Erica Johnson said. “The team who plays the hardest and stays with it and sticks with the game plan and executes the game plan will win, so we just have to stick to our principles.”
The last time Ohio was in the title game it won. That was four years ago and Ohio coach Bob Boldon is just happy that his current team gets to experience the excitement.
“It's something that they'll remember forever and hopefully we make the most of it,” Boldon said.
Game information
Opponent: Buffalo
Gametime: 11 a.m.
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
Watch: CBS sports network
Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Meet the opponent
Starters
24 Cierra Dillard (5-9)
11 Theresa Onwuka (5-10)
10 Hanna Hall (5-3)
25 Adebola Adeyeye (6-2)
00 Summer Hemphill (6-1)
Reserves
12 Courtney Wilkins (6-1)
32 Brittany Morrison (5-9)
02 Finess Dickson (5-6)
13 Autumn Jones (5-8)
30 Marissa Hamilton (6-0)
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS
Points per game: Dillard (25.8)
Rebounds per game: Hemphill (10.17)
Assists per game: Dillard (5.68)
Steals: Dillard (88)
Team stats compared to Ohio
Ohio’s stats are in parenthesis.
Points per game: 76.1 (78.0)
Rebounds per game: 40.1 (37.1)
Steals per game: 9.9 (10.74)
Field goal percentage: .413 (.431)
3-point percentage: .308 (.358)
Free throw percentage: .772 (.696)
THE SERIES
Ohio is 18-23 all-time against Buffalo. The Bobcats and Bulls split their season series, with the first one going to Ohio and the second going to Buffalo. Ohio’s lost six of its last eight meetings against the Bulls.
Bob Boldon is 7-11 against Buffalo coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
For the Bobcats, Erica Johnson has been amazing during the tournament. The redshirt freshman is coming off a back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Northern Illinois and Miami, respectively. In both games, she kickstarted the Bobcats’ offense with her range and ability to finish in traffic. While Ohio is loaded at all positions, it may struggle if she’s not able to get into rhythm.
While all eyes have been on Buffalo guard Cierra Dillard, the player to watch is Summer Hemphill. Dillard will get her points, but Buffalo’s is most dangerous when Hemphill — the Bulls’ best rebounder and second leading scorer — is in a groove. In Buffalo’s 82-77 victory over Central Michigan, Hemphill had 24 points and held Central Michigan guard Presley Hudson to 10 points. Her ability to score, defend and rebound makes her one of the most complete players in the conference and whoever is tasked with guarding her will be in for a challenge. Although Ohio will be focused on stopping Dillard, it must also be ready to shut down Hemphill.
