Ohio will be looking for its first win of the season on Sunday in its home opener against American. The Bobcats began their season in Syracuse, where they lost a 66-54 game to the No. 21 Orange.
Coach Bob Boldon has not lost a home opener during his time with Ohio.
Here’s what you need to know heading into the Bobcats’ home opener:
Game Information:
Who: American Eagles
When: Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m.
Where: The Convo
How to Watch: ESPN3
How to Listen: Ohio IMG Sports Network
Scouting the Eagles
American will open its season against the Bobcats on Sunday. Last season, the Eagles placed second in the Patriot League in the regular season, finishing 22-11 and going 16-2 in the conference.
After losing to Bucknell in the Patriot League Championship, American accepted a bid in the WNIT and lost to Penn in the first round.
The Eagles graduated three of their top four scorers from last season. Senior Kaitlyn Marenyi is the lone double-digit scorer who returns from American’s 2018-2019 season. She averaged 11.2 points a game in her junior season.
The Bobcats and the Eagles met last season in Washington, D.C., with Ohio coming away with a 77-67 victory.
Things to watch from Ohio
The Bobcats struggled to find clean looks against Syracuse on Tuesday, and when they did get an open shot at the basket, it seemed like they couldn’t get much to fall. Ohio only shot 30.6 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from behind-the-arc.
The game against the Orange ended much differently than it started. Ohio dominated Syracuse in the first quarter, leading 21-5 at one point, and was led by strong starts from Cece Hooks and Amani Burke, who finished the first quarter with eight and seven points, respectively.
Hooks was Ohio’s leading scorer in the loss and finished with 17 points. Erica Johnson and Burke followed with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Bobcats’ rebounding struggles from last season also persisted in the Syracuse loss. Ohio was out-rebounded 57 to 32 by the Orange and gave up 23 offensive boards.
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