The Bobcats returned home for their Mid-American Conference opener against Northern Illinois. Ohio cruised to a comfortable 87-67 win over the Huskies to win its first game of the decade.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
First half scoring
The Bobcats started the game hot from beyond the arc. Ohio shot 9-for-18 from three in the first half, at one point it made four 3-pointers in four straight possessions. The run extended the Bobcats’ lead from seven to 17 in the second quarter, which was too big of a lead for Northern Illinois to recover.
Ohio brought a 22-point lead into half and never let it go in the 20-point win.
Defense
The Bobcats shut down Northern Illinois’ offense with a stifling defense that created 22 turnovers in just the first half. The Huskies finished the game with 28 turnovers that Ohio turned into points. The Bobcats scored 33 points off turnovers in the dominating win over Northern Illinois. The pressure they created forced the Huskies into bad shots, particularly in the second half when they shot 35.7% from the field. Northern Illinois’ leading scorer managed just nine points and shot 3-for-10 from the field.
Erica Johnson catches fire
Johnson dominated in her second game back from injury. Whether it was a behind the back move while driving to the basket followed by a floater or a buzzer beater from half court to end the first quarter, everything was falling for her. Johnson led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from three. She also tacked on eight rebounds and five assists to complete her all-around performance.
