Erica Johnson took the ball up the left side of the floor. With the clock winding down, the forward was forced to throw up a shot from half court.
The ball swished through the net.
It was one of those days for Johnson and the rest of the Bobcats — everything was going in.
The redshirt sophomore played in her second game back from injury Saturday in The Convo. But she said the 87-67 win over Northern Illinois felt like her first game truly being back in the lineup.
“My first game back in Chattanooga, their fans were there and I just had my team, but being back and playing in front of my family, I felt good,” Johnson said. “Shoot around was great. I’ve been feeling good all week, so it was good to be back. I felt like today was my first game back.”
Johnson scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and made five 3-pointers. She also added eight rebounds and five assists to her totals.
“She was locked in all day today. And all week,” coach Bob Boldon said. “She wasn’t alone, I think this team in general was very excited to get conference play started.”
She was aided by the efforts of Amani Burke, who scored 22 points with three rebounds and an assist and Gabby Burris, who had 16 points with seven rebounds.
The return to home for the first time in almost a month was huge for Ohio, who won its first Mid-American Conference game of the season.
The Bobcats came out to use their homecoming as a statement to the rest of the MAC.
“We talked about how we wanted to beat them by 20,” Burke said. “Just that little goal before the game helps us with our mindset and coming out and making sure we’re not sluggish.”
Ohio was the farthest thing from sluggish in the beginning of the game. The Bobcats began with some of their best shooting and defense they’ve had all year. They made nine 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a season-high 14 baskets from beyond the arc. They also forced 18 turnovers in the first half, leading to 22 points off those turnovers.
The tone was set early in the game, and for the rest of the MAC teams on the upcoming schedule.
“I definitely think these next couple games are going to be tone setters,“ Burke said. “Not just this one.”
Johnson and the rest of the Bobcats play again on Wednesday in a huge early matchup against Central Michigan, who qualified for the NCAA tournament last season. If Ohio can translate its success from Saturday to Wednesday, the message will be received all around the MAC that the Bobcats are a team to be feared.
