Ohio won its second-straight game Saturday afternoon against Western Michigan in The Convo. The Bobcats (12-6, 10-5 Mid-American Conference) have won seven of the last eight games against the Broncos (3-13, 2-12 MAC).
Here are The Post’s takeaways from the 74-52 win.
Hooks scores 29
CeCe Hooks was back to her dominant self after being held to 34 points over the last two games. Hooks, who was honored as a 2,000 point scorer, scored 29 points in her honorary day. Hooks also had seven rebounds and seven assists. Hooks is an all-time great at Ohio. She is only the second Bobcat to reach 2,000 points and she is also the program leader in steals.
She played like the legend she is against the Broncos with elite play in the paint on 11-of-26 shooting. Hooks scored 15 points in the third quarter alone to bolster an Ohio lead heading into the last period. Defensively, she stole the ball twice and caused chaos to the opposing offense with overwhelming ball pressure.
Second half dominance
After a close start to the game, the Bobcats blew the game open in the second half. There was never a doubt Ohio would win the game, despite the game being tied at the half. Ohio outscored Western Michigan by 10 in the third quarter and only allowed six points in the fourth quarter to make the win a big one on the scoreboard.
The Bobcats were able to rotate in some of the role players thanks to the big lead. Alexandra Antonova and Hunter Rogan both picked up minutes late in the game and continued the strong defense. Ohio also made eight of its nine free throws in the second half.
Shorthanded coaching
The Bobcats’ bench was a little shorter on Saturday afternoon since two assistant coaches were out due to contact tracing. Associate head coach Tavares Jackson and assistant coach Marwan Miller weren’t in attendance leaving almost all of the coaching to head coach Bob Boldon.
Beside Boldon was a new assistant, Peyton Guice, who returned to the bench for the first time since injuring her knee against Western Michigan a few weeks ago. Guice has been praised as one of the smartest players on the team who is always coaching, regardless of her playing status.
What’s next?
Ohio will stay at home to play Northern Illinois on Wednesday. The Bobcats beat the Huskies by 10 earlier this season.
