Ohio (4-11 overall, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) was competitive throughout the first half, but Western Michigan (6-9 overall, 1-4 MAC) took control in the third quarter, closing out its victory by a score of 73-55.
The Bobcats took their trip to Kalamazoo searching for a win against a Broncos team that had also been struggling. They came out of the gate playing like they needed to play to pick up a statement win. Kennedi Watkins had the first five points of an 18-point performance come in the first quarter.
She was supported by Bengisu Alper, Kate Dennis and Monica Williams, who also chipped in on the scoring load in the opening frame. On the other side, Western Michigan guard Kaitlyn Zarycki started hot, going 3-3 from the field to score her first six out of the 30 points she would notch that night.
Ohio would show up big again in the second quarter, scoring 20 total points on an efficient 8-15 from the field. The Bobcats would once again put up those numbers with a variety of players, keeping the offensive workload balanced, which allowed them to score efficiently. Six different Bobcats scored in the second quarter, and not one player took more than three shots. It was a simple, effective and efficient quarter for Ohio, and one that allowed them to take the lead going into the half by a score of 34-30.
Ohio’s night would take a turn coming out of the break. However, and Western Michigan completely took over the game. The biggest issue for Ohio in the third frame was the lack of three-point shooting. All year, Ohio has rode its strong three-point shooting from players like Madi Mace and Bailey Tabeling to make up for their lack of size both in the paint and on the glass.
That game plan did not show up in the second half for the Bobcats as they failed to knock down a single three in the last 20 minutes of action, finishing the second half 0-12 from three. As for Western Michigan, it took advantage of Ohio’s ice-cold shooting in the third quarter by shooting 4-7 from deep and 10-16 from the floor to take a commanding 56-42 lead going into the fourth, completely flipping the game on its head.
It was the same story for Ohio in the fourth quarter as well, almost to the same degree on offense. The Bobcats once again went 0-6 from three-point land in the quarter and shot 4-16 from the field, which is just one less shot attempt away from their third-quarter split of 4-17 from the field.
Ohio was able to make its way to the free throw line, something it failed to do in the third. Despite the Bobcats shooting 5-6 from the charity stripe in the final 10 minutes, they were unable to mount a comeback against the Broncos, who closed out the game with another productive quarter shooting-wise, going 6-9 from the field and 5-5 on two-point shots.
This game marks Ohio’s fourth straight conference loss despite Kennedi Watkins having one of her best games in an Ohio uniform, putting up 18 points on the night. Ohio will have a chance to bounce back at home Saturday against a team from the other side of the state in Eastern Michigan. Ohio has had success at home this season and will need to continue its success to stay afloat in the MAC.
