Ohio (2-2) fell to Xavier (3-2) in a tough loss by a score of 74-53. In what was a chance to get a win against a Big East Conference member, Ohio’s offense struggled throughout the game, not shooting above 50% in any category. From the field, the Bobcats shot 32.2%. From three, they shot 21.6% and from the free throw line, they shot 46.7%, missing over half of their free throw attempts. This was the story of the game as a whole, as the only quarter Ohio shot 40% in was the fourth quarter, where it barely hit that mark, going 4/10 from the field.
Xavier had a much better shooting night, as the Musketeers shot 45.8% from the field the whole game while also converting 32.3% of their three pointers. Xavier also didn’t let many free point opportunities go to waste, as it converted its free throws at an 83.3% clip. With that big of a shooting disparity, there is little shot of winning, and this game proved that, as Ohio lost by 21 points.
Despite the big difference in shooting percentages, Ohio and Xavier kept the game close in the first quarter, ending it with a score of 17-14. Neither team shot the best from the field, but Ohio’s defense locked down Xavier in this quarter, preventing any big runs from happening early on. The Bobcats' steals game was on point as it had 10 total in the game compared to Xavier’s four, forcing those much-needed turnovers in the first quarter.
The second quarter was where things started to get out of hand scoring-wise, as while Ohio’s shooting woes continued, Xavier’s shooting percentages went up across the board. Despite taking four fewer field goals, Xavier converted them at a 50% clip and also converted its three pointers at a 44% clip, putting Ohio in a deficit that would be hard to come out of. Ohio shot worse in this quarter, only hitting a quarter of its shots and continuing to struggle with its three-point shots, making just one the entire quarter compared to Xavier’s four. The Bobcats' offense was struggling along with the defense, and this resulted in the score going into halftime being 35-23.
The third quarter was much the same as the second quarter. The Musketeers kept piling onto their lead and shot a whopping 50% from three in this quarter and also made all five of their free throws, making those fouls costly plays for the Bobcats. Ohio wasn’t able to take advantage of the free throws given to it, as two of them were missed, which would become a bigger story in the fourth quarter. Ohio had dug itself into a hole that would be hard to get out of with its poor shooting, and the third quarter ended with a score of 56-41.
Although Xavier had a 15-point lead heading into the final quarter, it killed any chances of Ohio having a miraculous comeback. Xavier converted 7/12 of its field goals, and despite shooting poorly from three in this quarter, Ohio had a way worse shooting stat in one category. Ohio missed four of its free throws in this quarter, going 2/6 from the line. In what has been a struggle for the team this season, this quarter exemplified it, as despite the bad loss, those points could’ve given some momentum. Xavier would go on to clean up Ohio with a score of 74-53, a brutal loss for Ohio.
Ohio did have some good performances from players, though, as Aliah McWhorter once again played another fantastic game, scoring 15 points on 6/11 shooting, but she did go 0/4 from the three-point line. She also contributed five rebounds, with two of those being offensive. The rest of the team struggled on the offensive end, but defensively, three different players had two or more steals, continuing to build on Ohio’s reputation for causing turnovers.
With this loss, Ohio will head back to The Convo this Monday to face off against Wright State and look to get back on track after this loss.
