Ohio (12-7, 6-3 Mid American Conference) shot 45% from the field, 35.1% in the 3-point range and 69.2% for free throws. Despite the solid shooting numbers, Ohio fell to UMass after getting outrebounded by the Minutewomen.
One positive for Ohio was sophomore guards Gigi Bower and Monica Williams, who had 17 and 11 points, respectively, both coming off the bench.
“I think we’ve had good depth all year, and we’ve had a number of different kids play well for us on any given night,” Ohio head coach Bob Bolden said when asked about how well the bench played. “I think if there is a great spot, it is what’s happening with those kids … they came in and played really well.”
The bench accounted for 43 of the team's 76 points, with three of the top five scorers coming off the bench.
“My teammates got me open, and they drove the ball. I just got in flow … it's a mindset,” Bower said about what was working so well for her coming off the bench.
She had 6 points in the first-quarter, 5 in the second and 6 in the third, despite having 0 in the fourth. Fifteen of her points came from 3-point shots.
The Bobcats ended the first-quarter with a 21-16 lead. They had made 44.4% of their field goals, with three of them coming off 3-pointers. Just behind Bower’s 6 points, junior guard Asiah Baxter had 4 points, also coming off the bench.
They ended the first-half with a 38-35 lead. They improved their field goal rate to 46.9% and had a 30% 3-point percentage. They had 16 rebounds in the first-half, with an impressive number of nine coming defensively.
The third-quarter is when they started to slow down a little, giving the Minutewomen a lead of 61-58. The Bobcat’s 30% 3-point rate stuck, but their field goal percentage fell back down to 44.9%.
The Bobcats could only put up 18 more points in the fourth, converting four of their seven three-point shots. They made all four of their free throws and converted one 2-point basket from guard Bella Ranallo.
The team also did well with rebounds. Despite still getting out-rebounded, the Bobcats had 27 total rebounds, with 11 coming offensively and 16 coming defensively. This is a better stat than the Bobcats typically end with.
“It comes down to heart, I think we’re hitting people pretty well,” Bower said. “We’re just sticking to them instead of going and getting the ball and jumping to it. So, we’re going to have to work on that.”
“Those 50/50 balls, you just have to hustle for them, obviously (UMass was),“ McWhorter said. “Being smart, getting a position and reading where the ball is shot from and how it comes off the rim … you have to be able to see that in the midst of the game. It’s something that we work on in practice, and we’ll continue to work on it.”
The Minutewomen had height on their side when it came to the rebounds. Six feet, one inch forward Megan Olbrys had 10 of UMass’ rebounds.
“We have to be ready to dig in and get the ball when they bring it down. We have to outwork them when they have the height advantage,” McWhorter said about what the Bobcats’ strategy will be to get past the opponent’s height going forward.
“If we’re fortunate enough to make the MAC tournament, and we have to play them again, we’ll come up with a different plan. We’ll start over. We’ll start from scratch,” Bolden said.
