It came down to one play for Ohio.
Kamille Buckner pulled down a rebound for the Bobcats with 20 seconds remaining in the game, giving Ohio one last shot at the win. Jackie Hiebert went for a layup but was called for traveling, giving Butler a 59-58 win Saturday.
I think it was just a good learning experience for us
Hiebert said. We just let it slip out of our hands. If we had had some more defensive stops we could have had the win.
Coach Sylvia Crawley said that the elements came together too late for her team. With six freshmen added to the roster, Crawley attributes much of the poor play to jitters.
I thought we would have gotten that out of our system in the preseason exhibition game Crawley said. We got off to a very slow start and tried to play catch-up for the rest of the game. We had a great effort toward the end but it was a little too late.
Hiebert said that she is confident this will be a turnaround for the freshmen, including her.
I think that all of the freshmen were kind of nervous before the game
Hiebert said. We all got it out after the first half. We settled down more and got more comfortable playing.
The Bulldogs (1-0) took the lead about six minutes in and did not relinquish it until about 13 minutes into the second half. From there on, it was back and forth, but time was on Butler's side.
Simone Redd made the last effort for Ohio (0-1), sinking a jumper to put her team up 58-57 with 2:28 left. Butler was not done, however, as Lade Akande made a layup with 2:02 remaining to put the Bulldogs up for good.
Redd, who averaged 23.9 minutes on the court last season, saw just nine minutes of playing time.
Lauren Kohn led the scoring effort for the Bobcats with 13 points. She went 5-of-11 from the field and had six assists.
Kohn said the team didn't come together quickly enough or play to the best of their abilities.
I think this was a wake-up call for us
Kohn said. We had a lot of preseason accolades and I think this was kind of just the reality check that teams are going to be out to get us.
As a team, the Bobcats beat the Bulldogs on the boards, 42-27, a statistic Crawley said she is happy about, but more was needed.
We didn't shoot the ball well. That's going to happen
Crawley said. You're going to have nights where you don't shoot well. You're going to have nights where the ball just rolls off the rim.
Ohio will return to The Convo for a game against South Alabama tonight. Kohn said she is excited to get back on the court at home.
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