After a brief hiatus, the Ohio defense has returned.
Defense has been the Bobcats' calling card for most of the season, but the team has struggled in its 2-3 zone as of late. After the 80-point performance Kent State put on, Ohio has played a lot more man defense in its last two games, and its opponents have had trouble adjusting.
We decided to come up out of our zone
coach Semeka Randall said. The reason our man-to-man is working is because we're playing with a lot of energy.
That enthusiasm was obvious against Miami and Buffalo. Both opponents were taken aback by the defensive effort the Bobcats came out with and couldn't build a rhythm offensively.
Buffalo was particularly affected by the pressure, and turned the ball over 26 times. Ohio has struggled all season with turnovers, so the +14 margin was a huge positive for the Bobcats as they had to the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Another spark for the Bobcats has been the move of Danielle Woodmore to the starting lineup at shooting guard. The 5-foot-4 sophomore gives the effort that Randall wants out of her players and has set the tone for the defensive resurgence.
Before her starting we lacked the ability to get off on a good note at the beginning of games Randall said. She's definitely come in and provided a spark for us.
With their defensive intensity back to form, and also the offense finding itself after struggling for most of the year, the Bobcats are finishing the regular season at a high note.
On top of the defensive's return, Poff also recovered from her slump against Buffalo on her way to 21 points. The senior is tied for the team lead with 10.9 points per game, but hadn't scored more than 10 points since Feb. 3 against Western Michigan.
With the regular season ending tonight against Akron, the Bobcats will try to continue the momentum they've built over the last two games as they prepare for the MAC Tournament.
This definitely creates some good momentum heading to the Akron game and the tournament
Randall said. For the most part
I think our seniors are leaving it all out on the court and playing with nothing to lose.
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Sports
Will Frasure
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Ohio guard Danielle Woodmore puts up a shot in the second half of Ohio
