Ohio (15-12 overall, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) lost to Ball State by a final score of 86-85. It's the third loss in a row for the Bobcats, who, despite struggling in the past few games, have secured a spot in the MAC Tournament and have now taken one of the top teams in the MAC down to the wire.
Poor shooting once again played a factor in this Ohio loss, as despite Ohio shooting 10 more field goal attempts and 20 more 3-pointers than Ball State, it shot 38% from the field and 32% from 3, far from what was needed to win comfortably. Ball State was able to shoot 45% from the floor and 41% from 3, which gave them the win despite shooting the ball considerably less.
The first quarter saw both squads exchange shots back and forth until a pair of 3-pointers by Ball State, which put it ahead by 6 points. From there on out, it was a game of catch-up for the Bobcats. The Cardinals were always a step ahead and were hot from 3, making five out of eight shots from beyond the arc.
Ohio was able to put up 14 3-pointers, but only three of them connected with the net, putting Ohio into a bit of an offensive slump early on. Ohio was able to get one last shot off, a jumper by redshirt sophomore guard Bella Ranallo, to bring the game within 5 points heading into the second quarter. Ball State was up 22-17.
The second quarter was a continuation of the catch-up style of play for Ohio, with junior guard Bailey Tabeling opening the quarter with a 3, and Ball State following right back up with one of its own.
Ohio was able to tie the game a few times, at 29-29 off a free throw by graduate student forward Elli Garnett and 32-32 with a 3-pointer from graduate student guard Aliah McWhorter.
The Bobcats were never able to lead, though, and Ball State was able to maintain control for the entire quarter, despite it getting dicey for the Cardinals a few times. Neither team shot the ball well in this quarter, with both teams being under 40% from the field. Going into halftime, the score was 38-37 with Ball State out front.
The third quarter gave the Bobcats a chance to come back, but they squandered the opportunity. Ball State missed all six of its 3-point attempts, but Ohio made only one of nine 3-point shots. That successful 3-pointer was also the only one of two field goals converted by the Bobcats in this quarter.
Ohio was kept alive by free throws, which it made 10, as Ball State shot well from inside the arc and gained an even bigger lead throughout the quarter. It seemed like a landslide for the Bobcats as Ball State kept piling up, turning what was a 1-point lead into an 8-point lead as the quarter closed. The score was 60-52 with Ball State being in control.
Ohio’s offense came alive in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. The Bobcats made seven out of 10 3-point attempts as Ohio outshot Ball State in this quarter, but the hole from earlier was too much to get out of. As the game went down to the wire, the poor shooting from the Bobcats earlier mattered a lot more.
Ball State would have the lead for most of the fourth quarter, but Ohio always kept prodding at them, especially at the 3-point line.
With under four minutes to play in the quarter, though, Ohio started to storm back, bringing the game within 4. This number would bounce around a bit, but the game would end on a Bobcat 3-pointer from Gigi Bowers to bring the score within 1 point. Ohio would lose the game 86-85.
Ohio will stay on the road for its upcoming matchup against Eastern Michigan, which will be its second-to-last game of the regular season.
