After all they have been through this season, the Bobcats did not take their halftime lead for granted. But appreciating the performance proved to be a far cry from repeating it.
Ohio had a seven-point edge after a back-and-forth first half but could not shut down Kent State in the final 20 minutes. The Golden Flashes won, 68-62.
Ohio (7-20, 3-11 Mid-American Conference) bucked a recent trend by playing quality basketball for the entire first half. Kent State grabbed an early lead, but the Bobcats kept within five points of the Golden Flashes. The teams combined for six ties and 11 lead changes before halftime.
Freshman Shavon Robinson and redshirt junior Tenishia Benson paced the Bobcats early, and freshman Erin Bailes chipped in with two 3-pointers in the final minutes of the half. Benson sank a last-second layup to send Ohio to the locker room with a 32-25 advantage - the team's first halftime lead since Jan. 22.
"I'm very, very proud of our team in terms of our energy and how they played together," coach Semeka Randall said.
But the Golden Flashes, aiming for their 300th career MAC win, came back. Seniors Taisja Jones and Ellie Shields led the effort, as Kent State tied the game at 40 with 12:32 to play.
The teams renewed their neck-and-neck play until the Golden Flashes delivered the leveling blow. A three-minute, eight-point run gave them the largest lead either team had all evening. Ohio did not get within five points the rest of the night.
Kent State made 23 of its 34 free throws. Both were season-highs for Ohio's opponents.
"That's hard to be able to play when they get to go the free throw line," Randall said.
Ohio's struggles largely came from inside the paint. Center Thia Gholson sat out, and forward Kamille Buckner had four fouls in only seven minutes. Tina Fisher fouled out late in the game, and the only remaining forward was the 5-foot-11 Alesia Howard.
"You're very limited at that position," Randall said. "To get fouls out of our zone is pretty disappointing."
Benson had a game-high 27 points, tying her career high.
"It's a process," Benson said. "I think a lot of people, including ourselves, we thought it would be microwave instant results. I know it can be disappointing for a lot of people."
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