Sometimes it’s the small things that lead teams to defeat. Other times, such as in Ohio’s 67-47 loss to Miami Sunday, it is the big picture that dooms the less fortunate.
Ohio’s big picture looked more like a puzzle in the loss, as several of the Bobcats’ key pieces were out of place, sidelined with injuries.
I’m not into making excuses, but we have to figure out a way to play under these conditions — bottom line,” Ohio coach Semeka Randall said.
“We’re just going to have to learn on the fly and get some healthy bones back. Hopefully that happens soon. Right now, we have to mature. It has to be almost like a Cinderella —real quick.”
Randall knows as well as anyone that a snap of her fingers isn’t going to bring back any of her sidelined players, including Kat Yelle, Porsha Harris or Ashley Fowler. For now, she’s going to have to make due with what she has, which did not get the job done against Miami (14-3, 4-0 Mid-American Conference).
The Bobcats (8-10, 1-3 MAC) started off slowly, allowing their opponents to mount as much as a 20-point lead in the first half, which can be largely attributed to Miami’s strong interior presence.
Twenty-two of the Redhawks’ 36 first-half points came in the paint. Fourteen were on second-chance opportunities.
Ohio was a bit more competitive in the second half, but was unable to contain Miami’s well-balanced offensive attack. Maggie Boyer led the team with 15 points, while teammates Hannah and Haley Robertson had 12 and 10, respectively.
Tenishia Benson, who netted 14 despite filling in for Fowler at point guard, led Ohio.
Her sidekick was Erin Bailes, who played a career-high 33 minutes and scored 11 points.
Personnel issues were a main factor that led to the Bobcats’ surrendering 19 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 23 times, Randall said.
“It’s difficult,” Benson said of the team’s injury problem. “First of all, you’re making adjustments. You’re telling the team to make an adjustment in two days. Because when Ashley went down, we had to change the whole game plan.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
