Maybe it’s the flags hanging down from the rafters or the footsteps of past Bobcat greats echoing in the hallways. It might be the sounds of the pep band or possibly the familiarity of the locker room.
Whatever that key to victory is, Ohio has yet to find it consistently on the road this season. The Bobcats (10-13, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) have had more success at home, tallying eight of their wins under the bright lights of The Convo.
Saturday, however, Ohio will try to find its rhythm in a less familiar Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill.
The Bobcats’ routine remains relatively constant, whether the journey to tip-off includes a plane ride, bus trip or walk across campus, coach Semeka Randall said. The results don’t show it, though, as Ohio has posted eight road losses this season.
“It’s just a great feel for the rims, a great feel for the floor,” senior guard Tenishia Benson said about playing at home.
“Being out there with your team consistently in the same environment really helps. Just being familiar and consistent, that really helps and it’s a
different feel.”
Eastern Michigan’s Tavelyn James, the MAC’s leading scorer, dropped 29 points against the Bobcats Wednesday. Ohio might have learned its lesson from the loss, as Randall said she will continue emphasizing the need to key in on the opposition’s top offensive threat.
In Ohio’s next matchup, that will mean keeping up with Claire Jakubicek, a freshman forward who averages almost 12 points per game and netted 17 points in Northern Illinois’ (9-12, 3-6 MAC) last time out, a 10-point loss to Bowling Green.
“She fills the stat sheet up,” Randall said. “We keep communicating to the players that you have to know where that player’s at on the floor at all times and make them do things out of their norm.”
Offensively, the Bobcats will continue to filter the ball to sophomore guard Shavon Robinson, who has scored a combined 36 points in her last two games. Ohio will also benefit from the return of junior forward Porsha Harris, who missed the Bobcats’ last two games after a suspension for her role in an altercation against Central Michigan.
“I still worked out and stuff, but sitting out is just paying the consequences,” Harris said. “It’s nerve-wracking, actually.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
