Even though Ohio has a training staff that handles its laundry, coach Semeka Randall doesn’t want anything to do with ringing out this year’s jerseys — at least not yet.
“When you get to tournament time, as my coach used to say, you can either call the dry cleaners early, or you can just keep playing,” Randall said. “And I like to keep dancing. That’s what it’s all about — going to the big dance.”
The Bobcats (13-16, 6-9 Mid-American Conference) will face off with Miami (20-8, 10-5 MAC) on the road Tuesday to determine their MAC tournament ranking. With a win, the Bobcats would return home for the first game of the tournament. With a loss, a first-round home game would still be a possibility, but Ohio would not control its own destiny.
The first time Ohio faced off against the RedHawks, the pace didn’t favor the hosts. The Bobcats competed well in nearly every statistical category, but fell to their rivals by 20 points. This time around, the Bobcats will look to take charge early and force Miami to play into their hands.
“The biggest thing, I think, against Miami was that we didn’t play our basketball game and what we are capable of doing,” Randall said. “And that came right at the time where we had lost Porsha (Harris), and Ashley Fowler went down with the injury.”
This time around, Ohio will have its full lineup to work with. However, sophomore guard Shavon Robinson, who fractured a bone in her face Saturday against Buffalo, will don protective facial protection similar to what is worn by junior forward Alesia Howard, who has been wearing a protective facemask to guard a broken nose.
The Bobcats’ trip home from Buffalo was a long one, as they gave up a halftime lead on their way to a three-point loss led by senior guard Brittany Hedderson, who scored 16 of her 18 points after the break.
“We definitely lost the momentum in that game,” Robinson said. “Definitely something that we want to happen (against Miami) is to gain our momentum back.”
Aside from getting the Bobcats back on track for a MAC tournament run, the game will also be paced by a revenge factor, as they believe they allowed their rivals too easy of a win in their first meeting.
Both Robinson and Ohio senior guard Tenishia Benson said that the rivalry matchup — coupled with a rebound from their loss in Buffalo and post-season implications — has the
making of a blockbuster game to finish out the regular season.
“Honestly, I think that we just want to end this season with a bang down in Miami,” Robinson said. “We just want to work hard and show everything that we’ve worked for all season long tomorrow.”
If Ohio were to lose, it still would return home for the first round of the MAC tournament unless Akron and Kent State both win Tuesday.
“Everybody’s going through the same exact thing,” Randall said. “It’s just the team that wants it most and is willing to lay everything out on the line and get it done.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
