As the clock ticked down, the Ohio bench jumped up and Bowling Green fell Wednesday at The Convo. The win marked the Bobcats’ first on their home court against the Falcons in 10 years.
But Ohio coach Semeka Randall’s postgame reaction was subdued, and her message was distinct: It’s time for a change — time for the Bobcats (13-15, 6-8 Mid-American Conference) to establish a presence heading into the MAC tournament.
The win against Bowling Green greatly differed from the 51-45 victory against Kent State last Saturday. Ohio shot less than 25 percent from the field against the Golden Flashes, including a futile 3-for-18 performance from beyond the arc.
The following game, though, Ohio converted on more than 43 percent of its tries and cut its 3-point attempts in half while converting the same number.
The Bobcats had a more explosively offensive night against Bowling Green (22-2, 12-5 MAC), as senior guard Tenishia Benson scored 21 points and sophomore guard Shavon Robinson chipped in with 20.
“It was really hard for them to guard those two kids,” Randall said. “When they play like this, gosh, this team can be really special.”
It was the second time this season that Ohio had multiple players above the 20-point threshold.
Wednesday’s win showed many parallels to the Bobcats’ first trip to Bowling Green’s new Stroh Center, where they fell by 12 despite trailing only by three heading into the halftime break.
This time around, Ohio trailed by five following the first 20 minutes but was able to pull together a second-half surge to upend the MAC East leader.
“If you’ve played basketball at this level, you love it,” Robinson said. “You live for these types of moments. The whole game was about adrenaline, really.”
The Bobcats will take that feeling and apply it to their game against Buffalo Saturday, when they will look to take their second-straight game from the Bulls.
Buffalo (8-20, 3-11 MAC) has the worst record in the conference, but its victory against Kent State Tuesday came by a wider margin than Ohio’s last win against the Golden Flashes.
“They love to push the ball up and down the floor,” Randall said. “(Brittany) Hedderson is a load. She takes tough shots, and we’re going to have to contain her.”
Hedderson leads the team with more than 20 points per game. Her supporting cast lags far behind, though, as no other player routinely contributes double figures.
With a victory, the Bobcats would secure their first three-game winning streak since November and a home game in the first round of the MAC tournament.
“We cannot crumble,” Randall said. “We have to stay together as a unit and keep pushing it.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
