It’s almost impossible to win a basketball game while shooting a mere 18.8 percent from the field for an entire half, let alone the final one.
That’s what Ohio tried to accomplish Saturday against Western Michigan. Although its first half performance was promising, the Bobcats’ play after the break led to a 62-53 loss — its 11th straight.
“It’s very hard to win a basketball game when you shoot (18 percent) … that gut and swagger is lost right now with our team,” Ohio coach Semeka Randall said.
Freshman guard Kiyanna Black, a usually reliable scoring presence for Ohio, didn’t make a single shot. Sophomore guard Mariah Byard and junior guard Shavon Robinson were the only players to score in double figures for Ohio (5-18, 0-11 Mid-American Conference) as they had 13 and 16 points respectively.
Ohio led 32-27 at the half, but the familiar scoring drought struck in the second half as the Bobcats went scoreless from the 13:29 mark to the 6:27 mark. During the drought, the Broncos went on a 14-0 run.
“We’re not good enough where people can take breaks and we can get it back,” Randall said. “I’m not asking them to play a picture-perfect game, but I am asking them to play a picture-perfect game in terms of effort and heart.”
The difference maker for the Broncos (9-15, 5-6 MAC) was sophomore forward Marquisha Harris, who shot 81 percent from the field for 23 points. She also had 15 rebounds.
“(Harris) just annihilated us inside on the boards, it’s just that effort thing of boxing out,” Randall said. “She’s no taller than us, honestly they were playing four guards out there, she just wanted it more, she just buried us inside.”
Junior guard Corie Buchanan chipped in 15 points, as the Bobcats couldn’t contain her either.
“We were playing man-to-man and we couldn’t keep (Buchanan) in front of us, she did a great job of attacking the basket,” Randall said.
Randall was disappointed with her team’s effort in the game, whether it was from Black specifically, or the team as a whole on defense.
“The way we foul, we foul and give an and-one. That just doesn’t help us at all,” said Randall.
The next game for Ohio is an opportunity to redeem a 57-55 loss to Kent State at The Convo on Feb. 3
“We’re looking at every game like we want to win,” Byard said. “We just want to get one and (there’s definitely motivation to get one on Wednesday).”
jm296009@ohiou.edu
