Coach Bob Boldon scratched his head when asked about the positives of Sunday’s contest.
He needed help from the media to think of any positives, as Ohio blew a 21-point lead and fell 64-62 to Toledo in The Convo.
“(The Rockets) made shots and we didn’t,” Boldon said. “They’re a good basketball team and we went through a stretch where we were fouling too much and not really doing a good job at guarding and they took advantage of it.”
Despite leading 36-19 in the first half, Ohio struggled defensively and allowed 45 points in the second half to a Toledo team that shot 58 percent during its comeback.
Toledo crept up to Ohio with a 21-4 run, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to just four points. But sophomore guard Kiyanna Black buried three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, putting the Bobcats ahead 51-41.
Toledo slowly worked its way back, and took the lead with two minutes left to play. The Bobcats failed to respond in crunch time, and the Rockets held on to win.
“Toledo’s probably going to look at their tape and think (the comeback) was really good offense … we’re gonna say it’s bad defense. In reality, it’s somewhere in the middle,” Boldon said.
The Bobcats started the game hot, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, including four of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Rockets were on the opposite end of that success, as they went six of 28 from the field.
The Bobcats also forced 12 turnovers, six coming from steals in the half, and out-rebounded the Rockets 23-17 before the break.
Black led Ohio with 18 points on four of 13 shooting from downtown. Freshman forwards Quiera Lampkins and Hannah Boesinger were the only other Bobcats to register double-digit points, finishing with 10 apiece.
The Rockets had five players enter the stat books with double-digit scoring. Senior guard Andola Dortch led the Rockets in points with 17 points, while junior guard Inma Zanoguera recorded 13 points.
“I think we just need to mature and learn how to finish games,” Black said. “We need to stop people from scoring. We just didn’t focus on the defensive end in the second half like we did in the first. I think we kind of got relaxed.”
After sitting out the past five games because of a leg injury, sophomore forward Jasmine Weatherspoon returned to the floor for the first time since Jan. 4 at Northern Illinois.
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohiou.edu
Fast Facts
Toledo 64
Ohio 62
The Bobcats blew a 21-point lead.
Ohio is now 8-10 on the season and 3-4 in the MAC.
