Since last winning a game more than a month ago, the Bobcats are starved for a victory and a sign that they can reconcile their season.
One bright spot may be on the horizon Wednesday against Western Michigan, which Ohio defeated 70-53 on Jan. 12 — a game the Bobcats dominated from the opening tip.
Ohio thrived on the defensive end by forcing 17 Western Michigan turnovers. The Bobcats also shut down the dynamic low post duo of sophomore forward Miracle Woods and junior forward Marquisha Harris by holding them to a combined 15 points.
Seeing the brown and gold jerseys of Western Michigan may be exactly what Ohio needs to turn the corner on the season, as the Bobcats have appeared to be lacking confidence during their past few games.
“I think we’re all really excited to play them again,” freshman forward Hannah Boesinger said. “We did really well the last time we played them.”
Similar to Ohio, Western Michigan is also in the midst of a losing streak after dropping five of its past six games. During that stretch, the Broncos have only surpassed the 60-point plateau twice, as they have had a lot of trouble scoring.
That end of the ball will determine where Wednesday’s game is won, because Ohio’s defense has struggled during the second half throughout its losing streak. On the other side is a team that has encountered trouble putting the ball in the basket.
The Bobcats will try to return to their stellar defensive performance they put together against the Broncos in their first meeting.
“I thought our defensive effort against the Broncos was pretty good,” coach Bob Boldon said. “They had 17 (points) at halftime. … We’ll try to put together a complete game defensively.”
Defense is something that has troubled Ohio lately. It sticks with teams during the first 20 minutes, but opponents have scored 34 or more points during the second half of Ohio’s past eight games.
The key for Ohio on Wednesday is shutting down the potent scorers of Woods and Harris much like the Bobcats did during the first contest. If the Bobcats can also score at a consistent rate at the other end, the Broncos will be put in a position out of their comfort zone by attempting shots from beyond the arc.
Western Michigan shoots just 28 percent from beyond the arc, which leaves its offense one-dimensional — something Ohio exploited in the first meeting.
“There’s certainly things you can do against Western you don’t do against Toledo and vice versa,” Boldon said. “We’ll make a few minor adjustments. So we’re going to pretty much play the way we usually play.”
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