The Bobcats are having their best season since 1995, but no one’s there to see it.
Everything Ohio coach Bob Boldon feared going into Bowling Green’s Stroh Center became a reality midway through the first half.
The Falcons, who matchup almost identically with the Bobcats, halted Ohio early and caused multiple turnovers on its perimeter shots — something Boldon didn’t want to witness.
Bowling Green guard Rachel Myers hit a 3-pointer with 10:02 remaining, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to just two points, as both teams struggled to build momentum offensively.
Then, redshirt junior Kat Yelle alleviated Boldon’s fears.
On a breakaway steal by Falcons forward Miriam Justinger, Yelle ran halfway down the court to swipe the ball out of Justinger’s hands. Yelle’s steal was the turning point in Ohio’s 71-48 road win over Bowling Green on Wednesday night.
“Anytime you can come into this gym and get a win, you have to be happy,” Boldon said. “We got a win tonight and we gotta get ready for Saturday now.”
Yelle finished with 13 points, junior forward Lexie Baldwin had 10 points and nine rebounds while junior guard Mariah Harris scored eight points off the bench.
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With the win, Ohio advances to 10-1 in the Mid-American Conference for the first time since 2008 when it went 10-6 in conference play. The Bobcats, now 19-3 overall, still have seven games to play.
Characteristically, Wednesday’s game was what the Bobcats expected.
Bowling Green spread the floor with multiple guards and rarely attacked the paint.
Ohio, who had a mismatch with Baldwin and sophomore forward Hannah Boesinger on the block, executed inside the key — something Ohio practiced earlier in the week.
Baldwin, Boesinger and sophomore forward Jasmine Weatherspoon helped the Bobcats control the interior in the second half, and after Yelle’s steal, the Falcons never came within two again.
Ohio outrebounded Bowling Green 51-28 and out-produced the Falcons in every statistical category.
“I thought we played some pretty good basketball in the second half,” Boldon said. “Not to say we didn’t play good basketball in the first half … but it was nice to see us come out with a better second half.”
Both teams relied heavily on 3-pointers to kickstart their offenses, however, fouls and turnovers hindered Ohio early on.
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Sophomore guard Quiera Lampkins sat out the majority of the first half with two fouls, but her second-half play helped balance the offense. Lampkins utilized her drives and court vision to amass eight points and eight rebounds along with three assists.
Ohio finished with 20 fouls in comparison to Bowling Green’s nine, as four Bobcats committed at least three fouls.
The Bobcats’ leading scorer, junior guard Kiyanna Black, and senior Mariah Byard also had a hand in Ohio’s win, scoring eight points each.
“We made shots, I don’t know if we played good offense (in the first half) but we made good shots and that’s what made our offense look good,” Boldon said.
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