Ohio beat IPFW 79-52 Thursday afternoon in The Convo.
Ohio won Thursday afternoon against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne 79-52 in The Convo, but it lost the turnover battle.
“Twenty-nine turnovers against a great team is setting yourself up for failure,” Ohio guard Kiyanna Black said. “So, I would say it was mediocre.”
The 29 turnovers were the most the program's had under third-year coach Bob Boldon.
Ohio (4-2) started the game like it normally does with a 17-point lead to end the first quarter. A minute into the second quarter, the comfort kicked in, and it looked as if Ohio had “lost interest” in the game.
“I think we have a hard time focusing and locking in,” Quiera Lampkins said.
What was once a double-digit lead had been diminished to a seven-point lead with five minutes left in the half.
IPFW’s (3-4) inability to benefit from Ohio’s turnovers is what kept Ohio in the game, as the Mastodons scored 27 points off turnovers.
The turning point? Black.
Black had 16 points at halftime and was central in getting back the lead Ohio had once lost, finishing with 21 points on 80 percent shooting. Lampkins complemented Black’s performance with a season-high of 14 points.
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“I think it’s her maturity and trust in her teammates,” Boldon said of Black. “Quite frankly, there were times my first year our best chance of scoring was if she made a shot.”
Now, Black has managed to gain trust in her teammates that she doesn’t have to be the main force.
Although the Bobcats won, it wasn't necessarily ideal. Their 55 percent shooting from the field was Ohio’s motivating factor in Thursday’s win. IPFW wasn’t able to ever get any real momentum.
“It’s nice when you can win a game, and there are so many things you are obviously deficient at,” Boldon said. “It makes getting better tomorrow at practice a lot easier.
“Sometimes you win a game, and you think you’re better than you really are. These stats will (show) us that we aren’t there yet.”
Ohio will return to The Convo on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip-off against Saint Francis (PA).
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