Ohio looks for redemption against Northern Illinois after losing to Buffalo.
How senior guard Kiyanna Black does on the court, usually reflects the Bobcats outcome.
Black shot 4-21 Wednesday night in Ohio's only Mid-American Conference loss at Buffalo, as Ohio will look to bounce back against Northern Illinois Saturday. Tip off is at 11:30 a.m.
The Bobcats (17-4, 9-1 MAC) shot 28 percent against the Bulls in one of their worst offensive games of the season.
For the most part, Ohio has been reliant on the hot shooting by Black and their proficiency from the perimeter, but those facets of the Bobcats' game were stifled for much of the loss. The loss broke Ohio's 12-game win streak.
Ohio shot 29 3-pointers, making only five, against a struggling Buffalo (11-9, 3-6 MAC) team that sits three places below the Bobcats in the MAC East standings.
"Things just didn't quite go our way tonight for a number of reasons," coach Bob Boldon said. "We didn't shoot the ball very well. You have to give Buffalo a lot of credit."
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Now, Boldon and his team will need to regroup quickly for a early morning game Saturday against a Husky team they blew out by 25 on Jan. 23 in Dekalb, Illinois.
But, as the Bulls proved, the Bobcats can't take any team for granted in the MAC. Despite the fact that the Huskies currently sit just one spot above last place in the conference.
When Black struggles, though, she typically comes back with a big game, and Northern Illinois coming to The Convo might be the perfect thing for her to break through her malaise.
Junior forwards Quiera Lampkins and Hannah Boesinger were two players who had solid contributions in Buffalo and both will be pivotal throughout the rest of the season for Ohio.
Lampkins is the other starter, outside of Black, who can get shots at will and is willing to force drives to the basket for the gritty points. Boesinger, meanwhile, is a solid bench piece that compliments a mix of starters and bench players when they are all on the floor together.
It also helps that the Bobcats are a perfect 7-0 at home and win by an average of 19 points when within the confines of The Convo.
And with Sibs Weekend and a doubleheader with the men's basketball team on the books for Saturday's game, The Convo should have a solid crowd to watch Ohio earn a bit of redemption.
@KellenBecoats
kb749012@ohio.edu
