When the buzzer sounded at halftime and the players walked to the locker room, coach Bob Boldon took a detour.
He walked in the opposite direction, taking off his jacket in the process, frustrated at his team’s first-half performance.
To start the third quarter, Boldon left his jacket behind. From there, Quiera Lampkins took over.
Ohio opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run, with Lampkins scoring six of those points. That shifted the tempo of the game, giving Ohio momentum and eventually, a 68-51 win Saturday afternoon in The Convo.
"Our plan was to try to force tough shots and I think we did that." Boldon said.
This time it wasn't the defense that was the problem, it was the offense. For the first time in a couple of years, Boldon played a zone defense against Eastern.
"We really tried to protect the paint today," Boldon said.
Ohio was successful. The Eagles shot 28 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the 3-point line. The offense, however, was not as efficient.
The Bobcats fixed their offense struggles in the second half. Though they managed to score more efficiently in the second half, they still struggled with consistency.
But it was Lampkins that lifted Ohio in its dullest moments.
Lampkins finished with 22 points.
"She's really locked in right now," Boldon said of Lampkins' performance. "She's always been a team player. She's doing everything she can to help us win basketball games."
During the early run, Lampkins showed her athleticism and continued to prove why she's the best player on the team. She penetrated the lane, finished her layups and drew fouls.
She said that at halftime, the message was to bring more energy. The Bobcats had the lead, but they needed more energy and effort, offensively, to extend that lead.
Lampkins did that and helped push Ohio further in the lead of the Mid-American Conference East Division.
After having several games of a scattered defense, Ohio (14-4, 5-2 MAC) adjusted its problems this week. Jasmine Weatherspoon, Lampkins and Boldon all agreed this was their strongest defense week — including the Toledo game — the team has had since December.
Now it's a matter of getting the offense to be a little more consistent and not going extended periods of time during the game without a basket.
"I thought this was two defensive efforts in a row that were good and that's encouraging and that's a step in the right direction for us," Boldon said.
