Through three quarters, it looked like Quiera Lampkins was going to rely on the rest of her team to carry the scoring load against Central Michigan. But halfway through the fourth quarter with her team down, Lampkins decided she wanted to take over this time.
With 24 seconds left, Lampkins got the inbound pass after two Central Michigan free throws. She went the length of the court, passed it off, dropped to the corner, got the ball back, set her feet, and hit a 3-pointer to get her team within one point of the Chippewas.
Lampkins’ 15 fourth-quarter points weren’t enough for Ohio as the Bobcats end the win streak at four, falling to Central Michigan 64-59 Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena.
“They’ve been great, especially with (Jasmine Weatherspoon) out,” coach Bob Boldon said about his team out-rebounding Central Michigan. “I think, collectively, and (they) have done a lot of things to help each other out.”
In the third-straight game without Weatherspoon, (she did dress for the game, but did not play) Lampkins was once again tasked with helping out the team in other ways than scoring.
She did.
Including being the leading scorer with 26 points, she also collected six rebounds and five assists.
In addition to Lampkins’ performance, Hannah Boesinger had a strong performance as well, recording her first double-double of the season — 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Also helping collect rebounds was Karlis. Though she only made one shot, she grabbed 12 rebounds, most of which were offensive rebounds.
Though Ohio had a decent second half, it was in the third quarter when Weatherspoon’s presence was missed.
Central Michigan’s Tinara Moore was non-existent in the first half. Boesinger didn’t allow Moore to be effective inside. But then, in the third quarter, Moore took over for Central Michigan.
Moore scored nearly half of the team's second half points — she had 18 of the team's 40 points.
Ohio (16-5, 6-3 Mid-American Conference) came into the game prepared to slow Presley Hudson. For most of the game, the Bobcats did that. Though she caught a fire in the second half, her 13 points don’t have nearly as much weight as Moore’s presence in the second half.
Boesinger played 38 minutes Wednesday night, so fatigue may have set in just as Moore was getting hot. With its best inside defender out with an injury, Ohio didn’t have another bench player to fill in.
For Lampkins and Ohio, this game is the start of a tough stretch for the month of February.
“We have a lot of good teams in our conference,” Boldon said. “This is as good as our conference has ever been, and you’re gonna lose some tough ones when you’re playing teams that are this good.”
