Ohio (6-11, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) finally overcame their road struggles to beat Central Michigan (3-14, 1-6 MAC) by a score of 68-58 to win their second game in a row and first on the road.
The Bobcats took the trip to Mount Pleasant looking to do something they haven’t done yet this year: win back-to-back games. After another solid performance on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio, they came out on top.
In the team’s last game against Eastern Michigan, they completely flipped one of its biggest issues into a positive: the turnover number. Instead of giving the ball away and losing the turnover battle, Ohio played shut-down defense on Eastern Michigan and forced 26 turnovers while only giving up 17 turnovers in the process. Now, playing against another school in Michigan, Ohio did the exact same thing, playing shutdown defense and stealing extra possessions.
Every player that touched the floor for the Bobcats recorded at least one steal in the game, with six out of the eight players recording at least three steals. Those stats are one of the main reasons Ohio was able to grab the victory, even with Central Michigan’s rebounding numbers. The lack of size has been one of Ohio’s season-long problems, and Central Michigan took advantage, winning the rebound battle 41-16 and grabbing a staggering 12 offensive boards compared to Ohio’s two.
Despite the strong defense, Ohio still needed its players to put the ball in the basket, and four of its new faces did just that. Kennedi Watkins scored 13 points, and the freshmen trio of Monica Williams, Bailey Tabeling and Laylay Fantroy scored 14, 13 and 12 respectively. Those four also put up those scoring numbers efficiently, with each player shooting at least 50% from the field, and Williams, Watkins and Tabeling each went 50% from their shots behind the arc.
While Ohio’s first-year players handled most of the scoring load, the team’s veterans also had very productive games. Senior guard Peyton Guice had a team-high five steals to go along with 6 points, four assists and two rebounds. Madi Mace was doing all the little things as well, securing three boards and knocking down the only three she took as well. Lastly, junior guard Kate Dennis added 6 points of her own.
As previously, this game marks the first road win of the year and the first two-game win streak of the year. The Bobcats have been consistently improving throughout the year, cutting down on their turnovers, while their younger players like Williams, Tabeling and Fantroy have adjusted to the college game and provided great value.
