Wednesday evening, Ohio (1-3) entered The Convo knowing it would have to play its heart out to stay in competition with No. 11 Ohio State (4-0). Ohio took a tough loss to Ohio State; from the tip, it was evident that Ohio would not be able to play up to Ohio State’s level.
The Bobcats struggled with two major issues that led to its 62-point loss at home: maintaining possession of the ball and converting when they had the opportunity. Ohio gave up 32 turnovers — double Ohio State’s 16 — and shot just 25.5% from the field, while Ohio State shot 48.3%. Additionally, Ohio couldn’t secure possessions on the glass as Ohio State out-rebounded the home team 59-26, with a 31-8 discrepancy on the offensive glass.
The Buckeyes appeared to be stronger in every aspect important to the game — physicality, pace and aggression. Ohio entered the second half of the game down 40 points and could not execute any change in strategy.
At the close of the first half, Ohio found itself down 59-19, shooting just 5-of-18 with 26 turnovers, effectively dismantling any opportunities for offense. Ohio State put full-court pressure on Ohio throughout, and on a good portion of those possessions, Ohio struggled to get the ball across half-court.
Although the Bobcats may have been able to predict the outcome of the game, they still maintained the energy and effort they began the first quarter with. Ohio owes the loss to the skill that Ohio State possesses but not its ability to connect under such high intensity.
“At first we were a little flustered, but towards the end, we started to get the hang of it,” freshman Gigi Bower said. “But also, their defense’s press is wicked; they are a really good team.”
In the second half, Ohio managed to take better care of the ball, turning it over just six more times, but scored just 23 points, including just 4 points in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter saw the Bobcats shoot 1-of-14 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line. Ohio, without its arguably two best offensive options, junior Jaya McClure and senior Kennedi Watkins, struggled to make anything happen on offense.
The Buckeyes passed around the Bobcats, giving them their most challenging game of the season defensively. Ohio State’s talent is undeniable, and while Ohio did not play to that level, the team did what they could to stay in the game.
“It sucks to lose 106 and 42, but if you get a chance to learn from it and you can be better on Sunday, you can be a better basketball player because of it,” Ohio coach Bob Bolden said. “There's a maturity to be able to say, ‘I did this wrong, and I'm going to do it better next time,’ and they certainly exposed things to do moving forward. You'll get tomorrow off but we’ll practice Friday.”
