Ohio (6-19, 4-10 Mid-American Conference) looked to make it three wins in a row when it traveled to Bowling Green (15-11, 8-6 MAC) Wednesday night. However, Bowling Green, who beat Ohio in The Convo earlier this season, used its overwhelming defense and strong shooting to take home an overwhelming 91-61 win.
The Bobcats got a strong start from senior Anyssa Jones, who scored the first 4 points on two layups to give the team an early lead. The confidence flowed from the Bobcats as sophomore Bailey Tabeling hit a pull-up 3-pointer to extend Ohio’s lead to 11-8, resulting in a quick Falcon timeout.
Bowling Green took a slew of 3-point attempts in the first five minutes, but couldn’t find much success, allowing Ohio to grab the lead. The Bobcats were tough on defense, forcing turnovers and blocking a couple of shots to keep it close.
The Falcons began to find some rhythm in transition and the shots started to fall. The Falcons would go on an 11-2 run, taking advantage of some Bobcat mistakes to take a 21-13 lead that it would not relinquish.
The game of runs continued into the second quarter. Bowling Green opened the scoring with 10 consecutive points before Ohio needed a timeout to regroup.
The Falcons were capable of scoring on all levels and used physicality in the second quarter to get into the bonus with nearly 7 minutes to play. This would be costly for the Bobcats as the free throws began to rack up and so did the turnovers, as they now trailed 37-20.
Bowling Green scored at will throughout the second quarter. It looked to expand its lead to 20 points, and would do so before heading into the locker room. Bowling Green won the quarter 29-9 and took a 50-27 lead into the second half of action.
The Bobcats came out of the half with a defensive change, adjusting to a 2-3 zone. This change limited 3-point attempts, but the Falcons went right to the paint and scored their first 8 points down low. The Bobcats also worked well on offense out of the half, scoring 9 quick points but it was only a minor victory in what was still a 22-point deficit.
Bowling Green took advantage of some transition plays and hit two 3-pointers to extend the lead to 30. Ohio would not lose its fight as senior Aliah McWhorter got inside for an and-1. This helped build on an 8-0 run for Ohio that lasted nearly three minutes and made the score 66-44.
The Falcons once again won the quarter. This time by only a 3-point margin, but the game was out of reach at this point. The Bobcats would go into the final 10 minutes with only slim hope to pull off this massive comeback, down 70-44.
Ohio shot the ball well in the fourth quarter but did not have enough time to mount a charge. Junior Cassidy Lafler had 7 of Ohio’s 17 points in the period. Unfortunately for Ohio, Bowling Green overpowered Ohio throughout the game. It carried over into the fourth quarter, where Bowling Green grabbed offensive rebounds and forced turnovers to help put this one away.
The Bobcats were led on the night by Watkins and Tabeling in points, with 16 and 14, respectively. Ohio allowed 18 total 3-pointers and 11 offensive rebounds, which Bowling Green capitalized on. The bright spot for the Bobcats was the 21 points off the bench to help the offensive activity throughout the game.
Ohio will be back in action Saturday, looking for revenge against rival Miami after losing on the road earlier in the season.
