Ohio (7-14 overall, 4-7 MAC) is now on a three-game losing streak right after winning three games in a row for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. The Wednesday night loss came on the road at the hands of Bowling Green (12-9 overall, 6-5 MAC) by a score of 69-52.
Ohio got off the blocks on a flaming-hot start behind its freshman sharpshooter, Bailey Tabeling. Tabeling scored 9 of Ohio’s first 10 points, all 9 of the points were 3-pointers.
Fellow freshman Laylay Fantroy was able to get to the line early in what was the first start of her collegiate career. Fantroy split her free throws and got another 2 points from a layup assisted by Madi Mace.
For the rest of the quarter, Ohio relied on almost nothing but the 3-ball, and to its credit, it was phenomenal from deep in the first quarter, shooting 45.5% from behind the arc and 46.7% from the field.
Kennedi Watkins and Kate Dennis were able to find success from deep as well, knocking down threes of their own to go along with Bailey Tabeling’s steal and layup to end the first frame of action tied at 20 with the Falcons.
Ever since the 3-point shot was popularized in basketball around the mid-2010s, the phrase “live by the three and die by the three” has been used more often. For an Ohio team that shoots a lot of 3-pointers, that is exactly what they did in the first half against Bowling Green.
Ohio’s 3-point shooting numbers from the first quarter did a complete 180 once the second quarter began. Ohio could not buy a bucket in the second quarter. The Bobcats went 0-6 from deep and 1-13 overall from the field in the second quarter, a shooting percentage of 7.7% in the second.
Ohio only managed four total points in the nightmarish quarter, those coming from a Jaya McClure layup and split free throws from Monica Williams and Watkins. Bowling Green took a 15-point lead at one point in the second, a far cry from the tie game coming into the quarter. Ohio entered halftime with the game completely flipped on its head and facing a 14-point deficit.
The Bobcats were able to find their mojo again after the break, thanks to something that has long been an issue for them this season—rebounding. Ohio grabbed four offensive rebounds in the third and outrebounded the Falcons in the quarter.
Ohio won the third quarter, but Bowling Green kept a pace and a double-digit lead despite the continued stellar play of Tabeling and Fantroy, who kept the Bobcats in striking distance through a barrage of threes from Tabeling and inside attacks from Fantroy.
The fourth quarter saw Ohio go back to over-reliance on the 3-point shot. Ohio took 17 total shots, 11 of those were from beyond the arc, and only two out of the 11 found the bottom of the net.
Bowling Green controlled the pace and got open, efficient looks, shooting 70% from the field and making every one of its shots inside the arc.
Ohio would lose big once again, despite the best efforts of Tabeling and her 22 points, three steals and four rebounds. Fantroy had another good game as well, finishing with 11 points and four rebounds.
Ohio returns home to face Texas State on Saturday and hopefully break its three-game losing streak in the process.
