On Mariah Byard’s senior night, Ohio swept Miami for the first time since 2011 and best record in almost three decades.
It may have been a day to honor senior Mariah Byard, but it was sophomore Quiera Lampkins who controlled the spotlight inside The Convo on Saturday.
Lampkins — who was one of five Bobcats with nine or more points — slashed, attacked and spun to the basket throughout Ohio’s 75-60 season finale win over Miami.
Lampkins finished with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists, while fellow junior guard, Kiyanna Black, led the Bobcats with 18 points. In her final regular season game in The Convo, Byard tallied 12 points, including four 3-pointers.
Lampkins would eventually foul out in the second half, but her efforts were visible on the court Saturday.
Multiple drives into the RedHawks’ 3-2 defensive scheme allowed spacing to open up for other players — something that was missing last time Ohio and Miami played.
“We can maybe tinker with some small adjustments, maybe encourage and remind and things of that nature,” coach Bob Boldon said. “We’re certainly not teaching anything brand new this week. We're pretty much who we are and we'll find out if that's good enough to win the (MAC) Tournament.”
Of course, the totality of the Bobcats (25-4, 16-2 Mid-American Conference) shouldn’t be overlooked.
Forward Jasmine Weatherspoon started her first game of the season after Lexie Baldwin sat out because of a lower body injury. Weatherspoon, a sophomore, finished with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Mariah Harris played valuable minutes off the bench after Kat Yelle, a starter, suffered an eye injury during the second half. Harris finished with nine points.
Yelle eventually returned to the sidelines prior to leaving with about 16:30 left to play. She suffered an eye injury earlier in the year.
The Bobcats held the RedHawks to just a 27 field goal percentage, but second half defense was again a concern for the Bobcats. Ohio surrendered 41 points in the second half after the Miami scored only 19 in the first half.
Kayla Brown led Miami (7-22, 4-14 MAC) with 19 points and Molly McDonagh added 10 off the bench.
Fouls also played a role. Weatherspoon would foul out with about five minute left in regulation and Ohio totaled 23 fouls.
“At this point, my pregame talk for this game was about a minute long. It’s the 29th game of the year. I can't give you anything at this point,” Boldon said. “You're stuck with your habits.”
A win in the second “Battle of the Bricks” didn’t affect Ohio’s seeding in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, as Ohio will have until next Friday to rest.
For now, though, Byard can soak in her final game in Athens — even if she wasn’t the focal point. She has helped the Bobcats turn around a team that won just one game in the MAC two years ago, to one that cut down the nets after claiming the MAC regular season title Saturday.
“Playing without two players, the rotations, being in foul trouble; it was different. But you never know what's going to happen, so we won and that's good,” she said.
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