With 25 seconds left, Quiera Lampkins drove for a layup. Ohio was down 64-60 and needed a bucket.
Lampkins missed.
Ohio frequently drove to the basket Wednesday, and Central Michigan frequently met it there. The Bobcats' inability to produce on the offensive end cost them, as they lost 70-64 to the Chippewas.
Coach Bob Boldon sat distraught, not knowing why his team lacked movement on offense. The Bobcats missed 46 shots.
“That’s hard to swallow,” Boldon said. “That’s a lot of shots to miss in one basketball game.”
The Bobcats struggled to create quality shots, with the Chippewas’ size affecting them. Lampkins had a season-high 32 points, but even she didn’t have the most efficient night, shooting 39.2 percent from the field.
Ohio’s lack of ball and player movement was evident. Lampkins routinely went to the basket for a layup, trying to create something for her stagnant team.
“We create bad habits of just watching when someone’s driving instead of actually moving and cutting,” Lampkins said. “That was pretty much our downfall tonight.”
When the Bobcats’ offense has a downfall of this nature, it is usually because of a lack of focus on defense. The Bobcats, one of the best defensive teams in the MAC, gave up too many quality shots.
Especially to Cassie Breen.
Breen scored when she was open and when her shot was contested. The Bobcats (18-6, 9-4 in the Mid-American Conference) couldn’t defend her, even though they knew she was a shooter.
“We didn’t follow the scouting report,” Taylor Agler said. “What did she (Breen) have, 20 something?”
Someone told her that Breen had 19 points in the first half.
“Yeah,” Agler responded, acknowledging Breen’s good game.
Lampkins and Agler both referenced the Bobcats’ mental breakdowns on defense, which didn’t benefit their offense.
On the offensive end, the team could never establish a steady pace. The Chippewas (19-6, 11-2 MAC) were too long, and they were too big.
“They don’t really get into you and pressure you a whole lot,” Boldon said.
The Chippewas don’t play tight defense, but can do so because of their length. This creates indecisiveness for the opposing team.
The Bobcats didn’t know whether to shoot from deep or go inside, and when they did choose, the shot was usually not a good one.
Ohio didn’t have a good game. On the defensive end, it wasn’t focused. On the offensive end, it lacked ball and player movement.
And even with the mental breakdowns, even with the indecisiveness, the Bobcats lost by six points.
“Our games shouldn’t be that close,” Lampkins said. “It comes down to us just having way too many breakdowns.”
