Ohio lost to Temple 75-61 in the Sweet Sixteen round of the WNIT.
It was a bitter taste, once again for the Bobcats.
Ohio didn’t anticipate the outcome of its postseason. It didn’t expect to lose to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. It didn’t expect to play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). It didn’t expect to make it to the Sweet Sixteen round of the WNIT.
And going into today, Ohio didn’t expect to lose to Temple, 75-61. But Thursday night in Philadelphia, the Bobcats did.
Ohio's loss was similar to the Buffalo defeat in the MAC Tournament; Ohio was a team that looked defeated and was confused as to what just happened when the final buzzer rang.
Lexie Baldwin, Kiyanna Black and Quiera Lampkins slowly walked off the court, getting ready to shake hands with Temple, the team that just ended Ohio's season. This time, for good.
For a season full of positives, the loss to Temple was not the vintage Ohio that played at the end of the season.
Coach Bob Boldon said he thinks his team has been playing its best basketball. That didn't happen against the Owls.
“(Temple) is incredibly athletic and this is a tough place to play,” Boldon said.
Regardless of the Bobcats clawing back into the game on multiple efforts, the Owls always had a response.
The Bobcats couldn’t make a shot. For majority of the game, Ohio nearly used all 30 seconds on the shot clock each possession with a fair amount of empty possessions causing the early deficit. Ohio trailed 27-11 after the first quarter.
“I thought they played hard tonight,” Boldon said of his team. “Things didn’t go our way shooting wise. We didn’t shoot it as well as you need to shoot it to beat a team like this.”
This was a game that Ohio needed help from its senior leader: Black.
It didn’t look like her shoulder injury from Sunday held her back. Instead, her mental mistakes did.
Black had three quick fouls in the first quarter and she was benched for the entire second quarter, scoring just two points at halftime. She finished with five.
But just as the season has gone, when Black isn’t up to par, teammate Lampkins tries to fill the void. She did Thursday, but it wasn’t enough.
Lampkins finished with 20 points and between her and Yamonie Jenkins, they were they only two that would be able to shrink Temple’s lead.
Jenkins has shown her maturity and leadership this postseason. She has taken on the point guard role and led her team when they have fallen short. Jenkins finished with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The season may not have ended the way Jenkins and the Bobcats thought it would, but there is still a lot to take away from the 2015-16 season.
While Ohio (26-7) had its sight set on an NCAA Tournament bid, a bid to the WNIT gave the program something new: a postseason victory. Even better, Ohio made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the WNIT.
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“It’s unbelievable,” Boldon said of the season. “I am so proud of these kids to win the MAC regular season with the pressure they were under to compete every night.”
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