Ohio got back to .500 after a rough start to the season with a 90-46 blowout victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday.
After three difficult road games to begin the 2021-22 season, the Bobcats (2-2) were back in The Convo for their home opener against the Division II Lakers (0-4). They dominated every facet of the game and made it look exactly how a matchup against a DII squad should.
Here are a few reactions to Ohio’s win over Mercyhurst:
Second Quarter Smothering
The Bobcats pulled away from the Lakers by outscoring them 24-9 in the second quarter, including a stretch of 7:46 to begin the quarter in which they held the Lakers without a field goal.
Ohio had six steals in the quarter and scored 10 points off turnovers. For an Ohio team that had some struggles defensively in its first three games, it looked much better on that end of the floor Saturday, admittedly against lesser opposition.
Dynamic Duo
This season, Ohio is only going to go as far as Cece Hooks and Erica Johnson take it. Based on Saturday’s performance, that will be pretty far.
The two guards combined for 42 points in just 44 minutes, which is by far their fewest of the season. They did most of their scoring in the first half to help Ohio pull away. Hooks and Johnson are Ohio’s two best and most important players, and they played like it on Saturday.
Paint Improvement
Ohio’s biggest issue in its first three games was the inability to defend the paint, but it had no such issues against Mercyhurst.
The Bobcats conceded 36.7 paint points per game in their first three contests, but they only allowed 18 to the Lakers. The Bobcats have given up fewer points in the paint in each successive game this season, and it is no surprise that the trend continued in their home opener.
