After being handed its worst loss since 2010 by Minnesota the day before, Ohio showed some character in a close first half, but ultimately lost to University of Nevada Las Vegas 60-51 Sunday.
The decisive point in the game came in the second half, as the Bobcats could not end a nine-minute scoring drought.
Ohio junior guard Erin Bailes sank two free throws at the 14-minute mark in the second half and the Bobcats would not score again until senior forward Tina Fisher made a layup with 4:47 left and the Bobcats trailing 58-48.
Ohio sophomore guard Mariah Byard hit a three-pointer to cut UNLV’s lead with 2:11 remaining, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
The Bobcats’ mistakes in the second half created too big a hole for Ohio to climb out of, and this was a winnable contest.
“It was more about us not executing and believing in what we can do,” said Ohio coach Semeka Randall. “This was a game where you could make a few mistakes and get away with it. But, we made way too many mistakes and hung our head.”
The Bobcats opened the game by forcing seven UNLV turnovers in six minutes and built a 13-9 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first half after Ohio senior guard Ashley Fowler sank a three-pointer.
Senior guard Kelli Thompson averaged 14 points a game last year for the Rebels, but didn’t get her first points until eight minutes into the contest. Thompson finished with 11 points.
Thompson is usually the Rebels’ primary option on offense, but it was sophomore forward Alana Cesarz who dominated for UNLV with 27 points. The Bobcats had no answer for her as she shot 75 percent from the three-point range.
Six Bobcats scored in the first half. Fowler had 10 points in the first half, but couldn’t add to her total in the second half. Ohio’s biggest lead was six points in the first half.
“We just haven’t grown up in my tenure here and figured out how to win on the road,” Randall said.
Ohio junior guard Shavon Robinson scored only 10 points in the game and appeared to get discouraged after making a few mistakes during Ohio’s scoreless drought.
“Shavon has the ability to step up and help our team out,” said Randall. “But she played mind games with herself and took herself out of the game.”
Ohio has a break until Nov. 25 when they play Duquesne in Athens. The ’Cats have a lot to work on in preparation for the game.
“It could be an ugly game if we don’t grow on what we’ve learned in these past two games,” Randall said.
jm296009@ohiou.edu
