Dominique Doseck didn’t score in the first half Sunday. She couldn’t hit a shot.
Coach Bob Boldon even asked her at halftime if she was going to make a shot all game. She said she hoped so.
But her second-half performance answered the question for her.
Doseck scored 10 second-half points and made a 3-pointer with 2:07 left in the third quarter to give Ohio a two-point lead it never gave up, as Ohio opened the regular season with a 64-61 victory over High Point in The Convo.
“I think just getting one to fall gave us all enough confidence to keep going,” Doseck said.
Doseck, an Athens native, started for the first time in her Ohio career. The beginning was rough. She began 0-of-4 from the field but made three of her final five shots. She found her groove at the right time: the second half.
After having knee surgery in the offseason, Doseck worked to get back in playing form and contribute for the Bobcats. She then earned a starting role and is now healthy for the foreseeable future. And though she struggled in the game, she knocked down a pivotal shot for the Bobcats, allowing them to swipe momentum from the Panthers.
Doseck wasn’t the only Bobcat to struggle shooting the ball throughout the game: Ohio shot just 35.3 percent from the field and 20.6 percent from the 3-point line. The Bobcats made only half of their free throws.
“This team is supposed to be able to shoot the ball,” Boldon said. “But it doesn’t appear to be true from any distance.”
They struggled, yes, but Boldon doesn’t expect the Bobcats’ shooting woes to continue. Ohio's three best shooters — Katie Barker, Amani Burke and Doseck — made five of their 25 attempted shots. Barker, who is regarded as the best shooter in the program, was two-of-12 from 3-point range.
They’ll have plenty more opportunities to improve, but against High Point, there wasn’t much falling.
Even with the struggling trio of shooters, the Bobcats got contributions from unlikely sources. Freshman Gabby Burris had 14 points off the bench, and Doseck knocked down a shot when they needed it most. Her 3-pointer gave them an edge, and they didn’t look back. Boldon greets that ability to do so on an off night with open arms.
“Dom’s (3-pointer) was a big shot for us,” Boldon said. “It takes a lot of confidence to be able to make that shot. She was two-of-seven before that shot so it’s not like she was killing it.”
