Freshman guard Yamonie Jenkins perfectly summed up Ohio’s 10-game losing streak when she drove to the hoop without any defensive pressure, missed an easy lay-up, and then punched the mat under the hoop in anger.
Ohio’s skid hasn’t been from an inability to win; luck just hasn’t fallen their way. And on Saturday afternoon against Akron, the best offensive team in the Mid-American Conference, luck was nowhere to be found as the Bobcats fell 88-76.
“I thought we executed things pretty well throughout the (game),” coach Bob Boldon said. “It was just a matter of if we made the shot or missed the shot.”
All in all, the Bobcats (8-17, 3-11 MAC) had as many field goal attempts as they had points: 76. Although Ohio failed to attack the post earlier in the year, junior guard Mariah Byard’s return from injury has allowed for more points in the paint over the last few games.
Ohio finished the outing with 44 points in the paint, although some of the points came from undefended lay-ups.
“I thought across the board we did a good job attacking and trying to get to the rim. Sometimes we got there and didn’t get anything out of it,” Boldon said.
Before the two teams first met on Jan. 23, Boldon said playing Akron would be an example of picking your own poison.
“You can allow the Zips to score 100, but then you need to score 101. Or, you can play tight defense, score 55, and hope they do the same,” he said.
Saturday panned out to hold true to his prediction. Ohio scored 46 points in the second half, including a 17-5 run late in the game, but allowed Akron to score 47.
“We’re just doing a lot of things different,” said sophomore forward Lexie Baldwin, who scored 17 points and nine rebounds. “We’re making adjustments during the game that have helped us and we’re just trying now … (to) just doing our own little things.”
As the standings sit now, Ohio is in tenth place in the MAC and if the season ended today, the Bobcats would matchup with Ball State on the road in the first round of the MAC Tournament. All 16 MAC teams automatically qualify to participate in the event.
Buffalo, who squeezed by the Bobcats earlier in the month, will play in The Convo on Thursday. Although it has another rematch with MAC East leaders Bowling Green, Ohio still has to play Kent State and Miami again after already defeating each team earlier this season.
@charliehatch_
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