Ohio (2-12, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) came into Wednesday night's game against Buffalo (7-5, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) in desperate need of a win, but a five-and-a-half minute span in the fourth quarter where Ohio was held scoreless led to its eighth-straight loss at 69-64.
The first quarter saw both teams get out to strong starts offensively, but the Bobcats shot the ball well enough to take a 21-19 lead going into the second quarter.
The Bobcats' offensive attack slowed down to start the second quarter, but Ella Pope got them going with five points and two assists in a three-minute span. The Bobcats took their largest lead of the game after a 3-pointer from Abby Garnett, and a jump shot from Jaya McClure put the Bobcats up 12 points. The Bulls scored the last five points of the half, but the Bobcats led at the break 42-35.
The Bobcats' offensive woes began at the start of the second half when they scored three points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. The Bulls took advantage of the Bobcats' offensive woes and tied the game at 47 even. The Bobcats answered with a 9-2 scoring run and took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Yaya Felder extended the Bobcat lead with a two-point jump shot to open the fourth quarter. The Bobcats' offense disappeared for the next five minutes, and the Bulls scored thirteen points to take a five-point lead. The Bobcats got right back in it with four-straight points, but they couldn't make a field goal in the game's last two and a half minutes, and the bulls won the game 69-64.
Felder led the team with 22 points and finished with the second-most rebounds with seven. Garnett was the team's second-leading scorer. Her 13 points were the second-most amount of points in a single game she has had all season.
The loss brings the Bobcats' losing streak to eight games, and the team is still looking for its first MAC win, along with its first home win of the season.
