It seems that Ohio cannot catch a break, and it doesn’t get any easier as the Bobcats take the floor tonight in The Convo with Central Michigan — the only undefeated team in Mid-American Conference play.
The Bobcats (5-11, 0-4 MAC) have been battling injuries, fatigue, roster rearrangement and offensive woes since beginning conference play, while the Chippewas (10-7, 4-0 MAC) have won four straight by outscoring the opposition by almost 19 points per game.
“Central is a high-scoring, up-and-down, flashy team,” said Ohio coach Semeka Randall. “The way they play is totally different than the other teams we have played up to this point. It’s one of these games we are going to have to buckle down and play with some pride.”
Crystal Bradford, a sophomore guard, leads Central Michigan all-around, as she has been named the MAC West player of the week in each of the past three weeks. Through the first four MAC games, she has lead all players, averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds, and is among the top three players in assists, steals and blocks per game.
While Bradford is a threat herself offensively, senior forward Jessica Schroll has averaged 10 points per game, while sophomore guard Jessica Green is also pacing the Chippewas with 11 points per game.
“(The Chippewas) know how to play well with one another; they’re just great individual one-on-one players,” Randall said.
Central Michigan is averaging more than 74 points per game this season, which is second only to Akron in the MAC and the 18th-best scoring offense in the NCAA. The Chippewas also rank among the top five MAC teams in field goals, free throws and three-pointer percentages.
While the Chippewas have been excelling offensively, the Bobcats have been outscored by 28 points per game since the start of MAC play. On paper, Central Michigan is outperforming Ohio in every statistical category except for turnover margin and scoring defense.
Junior guard Shavon Robinson and sophomore guard Mariah Byard — Ohio’s third and fourth leading scorers, respectively — will not play in the contest because of injuries. Tonight will mark the third consecutive game the duo has missed, and Robinson has been out for the past five.
With key players out, the remainder of the team has been forced to pick up the pace and share more minutes. Senior guard Ashley Fowler is now tied for the most minutes played in the MAC, and senior forward Tina Fisher has stepped up, taking crucial charges and providing needed energy.
“I tend to be a very happy and uplifting person in general, so I’m trying to stay that way on the court to pick the rest of us up,” Fisher said. “We’ve been playing a lot, but we took practice off Monday and we feel rested and ready to go.”
The Chippewas have won six consecutive meetings with Ohio, including ousting the Bobcats in the second round of the MAC Tournament by just three points, 58-55, and the first meeting of last season when a fight started between former player Porsha Harris and three players from CMU. The MAC suspended Harris and three other players for two games.
cl027410@ohiou.edu
