Coming into the season, many were concerned with Ohio’s youth and size, but its true problem has proved to be a poor shooting percentage and not being able to stop teams from scoring.
Ohio coach Bob Boldon does not blame injuries, youth or lack of depth for these problems — he just thinks that his team is not talented enough to compete in the Mid-American Conference right now. He especially saw this to be true in Saturday’s loss against Akron — Ohio’s 10th straight.
“I thought our effort was good, I didn’t think it was a lack of effort,” Boldon said. “I thought it was just a lack of skill when you look at the numbers. We shoot 23 percent from the three, 57 from the foul line, 38 percent from the floor overall, 47 missed shots from the floor. I don’t think that’s not trying, I just think that’s not being good enough to put the ball in the basket.”
These numbers are indicative of their season to this point, as they own the MAC’s worst shooting percentage at just better than 35 percent.
The best teams in the conference — Akron, Central Michigan and Bowling Green — lead the conference in shooting percentage, and each sits at better than 42 percent from the field.
Teams tend to play a zone against Ohio, daring the Bobcats to launch low-percentage three-point opportunities. As a result, almost half (45 percent) of Ohio’s shots have come from beyond the arc. The Bobcats convert less than 28 percent of its shots from long range.
However, they’re beginning to recognize that teams are going to come out with the zone and have gotten better against it.
“I feel like we’ve done really well against it,” said sophomore forward Lexie Baldwin. “We made some changes during the game (against Akron) that were very beneficial, and we really came out and executed against it. Sometimes we messed up little things against it, but we just kept making adjustments as the game went on.”
Ohio finds success when it balances opponents’ scoring attack from inside and out, keeping them from establishing a consistent low post presence and guard penetration.
Earlier in the season, the Bobcats benefited from consistent penetration from freshman guard Quiera Lampkins, but she has tapered off of late.
Not only has scoring been a problem during Ohio’s stretch of 10 straight losses, but so has the defense — especially when it comes to the second half. Ohio has given up an average of 38 points in the second half; teams are able to make adjustments against the Bobcats to close out games.
During the past few games there has been more of a sense of hope that things are about to go Ohio’s way, as the team has yet to give up on its season despite the current slide.
“I watched my little brother do an interview the other night about sports,” Baldwin said. “They asked him about how he lost the last game in district and what motivated him to play the next one. I feel like our team is on the same page as my little brother is. We just fight against everything that is coming toward us. We get rid of all of the excuses and play for each other, play for our coaches, play for our fans, everyone.”
@KOVARANDREW
AK840511@ohiou.edu
