In a contest comprised of lead changes with every basket, a late Ohio surge gave the team a win to close its nonconference schedule and wrap up play in the calendar year.
The Bobcats rallied to conquer the Vikings 71-64 Monday night, picking up their ninth win this season, tying their win total from the 2013-14 season.
Ohio slowly took momentum with 4:43 to play when sophomore guard Quiera Lampkins scored eight-consecutive points, which turned a 58-55 deficit into a 66-61 lead with 2:26 remaining.
Also at that 2:26 mark, Jasmine Weatherspoon, a sophomore forward, re-entered the game and arguably had her best defensive performance of her career.
Cleveland State crept back to make it 66-64, and on Allison Mitchell’s attempted layup to tie the game with 46 seconds, Weatherspoon had a block to maintain the lead.
The Vikings’ Cori Coleman then tried a game-tying jump shot with 39 seconds left, which rimmed out and Weatherspoon brought down for a rebound.
Weatherspoon forced her third turnover, a steal, with 16 seconds remaining, securing Ohio’s ninth win. She finished with 12 points, four blocks, one rebound and one steal.
The forward’s late defensive showing summed up the aggressive defensive play coach Bob Boldon has tried to install in his second year with the program. Monday night, that defense forced 27 turnovers and held the Vikings to a 43.9 percent field goal percentage.
Looking ahead, Boldon said improving the team’s already formulated identity would be the best thing for his squad, which started the season with its best record since 1985.
“I don’t know that we’re going to try to tweak anything other than trying to improve everything we do,” he said. “I think we are who we are right now. We’re not going to try to recreate who we are, we’ll just have a better version of us on the floor in January.”
The Bobcats begin Mid-American Conference play Jan. 3, on a road trip to Buffalo. Bobcats close nonconference play with win
