Bobcats blow lead to Toledo

by Blake Whitney
Staff Writer

Ohio coach Lynn Bria has seen her team outplay some of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference. She just wishes she could see it for a full 40 minutes.

After leading by 12 points in the first half, the Bobcats held a 38-34 halftime lead. But less than 90 seconds into the second half, the lead was gone. From there, Toledo (11-7 overall, 6-1 MAC) coasted to an 86-74 victory Saturday and Ohio (8-10, 3-4) fell for the fourth time in five games.

“At halftime, coach told us we needed a full 40 minutes of play and we once again didn’t do it,” Ohio forward Lori Moorman said. “In the second half we’re getting into a funk and not getting back.”

Moorman helped the Bobcats stay within striking distance most of the game, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, both game highs. But Ohio’s other top offensive threat, guard Cathy Szall, was held to just seven points, all of which came in the first half.

In a surprising lineup change, Moorman and Szall did not start for the first time this season.. With the line-up shake-up Ohio jumped ahead 11-6 before Moorman entered.

“We got off to a great start and we hadn’t done that in a while,” Bria said. “Your starters are supposed to get you off to a great start and they weren’t ­ so I changed (the lineup).”

The second half, however, was a different story.

Toledo outscored Ohio 52-36 in the second half, with two major factors helping to propel the Rockets to victory. The Bobcats turned the ball over 12 times in the half, compared to Toledo’s three miscues. Ohio’s defense also struggled, as Toledo shot 58.6 percent in the second half.

Bria said Ohio’s problems are mental.

“I’ve tried everything,” she said. “It’s a focus problem, it’s all mental. We zone out for a while and it’s different players at different times. We’re not going to beat the good teams and we’ll struggle against the average teams if we keep doing that.”

Toledo had a balanced offensive attack with six players hitting double-digit scoring totals, but coach Mark Ehlen said defense keyed the victory.

“Moorman was just killing us for most of the game,” he said. “Then for a stretch in the second half, we were able to stop her a few times.”

Guards Candace Bates and Andrea Johnson scored 15 and 12 points, respectively, for Ohio. Toledo won its seventh consecutive game.

Ohio gets a week off before trying to put a full game together Saturday at Eastern Michigan. Tipoff between Ohio and Eastern Michigan is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Ypsilanti, Mich.