ATHENS, Ohio ? The Ohio Bobcat women?s basketball team kicked off the season in a big way, scoring 107 points to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies? 98, in the 2004-05 season opener for the two teams. The last time Ohio scored in triple digits was Dec. 30 1999, when the Bobcats put up 103 versus Oakland, in The Convo. Five Bobcats scored in double figures, fueled by a 21 point outing by junior Lindsay Wight (Waynesville, Ohio).

?This is a very good win for us,? said Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. ?Oakland is a good team. They?re big, they can score inside and they can score outside. Every win is good, but this one was a little sweeter.?

Oakland came out of the gate on fire, as Anne Hafeli scored five in the first minutes of the game. Early in the first half, Oakland went on a 15 point run over a three minute span, gaining their largest lead of the game, 4-20, at the 14:48 minute mark. The Bobcats rallied back, nearly evening the score with under ten to go in the first.

?I thought we really pushed the ball well and kept up a fast pace tonight,? Bria said. ?I?m really pleased with the way our offense is running right now.?

With Ohio?s new style of play, a much more upbeat tempo from a year ago, the Bobcats kept it close through the remaining minutes of the first half. At the break Oakland led 42-35, shooting 50 percent from the floor, led by Hafeli?s 15 points, on 6-11 from the floor. Coming off the bench for Ohio, Wight tallied 10 points, with classmate Tiffany Byrd (Columbus, Ohio) chipping in eight to keep the Bobcats in close range.

?In the first half we couldn?t buy a bucket, but that?s going to happen,? Bria said. ?I still liked our effort and our defense. You just have to stick with it and we did.?

The Golden Grizzlies stayed on top for the first portion of the second half, but Ohio bidding for their first season opening win under Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria, pressed relentlessly taking its first lead of the game, 61-59, at the 12:45 mark. It was all Ohio from that point on. Byrd added an extra spark around the eight minute mark, hitting a deep three, as she finished the game with 15 points, including three buckets from behind the arc.

?Lindsay Wight made some really key shots for us,? Bria said. ?Sometimes it just takes one person to start hitting some shots and then the whole team gets going. Tiffany Byrd and Quintana Ward started making some big shots for us.?

The Bobcats capitalized on 21 second half turnovers by Oakland, gaining 22 points off the Golden Grizzlies? errors. Ohio led by as many as 14 points with three and half remaining in regulation, the Golden Grizzlies made a late push but was unable to catch the Bobcats.

Senior Erin Isbell (Gahanna, Ohio), who recorded nine double-doubles last season, picked up her first of the season with 11 points and a team leading 11 rebounds. Isbell matched a career record, set two years ago, for blocks in a game, rejecting three Golden Grizzlies? shots. Fellow classmate and co-captain Kristian Kirkpatrick (Costa Mesa, Calif.) tipped in 17 points and pulled down four boards. Freshman Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.), stepping in for the injured Angel Hornsburger (Columbus, Ohio), was exceptional in her first collegiate game as a Bobcat. Ward led all first year players with 14 points, and dished out a team leading five assists. The 5-5 guard also pulled down nine boards and led the squad with three swipes.

?Erin has always rebounded, but now she?s scoring some points and its really helping us,? Bria said. ?I think she?s really getting more confident.?

Four other Bobcats made their collegiate debuts tonight, with 12 squad members getting minutes overall. Lauren Rezesz (Bridgeville, Pa.), who made her first start in the Hunter Green and White of Ohio, saw thirteen minutes of action, recording four points, three boards and a steal. Simone Redd (Warrensville Hts., Ohio) scored all eight of her points on 8-10 free throw shooting, and picked up three steals and two assists. Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.), a transfer from Saddleback College, tallied six points in her first game as a Bobcat and helped under the basket pulling down eight boards. Walk-on freshman Lauren Lindsay (Masillion, Ohio) picked up a point in 11 minutes of play. Junior Stacy Musacchia (Bay Village, Ohio) matched her career high of free throws attempted, 4, and got 13 minutes of court time, a minute more than she did all last season.

?With this pace of play we have, it?s going to be important all season long,? she said. ?You can?t play that quickly without getting a lot of players in the game.?

The Bobcats made history tonight, etching the 2004-05 teams? performance in many of the scoring categories. Ohio?s 86 field goal attempts is second all-time in the history books, falling just shy of the 93 attempted in 1983 versus Rio Grande. The Bobcats surpassed the three-point field goal attempts mark of 30, set in 2002, launching 31 shots from behind the arc, hitting 12. The last time Ohio made 12 tres was Jan. 16, 2002, good for second on the three-point field goals made list. The Bobcats went 34-47 from the line, sliding into the second slot in free throws made and third for attempts in the books.

?This is a fun style of basketball to watch,? she said. ?The crowd enjoys it and gets into it when we?re pushing the ball.?

The Bobcats next hit road for a pair of non-conference match-ups. Ohio first travels to Youngstown for a 7 p.m. tip-off Tuesday night, then heads to Wright State, Sunday, Nov. 28. The Bobcats return to action in The Convo, Wednesday, Dec. 1, when they face rival Ohio State. Game time is slated for 9 p.m.