ATHENS, Ohio ? The Ohio women?s basketball team (3-6) snapped a six-game losing streak by posting a 62-56 win over the visiting Cleveland State Vikings (1-8) Sunday night in the Convocation Center. Freshmen Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.) and Simone Redd (Warrensville Hts., Ohio) combined for 29 points to lead the Bobcats, scoring 15 and 14, respectively, while senior classmates Erin Isbell (Gahanna, Ohio) and Kristian Kirkpatrick (Costa Mesa, Calif.) each pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.

Redd hit a three-pointer right out of the starting blocks to put Ohio up early, followed by a Ward jumper as the Bobcats led 5-2 in the first minute of play. The Vikings counter-acted with a 9-2 run before Ohio?s Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) made it a two point game with a lay-up at 14:25, 11-9. Ward tied the game up, 11-11 at 13:23, off a long jumper. The Bobcats and Cleveland State would knot the score up five more times and exchange the lead nine times before the break. Knotted-up 28-28 with close to 2:30 remaining in the first stanza the Vikings finished the remaining minutes with a 4-0 run, gaining their largest lead of the game, 32-28.

?Quintana Ward and Simone Redd give so much to us each outing and tonight was no different,? commented Ohio Women?s Head Coach Lynn Bria. ?Our defense was much better tonight, coming up with some key stops that really made a difference for us.?

The Bobcats opened the second half with a couple of free-throws by Isbell that sparked a 6-2 Bobcat run to tie the game up, 34-34 at 17:57. Ohio extended the run to 12-3 to gain a five-point lead, 40-35 at 13:14. The Vikings responded with a 12-3 run of their own, going up by four, 47-43, with 9:18 to play. The Bobcats tied the game up 47-47 with two free-throws by Lindsay Wight (Waynesville, Ohio) and a fast break lay-up by Ward. Ohio took the lead with a jumper by Redd at 7:52 and never looked back. Cleveland State kept the game alive not letting the Bobcats gain more than a six point advantage, but the Bobcats held on for their third win of the season, 62-56.

?Our defense was able to shut Cleveland State?s perimeter shooting down and that was very encouraging,? noted Bria. ?Our turnovers really bother me though and that is why we have slowed our game pace down. We are still going to push down the floor but as our turnovers decrease our pace of game will increase.?

The Bobcats shot 41.5 % from the floor, marking just the second time this season Ohio shot 40 percent or better. The Bobcats also shot a season-high 87.5 percent from the line, connecting on 7-of-10 free throws. Kirkpatrick?s eight boards set a new season-high, while matching a career-high. Redd, for the fourth time this season, posted a team-leading three steals. Ward?s 15 points is a new season-high, going 7-9 from the floor. Wight and Andrea Johnson (Columbus, Ohio) chipped in eight points apiece, Isbell and Kirkpatrick each contributing five points, with first year players Lauren Revesz (Bridgeville, Pa.) and Iglehart rounding out the Bobcat scoring with four and three points, respectively.

Ohio will return to action, after breaking for the holidays, Wednesday, Dec. 29, with a home tilt versus UNC-Wilmington, tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.