ATHENS, Ohio- The Ohio women?s basketball team returns to action tonight in The Convo after being off for a week for the holidays. The Bobcats play host to the UNC Wilmington Seahawks in the second meeting between the schools. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Ohio will ring in the New Year at Duquesne for its final non-conference match-up of the season Friday at 3:30 p.m. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STATS


1/3 of the Way?
The Bobcats have completed one-third of the 2004-05 season and currently stand 3-6. Ohio has endured many obstacles through a tough non-conference schedule and continue to work out the kinks. After starting the season with an uptempo game style, the Bobcats have reverted back to a more traditional game plan. Newcomers Simone Redd and Quintana Ward have made an immediate impact to Ohio?s lineup while returning players seniors Erin Isbell and Kristian Kirkpatrick, along with junior Linday Wight have added experience and leadership to the floor.

Last Time Out for the Bobcats?
Ohio snapped a six-game losing streak, posting a 62-56 win over the visiting Cleveland State Vikings. Freshman 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.

The Bobcats led 5-2 in the first minute of play. Ohio and Cleveland State would knot the score up six times and exchange the lead more than a dozen times in the half. The Vikings finished the remaining minutes with a 4-0 run, gaining their largest lead of the game, 32-28.

Ohio went up by five points, 40-35 at 13:14, with a 12-3 run. The Vikings later responded with a 12-3 run of their own, going up by four, 47-43, but Ohio took the lead at 7:14 and never looked back. The Bobcats would hold on for their third win of the season.

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. Kirkpatrick?s eight boards set a new season-high, while matching a career-high. Ward?s 15 points is a new season-high.

Scouting the UNC Wilmington Seahawks?
Colonial Athletic Association member UNC Wilmington, who returns five letterwiners and two starters, is currently 3-5 in non-league play. The Seahawks, who finished the 2003-04 season 15-13, added 10 new faces to this years roster, two of which are leading a young UNC Wilmington team.

Freshmen Meagan Samis and Meg Winthrow are the only two Seawhawks scoring in double-digits, averaging 15.8 and 10.6 points per game, respectively. The dynamic duo are leading the team in nearly all statistical categories. Samis is also averaging a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game and is second to Winthrow with a .458 field goal percentage, 14 assists and 13 steals. Winthrow holds a team-leading .525 field goal percentage, is .471 from behind the arc and is .650 from the free throw line. As the top playmaker, Winthrow has dished out a team-high 34 assists and tallied 20 steals. The two are also the only Seahawks to be averaging over 27 minutes per game.

Senior Tanika Harrison, the top-returning player from a year ago and the only senior on the squad, is averaging 7.3 points per game to go with 5.9 rebounds per outing. Harrison has also made a team-high four blocks on the season. Junior guard Lindsay Isom, a returning starter, is the only player to start every game this season, averaging 4.4 points per game to go along with 4.0 boards per game.

The Seahawks, who are shooting 43.8 percent from the floor this season, have yet to win a road game. At 3-5 UNCW, the Seahawks have picked up wins over Wofford, Longwood, and East Carolina, while dropping decisions to N.C. State, St. John?s, Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State and most recently a 79-68 loss at UNC Greenboro.

UNC Wilmington Head Coach Ann Hancock (Wingate, ?92) returns for her fifth season with the Seahawks. Hancock, who is 62-52 in four years as a collegiate head coach, came to UNCW after serving as an assistant coach for seven years at UNC Chapel Hill. While at UNC Chapel Hill, she helped guide the Tarheels to seven NCAA tournament appearances, including six trips to the ?Sweet 16? and one national championship. Hancock is assisted by John Thurston (Seton Hall ?70), Jessica Gaspar (UNC Chapel Hill ?99) and Tamika Dudley (Long Island ?03).

The Series?
This marks the second meeting between the Bobcats and the Seahawks. The two teams first met five years ago at the Princeton Invitational, where Ohio made a last minute bucket for the one-point win, 70-69, to earn third place. This is the first meeting between the two teams in Athens.

Ohio head coach Lynn Bria faces off against the Seahawks for the second time in her coaching career, after a 70-69 win in 1999. This marks the first game between the two schools to be played in Athens under Bria.