AKRON, Ohio ? The Ohio women?s basketball team improved to 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference with its first MAC road win over the Akron Zips, 80-69, in Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio Tuesday night. Nine Bobcats contributed in the scoring with Andrea Johnson (Columbus, Ohio) and Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.) leading the way with 16 points apiece.

?I liked some things we did tonight,? commented Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. ?We?ve had problems on the road and really needed this win.?

In the first three minutes of play the game saw one tie and three lead changes, as Ohio went on a short 3-0 run to take a four point lead, 9-5 at 17:31. Akron would retaliate and regain the lead with a 5-0 run at 14:03, 10-9.

The Bobcats took a six point lead, 16-10, with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes but the Zips would counter and hold a short lived lead, 21-19, with an 11-3 run at 8:18.

Ohio put the pressure on and passed the Zips, 23-21, at 5:34 with layups from Erin Isbell (Gahanna, Ohio) and Ward. The Bobcats would push their lead out by as many as six, 29-23 at 4:32.

The Zips would keep Ohio in range going nearly bucket-for-bucket over the remaining minutes, narrowing the Bobcat lead to three, 35-32, heading into the break.

?We had 14 turnovers at halftime and it is something that has plagued all season,? noted Bria. ?Part of that is our youth and part of it is that we like to push the ball down the court and play a fast paced game.?

In the second half it was all Ohio, never relinquishing the lead. The Bobcats built up a 10 point lead, 50-40, over the beginning 8:30 of the stanza.

Ohio maintained a 10 point lead or better through the next four minutes, when the Zips cut the deficit to single digits, 57-66 at 4:01. The Bobcats extended their lead into double figures again with a layup from Simone Redd (Warrensville Hts., Ohio) at 2:14, 70-59.

Each team would score 10 points through the remaining two minutes, as the Bobcats went on to win, 80-69.

?Akron has played everyone close this season,? added Bria. ?I thought in the second half we did a good job shutting down Jessie Crooks and Jae Conn, Akron?s top players.?

Jessica Deville led all scorers with 20 points, as three Zips scored in double figures. Akron extended its losing streak to 21, dating back to Feb. 16 of last season when Ohio topped the Zips, 69-54.

Johnson and Ward?s 16 points is a new season-high for both, while Redd added 14 and Kristian Kirkpatrick (Costa Mesa, Calif.) chipped in 12 to lead the Bobcat attack. Rounding out the scoring for Ohio was Isbell with nine, Lindsay Wight (Wayensville, Ohio) with five, Angel Hornsburger (Columbus, Ohio) and Lauren Revesz (Bridgeville, Pa.) each added three, and Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) contributed two points.

?Quintana Ward and Simone Redd, as freshman, are doing a nice job for us,? continued Bria. ?It shows the talent they have, and are capable of performing at a high level night in and out. The point guard position is tough and they are doing great. Lauren Revesz is going to be great as well, they will make freshman mistakes but they do a lot for us.?

The Bobcats continued to dominate on the glass, out rebounding Akron 46-31. Isbell pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while Wight grabbed a season-high eight. Isbell now has 645 career boards, moving herself into fifth on the all-time rebounding list as she surpassed Kelly Weir?s 644 career mark.

?Central Michigan (next up for the Bobcats) is a big team and they have a real presence inside,? noted Bria. ?They are a nice overall team and we will have our hands full. I like that we are at home and coming off a win. The key will be to dominate on the glass like we have been and control the temp of the game.?

Ohio, who improves to 6-8 on the season, returns to The Convo Saturday when the Bobcats host Central Michigan at 1 p.m. as part of a double-header with the men?s basketball team, who will face-off with Kent State to follow.