Nov. 18, 2005
Final Stats
Huntington, W. Va. - Rachel Frederick scored 22 points in her Bobcat debut and sparked a furious second-half comeback, but a sharp-shooting South Carolina State squad downed the Ohio women's basketball team 80-68 Friday in the opening game of the Fifth-Third Marshall University Classic.
After posting just two points in the first half, Frederick (Gibsonia, Pa.), a true freshman, scored 20 points in the second half and helped the Bobcats (0-1) close in on a late Bulldog lead. For the game, Frederick hit three three-pointers, went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and fell just one rebound short of a double-double.
"I thought Rachel struggled a little bit in the first half," said Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. "In the second half she came out great. She really has the maturity of a veteran and she showed that today. She's not your typical freshman."
South Carolina State (1-0) built a 14-point lead into halftime and increased its edge in the second half. As the second frame neared a close, though, the Bobcats clawed back and began to carve into the lead. A Frederick three-pointer from the top of the key with 2:35 remaining in the game brought Ohio to within 10. After a couple South Carolina State free throws, Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) hit a three of her own to make the score 70-61 at 2:18. Another pair of free throws followed for the Bulldogs, but once again it was Frederick, this time from well beyond the three-point arc, pushing the score to 72-64 with 1:57 left. Down the stretch, though, the Bulldogs were consistent from the free-throw line and held on for the victory.
"We couldn't hit a shot in the first half and that put us in a hole," Bria said. "We started to hit some shots in the second half and that's when we came back."
The Bulldogs shot 44.4 percent from behind the arc for the game, hitting 8-of-18 attempts. South Carolina State led by 14 points at the half and used 18 second-half points from Fallon Tucker to come away with the win.
Showing a hot hand from the early going, South Carolina State took a 14-point lead into intermission, 41-27. The Bulldogs shot 40 percent (14-35) from the floor, 33.3 percent (4-12) from behind the arc and 90 percent (9-10) from the free-throw line. South Carolina State received 18 points from its bench, led by Ashley Dublin who scored 11 points in the half on the strength of three three-point goals. Melaney Denson led the Bulldogs on the glass with four rebounds. South Carolina State forced 12 Bobcat turnovers and scored 17 points off Ohio miscues in the first half.
Sophomore guard Simone Redd (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) led the charge in the first half for the Bobcats, scoring Ohio's first seven points and nine of the team's first 11 to open the game. Redd finished the half with nine points, three boards and three assists. Six other Bobcats entered the scoring column in the first frame, including five points from point guard Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.). Lauren Revesz (Bridgeville, Pa.) picked up four of Ohio's 19 rebounds--all on the offensive end. Redd, Ward and Iglehart were all perfect from the charity stripe in the first half, leading the Bobcats to a 90.9 percentage (10-11).
Out of the break, South Carolina State continued to build on its lead. Twice the Bulldogs went up by 24, but Ohio relentlessly shot back and threatened the lead. After going 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the first half, South Carolina State went 11-for-19 in the second frame to hold on to the win.
Tucker had a game-high 24 with five assists, and Dublin finished with 16 as the Bulldogs featured four players in double figures. Denson picked up eight rebounds and Latoya Dent made five steals before fouling out in the second half.
Redd finished the game with 17 points and three assists. Ward dished out five assists to complement seven points and a couple rebounds.
Ohio shot 33.3 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range.
The Bobcats now move on to the second day of the Fifth-Third MU Classic Saturday. The Bobcats will meet Tennessee State at 11 a.m. in the Cam Henderson Center.
