Jan. 25, 2006
Final Stats
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Despite a pair of 20-plus point efforts and a late second-half rally, the Ohio women's basketball team couldn't match Western Michigan on its home floor, dropping an 88-77 decision Wednesday in University Arena.
The Bobcats (6-11, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) trailed 15-2 to begin the game and carried the burden of a 13-point deficit at the break. Ohio trimmed the Western Michigan lead to nine with less than three minutes left in the second half, but the Broncos (7-10, 4-2 MAC) were too much down the stretch and picked up the home victory.
Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) netted a career-high 23 points on the night, including a 10-of-12 effort from the charity stripe.
"I thought Ciara played really well," said Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. "She's one of our best defenders. When she got in foul trouble, it really hurt us not having her in as much in the first half."
Freshman Rachel Frederick (Gibsonia, Pa.) scored in double figures for the ninth straight night, posting 20 points with five rebounds and four three-pointers. Simone Redd (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) hit for 15 points.
Domenica Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) carried the Cats on the glass, recording a career-best 11 rebounds.
Western Michigan was led by Lindsey Brown's 18 points. Casey Rost scored 14 points and became the program's all-time leading scorer. The Broncos shot 55.9 percent from the field on the evening.
"Casey Rost is one of the best players in the MAC; there's no doubt about it," Bria said. "She's the all-time leading scorer here for a reason. They're a very good team. They're a veteran team."
The Broncos came out firing in the first half and put Ohio in a hole it would never manage to dig out of. Western Michigan jumped out to a 15-2 to start the game, building a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Ohio began to respond on the offensive end as the half matured, but the Bobcats couldn't draw much closer. Western Michigan took a 41-28 lead into the locker room, with Brown leading the way via a game-high 10 points.
"I thought we were a little flat in the first half," Bria said. "They thrive on their offense. When they get their offense going, their defense gets better."
Redd led the Bobcats with eight points at the break, while Frederick kicked in seven and three rebounds. Domenica Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) came off the bench to lead Ohio with four boards at intermission.
In addition to Brown's 10, Casey Rost scored nine and Amanda Parker tallied eight at halftime. The Broncos outrebounded Ohio 19-15 and beat the Bobcats in the paint, 20-8.
"I thought we gave them too many points in the paint," Bria said. "We didn't disrupt them. Our defense has been solid over the last six or seven games. I've been happy with our field goal percentage defense, but tonight it wasn't there."
Ohio shot 41.7 percent from the field in the first half and 20 percent from the perimeter. Conversely, the Broncos converted 50 percent of its tries from the field and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Maria Jillian knocked down a three-pointer to open up the second half, setting the tone for the Broncos to control the entire frame. Western Michigan maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the half, though Ohio was more productive on the offensive end in the second period.
Ohio cut the lead to single digits just once, but it proved to be too late. Ohio trailed by nine as the clock dipped below three minutes remaining in the game, but the Broncos held on in the closing moments. The Bobcats outscored Western Michigan 49-47 in an offensive-minded second frame, but it wasn't enough to overcome the halftime deficit.
"It seemed like we didn't get anything going until second half," Bria said. "I thought in the second half we hung right with them."
For the game, Ohio shot 46.6 percent from the floor and used six second-half three-pointers to convert 46.7 percent from the perimeter. Western Michigan converted 55.9 percent of its tries from the field and 36.4 percent from the arc.
The Bobcats stay on the road and in the West Division this weekend. Ohio will head to DeKalb, Ill., Saturday for a match-up with Northern Illinois. Tip-time is set for 2:05 CST.
