Feb. 28, 2006
Final Stats
AKRON, Ohio - Ohio converted 23-of-25 attempts from the charity stripe and outlasted Akron on the road Tuesday, 66-56, earning a first-round home game in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Four Bobcats pitched in double figures in a balanced scoring effort, with Simone Redd (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) leading the pack with 13. Lauren Revesz (Bridgeville, Pa.) and Ciara Iglehart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) kicked in 12, while Rachel Frederick (Gibsonia, Pa.) chipped in 10.
With the win, the Bobcats (8-19, 5-11 MAC) secure a first-round home game in the upcoming MAC Tournament. Ohio clinches the No. 4 seed in the East, which means the Cats will play host to the No. 5 seed in the West. That opponent remains to be determined, based on the outcomes of a West Division game on Wednesday night. The Bobcats will either face Central Michigan or Northern Illinois. Ohio fell 64-48 to Central Michigan in early February, but defeated Northern Illinois, 74-62, on the road in January.
"I think it's huge for our team," said Ohio Head Coach Lynn Bria. "With the young team that we have, we need every advantage we can get, so I think it's really good for us. But there is nothing guaranteed. We're going to have to play well, even on our home floor."
Ohio jumped out to an early lead and held a double-digit lead over Akron (5-22, 2-14) throughout much of the first half. The Cats went to the break up by nine and were nearly perfect from the free-throw stripe in the second half to erase any Akron hopes on pulling off the victory. Ohio didn't score a field in the game's final 7:47, but the Cats went 16-of-16 from the line during that stretch to hang on for the W.
"I think we're a good free-throw shooting team and we have been all year. Not a day goes by that we don't shoot them. I think overall, all of our kids are good free throw shooters."
Akron had three players in double figures, with Niki McCoy scoring 19 with seven rebounds in 40 minutes. Jessica Deville shot just 2-of-11 from the field, but did manage to notch a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards. The Zips outrebounded Ohio on the night, 42-30.
Ohio committed just 12 turnovers on the night. That, combined with a 92 percent effort from the free-throw line, propelled the Cats to their 11th-straight win over Akron.
After going ahead 9-2 in the opening two minutes, Ohio climbed to a 14-point advantage as the clock neared the 10-minute mark of the first half. The lead swelled to 16, 27-11, on a Frederick three with 6:28 left. But, Ohio scored three points over the final five minutes of the half as Akron went on a 10-3 run to pull within six at intermission.
Ohio was led by eight-first half points from Frederick. Jessie Crooks had nine to pace the Zips.
Out of the break, the Bobcats held a comfortable lead for much of the first 15 minutes of the second half. But, down 10 with less than five to go in the game, Akron began to trim away at the lead. The Bobcats didn't hit a field goal in the final 7:47, but during that stretch, Ohio went 16-for-16 from the free throw line. Akron cut the lead to four with 1:36 left, but the Cats hit six-straight free throws to hold off the comeback attempt.
"We knew this was going to be tough game," Bria said. "I knew when we were up in the first half that this was a team that would come back. You can't get discouraged; you just have to keep your head in the game."
Ohio's first round opponent in the MAC Tournament will be determined Wednesday. The game will be played as the second half of a Bobcat basketball doubleheader on Saturday, March 4. The Ohio men will play host to BowlingGreen at 2 p.m. for Senior Day in The Convo, with the Bobcat women facing the West Division's No. 5 seed 30 minutes following the completion of game one.
