Nov. 14, 2008
Box Score
Final Stats
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Ohio Bobcats (1-0) opened the 2008-09 regular season with a win at Alumni Hall against the Midshipmen of Navy (0-1) by a score of 63-48. The victory earns head coach Semeka Randall her first regular-season win at the helm of the Ohio program.
This was the fourth meeting between the Bobcats and Midshipmen. Ohio now leads the series 3-1, including an 81-52 victory Jan. 5 last season, also in Annapolis. In 2007-08, the Midshipmen finished 7-23 overall, including a 3-11 mark in the Patriot League.
Ohio had as much as an eight-point advantage in the first period but held a slim 25-24 lead at the half. The second half saw the `Cats come out blazing, going on a 15-5 run to regain a lead they would not relinquish. Ohio assistant coach Ryan Bragdon said the team refocused at halftime and took care of business in the second half.
"We started out shaky in the first half, having some kinks we needed to work out, but the girls responded in the second half and played hard," said Bragdon. "Coach Randall talked about playing with fire and intensity in the second half and the girls did that. They got after it defensively and we shut down who we needed to shut down," Bragdon added.
Junior guard Jenny Poff (St. John's, Mich.) led the Bobcats with 15 points, shooting 6-9 from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc. Poff's solid night also saw her grab seven boards, three steals, dish four assists and record only one turnover.
Senior center Chandra Myers (Sugarcreek, Ohio) contributed 12 points and four rebounds for Ohio. Teammates Jennfier Bushby, Danielle Woodmore and Catherine Cain each totaled eight points in a team effort for the Bobcats. Bushby, a junior guard, also nabbed four steals and six rebounds to go along with four assists on the night. For Navy, sophomore center Cassie Consedine led all players with 17 points, shooting 6-12 from the floor.
A point of emphasis for Ohio in the preseason, the Bobcats out-rebounded the Midshipmen 36-20. The `Cats shot nearly 60 percent from the field to Navy's 36 percent, including 5-8 from three-point range.
This was the first of eight contests in a row on the road for Ohio. Next up is Morehead State on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. ET.
