Nov. 6, 2008
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio women's basketball team forced 44 Ohio Valley turnovers en route to a convincing 91-45 win over the Fighting Scots in the Bobcats' final tune-up before regular-season play. All 15 Bobcats played and scored at least two points in the victory.
Junior Jennifer Bushby's (Gahanna, Ohio) three-point basket on the Bobcats' opening shot of the game gave Ohio a lead they would not relinquish. The 'Cats jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Alana Auld knocked down a three-pointer to get Ohio Valley on the board at the 17:30 mark.
Ohio responded with a 12-0 run to put the Bobcats on top 22-3. Junior Jenny Poff's (St. Johns, Mich.) steal and layup sparked a 6-0 run that forced the Fighting Scots to take timeout with Ohio holding a 28-5 edge. With just under eight minutes left in the half, the Bobcats led 35-10, behind Bushby's 11 points.
Ohio finished the half on a 17-2 run to take a 52-12 lead into the break, with freshman Kyla Rollins (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) scoring six of them on a pair of layups and two free throws. It marked the first time the Bobcats scored 50 points in a half since Feb. 2, 2008, when Ohio scored 55 in the second half against Western Michigan. It was also the fewest points the Bobcats allowed in a first half since giving up 14 on Jan. 5, 2008 against Navy. The `Cat defense held the Fighting Scots to 5-of-22 shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes of play.
Bushby paced Ohio in the opening half with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Sophomore forward Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in six points, while Rollins finished the half with six as well. Ohio shot 52.8 percent from the field in the first half and was 12-of-17 from the free throw line. Ohio Valley committed 28 turnovers, more than Ohio forced in an entire game last season, which the Bobcats converted into 32 first-half points. The 'Cats held a 24-14 edge in rebounds at the break. Every Bobcat saw the court in the first 20 minutes, with 12 of them recording at least one point.
Ohio continued to control play in the second half as the Bobcats went on a 13-0 run, including four fast-break layups, after the teams traded four points each to start the second stanza. Ohio would go without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch in the second half, but Ohio Valley could not take advantage of the Bobcats' dry spell, as the defense kept the pressure on the Fighting Scots all the way to the 46-point victory.
Bushby led all scorers with 18 points, while Rollins finished with 12. Freshman Danielle Woodmore (Louisvlle, Ky.) added 11 points and five steals, while senior Chandra Myers (Sugarcreek, Ohio) tallied 10. Rollins also grabbed a game-high eight boards, while Buckner had six rebounds. Poff dished out a game-high five assists in the win. Auld paced Ohio Valley with 10 points, despite the team shooting just 34.5 percent from the floor.
As a team, the Bobcats had 23 steals and out-rebounded the Fighting Scots 43-30. The 91 points scored marked Ohio's best total since the Feb. 2 game against Western Michigan, when the 'Cats put up 94 points. Ohio finished the game 31-of-62 for 50 percent and was 4-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. The Bobcats converted 25 of their 37 attempts from the free throw line.
The Bobcats begin their regular season Friday, Nov. 14, when they travel to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy at 7 p.m. Ohio's next home game will be Dec. 19 when it hosts Cleveland State in a 5 p.m. contest.
