March 1, 2008
Box Score
KENT, Ohio - The Ohio women's basketball team opened its three-game road swing with a 69-68 win over Kent State Saturday afternoon. It is Ohio's first win at Kent State since the 1990-91 season.
With the win, Ohio improves to a 16-11, 9-5 MAC record, while Kent State falls to 8-19, 5-10 on the season.
Three players scored in double digits for the Bobcats, led by senior Lauren Kohn (Adrian, Mich.) with 17 points. Senior Simone Redd (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) scored 16 points, while Jenny Poff (St. Johns, Mich.) added 14.
Kohn connected on 6-of-15 attempts from the field, including three triples. She was also 2-of-3 from the charity stripe with four assists. Redd shot 6-of-10 from the floor, and was 2-of-3 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the stripe. She also had four rebounds. Poff had a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her 14 points. She also tallied a game-high seven assists.
Freshman Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting. Junior Lauren Hmiel (York, Pa.) scored six points, senior Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.) had four points, and juniors Catherine Cain (Dayton, Ohio) and Chandra Myers (Sugarcreek, Ohio) both finished with two points and six rebounds.
Kohn and Poff nailed three-pointers to kick off scoring for the Bobcats, who started the game on a 12-4 scoring run. After the first media timeout of the half, Kent State outscored Ohio 11 to 5 to pull within two points, 17-15, at the 11:55 mark. A fast-break layup by Poff at 11:51, led to a 9-0 Bobcat run that included two three-pointers by Redd for a 27-15 Ohio lead with 9:29 to go in the half.
With the `Cats up 29-17 with 8:07 remaining in the frame, Kent State scored nine straight points to pull within four, 29-25, at the 6:11 mark. A jumper by Redd at 5:27 quenched Ohio's scoring drought, increasing the Bobcats' lead to six, 31-25, as Ohio went into intermission with a 35-29 lead. Redd scored 12 of Ohio's 14 bench points in the opening frame.
Ohio carried its momentum into the second half, increasing its lead to 40-29. Hmiel started the half with a layup and Poff converted on a three-point play after stealing the ball on an inbound possession.
Before the second timeout of the final frame, Kent's Chenel Harris nailed a three-pointer for the Flashes that cut Ohio's lead to eight at 54-46, their closest yet. Kohn put the `Cats back up to a double-digit 56-46 lead with a fast-break layup with 10:12 on the clock. Harris scored on the alternate possession for the Flashes, cutting Ohio's lead to eight again at 56-48.
With eight minutes left in the game and the scored at 58-50, Harris made a layup that pulled the game within six points at 58-52 for the Flashes. An Ohio foul put Kent's Rachel Bennett on the line, who made both attempts to take two points off of Ohio's lead, 58-54. Redd responded with a fade away jumper from the right for a 60-54 Ohio advantage.
Harkins then converted on a three-point play at 5:33, allowing the Flashes to come within three points, 60-57, forcing a Bobcat timeout. After timeout, Kowalska pulled the Flashes within one point, 60-59, on a layup at the 4:55 mark. Chandra Myers then scored her first bucket of the game to give the `Cats a 62-59 lead at 4:26. Myers then got her fifth foul at 4:02 on an attempted three-point play for the Flashes that once again put Kent within one point at 62-61. Ellie Shields didn't convert on the bonus free throw.
Kohn hit two free throws at 3:36 as Ohio kept its lead at 64-61, but the Flashes wouldn't go away as Bennett connected on two free throws for the Flashes at the other end and Kent trailed by one, 64-63.
A steal by Gibson led to her being fouled on a three-point play, giving KSU their first lead of the game, 65-64 at 2:10. Gibson failed to convert the bonus free throw and an offensive foul by Kent gave Ohio possession for a chance to regain the lead.
A three by Poff put the Bobcats back on top 67-65 with a minute and a half left in regulation. With a minute left, a inside bucket by Buckner put Ohio up by four, 69-65. Bennett scored quickly at the other end, making it a two-point game again with 43 seconds remaining in the game.
A charge by Poff with 16.1 seconds to go, gave Kent the ball and a chance to either tie or win the game. A foul by Redd with 7.8 seconds left, put Bennett on the line. She made the first and missed the second as Ohio held a 69-68 lead.
Kohn was immediately fouled and sent to the line with 4.6 seconds left in the game. She missed the one-and-one attempt, and a last-second layup, that would have won the game for the Flashes, lingered before falling off the side of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Notes
- Ohio gained its first win at Kent State since the 1990-91 season.
- Ohio improves its road record to 5-1 on the season.
- Freshman Kamille Buckner reaches Ohio's all-time career blocks list with 28, she had four in the game today.
