March 11, 2008
Box Score
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Four players scored in double figures as the Ohio women's basketball team defeated Eastern Michigan, 76-62, to advance to the semifinals of the MAC Women's Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1998.
Leading Ohio in scoring was junior guard Jenny Poff (St. Johns, Mich.) with 15 points. Poff scored 12 of her 15 in the first half, nailing four three-pointers. She also had four rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
Senior guard Lauren Kohn (Adrian, Mich.) and junior forward Lauren Hmiel (York, Pa.) scored 14 points each. Kohn also added six rebounds, three assists and three steals to her stat-line, while Hmiel led the team in rebounding for the second straight game with nine boards.
Junior center Chandra Myers (Sugarcreek, Ohio) finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks. Myers was 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Also putting up numbers for the Bobcats were sophomore guard Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) and freshman forward Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) with eight points apiece. Senior Quintana Ward (Park Forest, Ill.) finished with two points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Colleen Russell and Amanda Compton both finished with 20 points for Eastern Michigan. Russell also had 10 rebounds.
For the game, the Bobcats shot 47.4 percent from the floor, connecting on 27-of-57 attempts. The Eagles shot 35.1 percent from the floor on 20-of-57 shooting. The Bobcats won the battle of the boards with a 40-32 advantage.
The Bobcats held an advantage throughout the game and led by a much as 18 points in the first half before going into intermission with a 38-22 lead. The Eagles outscored the `Cats in the second frame, 40-38, but the Bobcats kept the momentum and shot 46.4 percent from the floor in the remaining half and 91.7% from the free-throw line (11-of-12).
With the win, the Bobcats improve to a 19-12 record, while the Eagles fall to 17-12. Ohio's 19 wins sets a new third place record for most wins in a single season. It is the first time ever that a Bobcat squad has reached the all-time wins list in back-to-back seasons. Last season's 18 wins is fourth best.
The MAC semifinals will kick off Friday, March 14. The Bobcats will face either top-seeded Bowling Green or Kent State in game two, which is slated to start at 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the end of game one.
