Jan. 14, 2009
Final Stats
ATHENS, Ohio - For the second time in three games, the Ohio women's basketball team pulled out an overtime victory against a Mid-American Conference foe with a 65-60 defeat of Akron Wednesday night at The Convocation Center. The Bobcats (6-9, 2-1 MAC) have now beaten the Zips (6-10, 1-2 MAC) in 16-straight games overall and in Athens.
Senior forward Lauren Hmiel (York, Pa.) scored a career-high 21 points to lead a trio of Bobcats in double figures. Sophomore forward Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 15, including 12 in the second half and overtime, while junior guard Jenny Poff (St. John's, Mich.) added 13 points on four triples and a free throw. Sophomore Kara Murphy tallied a game-high 30 points to pace Akron, with 20 coming in the second stanza, but was held scoreless in overtime.
Back-to-back trifectas from Poff spotted the Bobcats a 15-6 cushion 8:35 into the game. Ohio led 21-10 before the Zips went on an 8-2 spurt to cut the deficit to five at the under-four-minute timeout. The 'Cats closed the half on a 4-0 run, however, thanks to two jumpers from Hmiel, as they went into the locker room on top, 28-21.
Ohio shot 50 percent in the opening half on 12-of-24 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Akron hit just 33.3 percent of its shots (8-of-24), and made just 2-of-8 3-point attempts, but did manage to knock down all three free throws they shot.
Hmiel paced the Green & White with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first 20 minutes, while also grabbing four of the Bobcats' 19 rebounds. Sophomore center Thia Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) led Ohio with five boards at the break, while the Zips had just 10 as a team. Freshman guard Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) dished out a career-high two assists in the first 20 minutes, as she was one of three 'Cats with a pair of helpers.
A triple from Murphy pulled Akron within four at 33-29, with 15:29 remaining. Ohio responded with an 8-2 run, sparked by a Poff 3-pointer and an old-fashioned 3-point play from Buckner, to extend its lead to 10 at 41-31. The Zips stormed back with a 14-6 run to get within two, before a pair of Buckner free throws stopped the bleeding.
After Ohio pushed the lead back to six, Akron scored the next six points and tied it on a Murphy layup with less than 30 seconds remaining. Junior guard Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) misfired on a 3-pointer with time expiring to cause overtime knotted at 53.
Poff opened overtime with a triple, followed by a Buckner layup to put the Bobcats up five early in the extra period. The Zips closed to within three multiple times, but Ohio hit 2-of-4 free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 65-60 victory.
Ohio continues MAC play Saturday, Jan. 17, when the Bobcats head north for a 2 p.m. showdown with Kent State at the M.A.C. Center.
