Dec. 13, 2009
Final Stats
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Carolyn Barnett and Thia Gholson gave Ohio a huge lift off the bench, and Ohio overcame a 15-point first half deficit, but it was Duquesne that landed the final blow in a hard-fought 52-50 setback late Sunday afternoon in the Palumbo Center.
Ohio (3-6) got 23 big points from its bench and outrebounded the Dukes 39-33, but turnovers bit the `Cats for the second-straight game as the Green and White coughed up 31 miscues on the day.
The `Cats defense came up big once again Sunday, forcing Duquesne (7-3) into 24 turnovers and holding the Dukes to 34 percent shooting from the field. Ohio shot 32 percent itself.
Barnett (North Chicago, Ill.) led the Green and White with a season-best 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Jenny Poff (St. John's, Mich.) and Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) each chipped in eight, with Fowler tying a season-high three steals. Thia Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) turned in her best game of the season as well, scoring six points and pulling down nine rebounds. Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a game- and season-high 11 rebounds while blocking four shots. With her four blocks, she is now four rejections away from tying Ohio's all-time mark.
Duquesne came with the hot hand early on and took an 11-3 lead behind an 8-0 run. The Dukes continued their hot shooting and took a 19-4 lead with 11:50 left in the half.
Ohio fought through some unkind rims and took advantage of a couple of Duquesne turnovers to cut the deficit to nine behind a Poff trey and a pair of Barnett free throws. The `Cats continued to fight and cut the deficit to six a short time later on a bucket inside from Barnett with 6:07 left in the half. The action went back and forth over the last six minutes of the half with neither side giving an inch.
Duquesne pulled back up by eight with three minutes left in the half, but the Green and White responded in kind with a pair of Danielle Woodmore (Louisville, Ky.) buckets. A Gholson turnaround jumper with 25 seconds left made it 28-24 heading into the lockerroom. Ohio finished the half shooting 31 percent from the field. Barnett sparked the `Cats with six points off the bench, which tallied 14 points in the half.
Half two started off much the same way the first stanza ended, with both squads exchanging blows. The Dukes held a 31-27 lead with 17:37 left. A big triple from Poff tied the action at 32 three and a half minutes later, before a Barnett bucket off a fastbreak gave the `Cats their first lead of the contest 15 seconds later. Action continued to be intense over the next two minutes, with Ohio holding a slight two-point edge with 11:43 left after a Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) lay-up.
The `Cats continued to keep the pressure on and eventually took a five-point lead at 43-38 after a Maxine Ohakim (Westerville, Ohio) bucket off a fast break with 7:09 left. Duquesne would not go away, however, and took a 45-43 lead on a 3-pointer from Keri Pryor. Buckner eventually tied it back up with a pair of free throws, before the Dukes answered back with a lay in off a fastbreak to go back up 47-45 a short time later. Fowler answered right back with a pair of freebies to give the Green and White a one-point lead with 2:27 left.
The Dukes look a 49-48 edge with just over 45 seconds left on an off balance jumper. A huge Gholson gave Ohio back the lead at 50-49 with 19 seconds left. Rachel Frederick, who started her collegiate career at Ohio and played for the `Cats from 2005-07, knocked down two free throws with 11 ticks left to put the Dukes back on top 51-50. The Green and White then turned the ball over with seven seconds remaining. After an ensuing foul, Pryor hit one of two free throws to put it at 52-50. Woodmore threw up a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, but it bounced off the rim to help Duquesne to sneak away with the win.
Pryor led the Dukes with a game-high 22 points, while Samantha Pollino and Alex Gensler each scored eight.
Ohio will now return to the friendly confines of the Convo for a pair of contests before breaking for Christmas. First up is a date with UNC Wilmington Thursday at 7 p.m.
