Dec. 6, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio - Jenny Poff scorched Syracuse for a season-high 25 points and Ohio forced one of the Big East's strongest teams into 20 turnovers, but the Orange were just a little too much to handle as the Bobcats fell 70-54 Sunday afternoon in the Convocation Center.
Syracuse became just the first team this season to score more than 60 points on the Green and White, but Ohio's defense still turned in a strong showing, holding the Orange's high-scoring offense to 10 points below their season average of 80 and Syracuse's leading scorer and preseason Wooden Award candidate, Nicole Michael to just 10 points. Ohio's bench also provided a huge lift on the day, helping spark a late surge that trimmed a large Syracuse lead down. The `Cats were also strong on the offensive boards, pulling down 17 offensive rebounds and holding the Orange nine rebounds below their season average.
Poff (St. John's, Mich.) scored 25 points, one off her career high, to lead the Green and White. Freshman point guard Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) turned in a nice showing as well with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and no turnovers against a high-pressure Orange defense. Maxine Ohakim (Westerville, Ohio) led Ohio off the bench with six points, five rebounds and two assists. Symone Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.) also provided a nice lift off the bench, frustrating Syracuse's ball handlers and nabbing two steals to go with four points.
"We came out on our heels a little bit today," Ohio coach Semeka Randall said. "Give Syracuse a lot of credit. They came in here on a mission and took care of business. We had some good things though. I really felt the bench played great. They came in and played inspired basketball. We also did a great job on the offensive boards."
The Green and White faced unforgiving rims throughout the contest. Despite getting good looks at the hoop, Ohio shot just 28 percent on the day. The charity line was a little more generous in the second half, however, as the `Cats shot 13-of-18 from the stripe in the second stanza.
The action was tight early on as Ohio refused to give an inch to the Orange. A jumper by Ohakim tied the score at 10 apiece with 12:24 left in the first half. Syracuse roared out a big 11-0 run, however, to go ahead 21-10. The `Cats responded with an 11-2 run of their own after that to pull within two at 23-21 after a Poff triple with 5:27 left in the half. The Orange struck back in a big way and took a 40-26 advantage into the lockerroom.
Syracuse's late first-half run carried over into the first few minutes of the second half and proved to be too much for the Green and White to overcome. Despite battling hard, the rims would not bend for the `Cats, and Ohio struggled to get several good looks to fall through the net. The Orange capitalized and eventually built their lead to 61-34 with 8:56 left. The `Cats would not roll over, however, and kept fighting behind a big lift from their bench. Ohio outscored Syracuse 20-9 the rest of the way.
Erica Morrow led four Orange players in double figures with 14 points, while Kayla Alexander added 13. Juanita Ward chipped in 11, and Michael finished with 10.
Ohio will now head back on the road as it heads to Philadelphia to take on Temple Thursday, Dec. 10. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
