Jan. 20, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio - Jennifer Bushby's fade-away jumper with 27 seconds left capped off a late Ohio rally as the Bobcats edged past Akron 64-63 for their first Mid-American Conference victory of the season Wednesday night in the Convo. The Gahanna, Ohio, product led three Ohio players in double figures with a game-high 17 points.
Facing a six-point deficit with 3:49 left, the Green and White clamped down on defense, holding the Zips to just two points the rest of the way while capping off a 9-2 run over that period to take the win. With the victory, the `Cats (5-13, 1-4 MAC) extended their home-winning streak over Akron (9-9, 3-2 MAC) to 17 games and picked up their 33rd win in the series overall.
Ohio took advantage of a balanced inside-outside offensive attack to help keep the Zips off balance. The `Cats ate up the Akron interior with 36 points from their post players, while the team shot 50 percent from the field, including 7-of-14 from behind the arc. The Green and White also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Zips 39-29 on the night and taking advantage of 19 second-chance points.
Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) finished the game 6-of-10 from the field, including a season-best tying five treys, to add to a stat line that also included six rebounds, three steals and a block to go with her 17 points. Junior Thia Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) tallied 12 points on the inside and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while also tying her career-best three assists. Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) turned in a nice showing off the bench with 11 points and five rebounds, notching her 11th game this season with five-or-more rebounds, while Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) recorded eight points and five rebounds to go with another block.
The `Cats also got a nice lift from freshman Tina Fisher (Cottage Grove, Md.), who chipped in five points and pulled down a career-best five rebounds in just 13 minutes of play. Jenny Poff (St. John's, Mich.) tallied six points to go with a game- and season-high seven helpers. Freshman Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) picked up four assists on the night.
Ohio jumped out to an early 8-2 edge after a lay-up inside from Buckner. The Zips came back fighting back with a big 10-0 run to take a four-point lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half. The `Cats would not go away and rallied back over the next couple minutes to take a 25-24 lead after a Fisher bucket inside. The last eight minutes of the frame were back-and-forth as neither side could manage to get up very much on the other. Akron took a five-point edge with 3:59 left in the stanza, but Ohio once again battled back and knotted the action at 33 going into the lockerroom.
Action stayed close at the start of the second period, before a Bushby trey gave the Green and White a 41-37 lead with 16:32 left. The Zips would not go away though and ripped off a 12-2 run to take a six-point lead with 9:55 left. Ohio continued to fight, but Akron was able to counter every `Cat blow. A Kara Murphy jumper with 5:37 left put the Zips on top 57-51.
Ohio came back to close the gap to four twice only to see Akron go up by six over the next 1:48. Trailing with the 61-55 tally with 3:49 left, the Green and White defense clamped down, limiting the Zips to just two points the rest of the way. Ohio ripped off a big 7-0 run, capped off by Bushby's fifth trey of the game, to take a 62-61 lead with 1:26 left. Akron's Ayla Guzzardo answered with a jumper to give the Zips the edge with 45 seconds left. Bushby answered back with the potential knockout blow with a fade-away 15 footer with 27 seconds left. The `Cats defense was strong the final possession, allowing Akron just a long, off-balance jumper as the clock expired.
Freshman Rachel Tecca led four Zips in double figures with 17 points, including 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Murphy added 13, while Kyle Baumgartner scored 12 and Jolene Tamboue chipped in 10.
The `Cats will now start their swing through the MAC's West Division as they head to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to battle Central Michigan Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Rose Arena.
