Jan. 27, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio's defense showed its prowess once again, holding Eastern Michigan's high-scoring offense to just a hover, but the Eagles managed to stage a late rally to sneak away with a close-fought 56-53 win. Jenny Poff scored a game-high 19 points to lead the `Cats.
Entering the contest averaging 73.4 points a contest, Ohio's defense pressured and disrupted EMU throughout the night and held the Eagles to their second-lowest tally of the year. The `Cats' defense was especially strong in the opening half, limiting the EMU to just 17 first-half points, the lowest output in a half by an opponent this season. The Eagles managed to shoot just 37.9 percent from the field.
With a contest that was otherwise even down the line, turnovers came back to bite Ohio. EMU scored 23 points off 22 costly Green and White miscues. Both teams pulled down 35 rebounds on the night, while Ohio shot 39.6 percent from the field, including 9-of-17 from downtown.
Poff (St. John's, Mich.) knocked down five treys en route to her 19 points on the night. Jennifer Bushby (Gahanna, Ohio) finished with nine points on three 3-pointers and also added a game-high nine rebounds and three steals. Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) scored six points while also picking up a game-high two blocks.
The `Cats got strong showings and big minutes from its trio of first-year players as well. Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored eight points to go with four rebounds and three assists, while Symone Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.) chipped in three boards, a block and an assist in 12 minutes of play. Tina Fisher (Cottage Grove, Minn.) dished out a career-best four assists and drew a pair of charges in key moments while totaling 28 minutes overall.
Both defenses were strong in the opening frame as the half ended with a 23-17 tally in favor of Ohio. The action was tight nearly the entire stanza. The `Cats ripped off a big 10-2 run to take a 17-11 lead with 8:04 left in the half. EMU battled back to cut the lead to 20-17 with 4:02 left before the break, but the `Cats held the Eagles scoreless the rest of the way to take the lead into the lockerroom.
Ohio extended its lead to as many as 10 early in the second half, but EMU managed to hang around and took advantage of an 11-2 run to pull within 31-30 with 13:41 left. Things stayed tight over the next few minutes before the Green and White took a 40-32 lead after Poff's fifth trey of the game with 9:24 remaining. The Eagles pulled back to within two a couple minutes later, before the `Cats went back up by eight with just under five minutes left.
The Green and White held a 53-48 lead after a big Bushby three with 1:38 left. But the Eagles caught fire and ripped off five unanswered points to knot the score at 53 on a trey from Tavelyn James. After Ohio missed a shot on its end, EMU's Sydney Huntley delivered a dagger with a 3-pointer in the corner with eight seconds left. Following a timeout, the Eagles fouled the `Cats to take away a potential tying attempt. EMU then harassed Ohio into a turnover in the final three seconds to sneak away with the win.
The `Cats will stay home as they prepare to welcome the defending MAC Tournament champions, Ball State, to the Convo Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
