Jan. 18, 2011
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio - Alesia Howard scored a career-high 15 points to lead four Bobcats in double figures as Ohio picked up its first Mid-American win of the season, winning for the second time in three years in Millett Hall with a 69-56 win over rival Miami Wednesday night. Tenishia Benson, Ashley Fowler and Kamille Buckner also reached double digits, with Buckner recording a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
Ohio (5-13, 1-4 MAC) led most of the game and withstood a late RedHawk (10-8, 2-3 MAC) run by knocking down free throws down the stretch to seel the win. The `Cats pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds on the night while scoring 19 points off Miami turnovers and converting on 13 second-chance points to seal the win. The 13-point victory marked Ohio's largest win in Oxford since a Feb. 19, 1986 contest in which the `Cats won by 14.
The Green and White defense was strong once again, holding its ninth opponent under 60 points en route to holding the RedHawks to 17 points below its season average. Ohio also held Miami's Kirsten Olowinski, who was averaging over 18 points a contest in conference play, to just six points, and the team's leading scorer on the year, Courtney Osborn, to just five points.
Howard (Columbus, Ohio) added seven rebounds and two blocks to her total, while Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipped in 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. Benson (Akron, Ohio) added 12 to go with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) pulled down double-digit rebounds for the second straight game while enjoying perhaps her best game of the season with her double-double and season-best tying five swats, and Shavon Robinson (Canton, Ohio) had a nice showing with six points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Action was tight the first few minutes of play, with Ohio clinging to a 6-5 lead behind four early points from Howard. Miami knocked down a trey to take a two-point advantage, before the `Cats responded with a big 11-0 run to take a nine-point lead with 11:12 left in the half.
The Green and White continued to hold a seven-to-nine point advantage over the next few minutes, before the RedHawks went on a brief run of their own to pull within six. A Benson trey from the corner, however, put Ohio back on top by nine at the 4:24 mark. Fowler knocked down a big triple a short time later to give the `Cats their largest lead of the half at 12.
Miami pulled back to within nine with just over a minute left in the frame, but a Benson freebie and a big Buckner block on a three-point try helped Ohio take a 33-23 advantage going into the lockerroom.
Howard paced the Green and White with eight points in the half, while Fowler and Benson each chipped in six. Buckner had a strong half defensively, pulling down five rebounds and blocking three shots. The `Cats finished the half shooting 36 percent from behind the arc and 34 percent from the field overall. They also maintained a plus-four advantage on the glass.
Both sides came out battling to start the second half. Ohio was able to withstand the RedHawks the first few minutes and eventually took a 40-27 lead after a Buckner layup. Miami would not go away, however, and quickly made it single digits after back-to-back triples from Rachael Hencke. The Green and White held a 44-38 lead with 11:56 left.
Ohio responded right back with a big 9-2 run of its own to go back up by 13 with 9:49 left. The `Cats maintained that lead through the next few minutes, before the RedHawks surged back to pull within six at 55-49 after an old-fashioned three-point play from Hannah Robertson with 4:21 left.
Miami pulled back within six after an Olowinski bucket inside, but Benson knocked down a big three with the shot clock winding down to extend Ohio's lead back to nine. With time winding down, the RedHawks were forced to foul. The `Cats were able to knock down their free throws down the stretch and finish off the 13-point win.
Maggie Boyer led two Miami players in double figures with 12 points, while Hencke added 11.
Ohio tips off interdivisional play Saturday as it plays host to West Division foe Western Michigan Saturday at 7 p.m.
