Dec. 29, 2011
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Women's Basketball improved to 7-7 on Thursday evening with a convincing 75-59 win over the visiting George Mason Patriots. Senior guard Tenishia Benson led the Bobcats with 14 points as Ohio had five players score in double figures for the first time this season.
Ohio connected on a season-high 28 field goals and broke its best shooting percentage of the season by more than 10 percent, hitting 52.8 percent of its attempts from the floor. The `Cats took great care of the ball throughout the 40 minutes, committing only 10 turnovers.
George Mason (7-4) started the game on an 8-0 run over the first three-and-a-half minutes before Ohio responded with an 18-2 scoring run over the next seven minutes to grab an early 18-10 lead. Integral in this early stretch was diligent ball movement, as five of the Bobcats' first six field goals came via a teammate's assist.
Ohio stretched its lead to as many as 18 points at one point in the first half before ultimately taking a 40-23 advantage into the locker room. The Bobcats connected on 14-of-25 field goals in the first frame to shoot 56 percent, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. This was done as the defense forced nine turnovers, allowing the Patriots to shoot only 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) in the first half.
"I'm very proud of our team today for stepping up and understanding the things of importance in this game were dribble penetration, rebounding the basketball and taking away their transition offense," said head coach Semeka Randall. "I thought we did a very good job of that."
Eight different Bobcats scored in the first half, including three netting at least six points. Benson (Akron, Ohio) and Porsha Harris (Chicago, Ill.) contributed eight points each.
Instead of becoming complacent with their lead, the Bobcats kept their foot on the accelerator in the second half. Ohio opened up a 23-point lead with 15:01 remaining in the game and never looked back, not allowing the Patriots to get any closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Junior guard Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored a season-high 13 points in the win. She connected on 3-of-7 field goals and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. The `Cats shot 14-of-17 from the line as a team, taking advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe.
Freshman guard Mariah Byard (Mannington, W.Va.) had a strong game, scoring 11 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out four assists. She was one of five Bobcats who picked up four rebounds or more. Harris led the way with seven.
Taleia Moton, one of the top scorers in NCAA Division One Women's Basketball this season, scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. She was joined in double figures by teammate Amber Easter's 10 points.
The Bobcats will next be in action on Jan. 4 when they open up Mid-American Conference play at home against the Buffalo Bulls. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
