Jan. 4, 2012
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ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Women's Basketball picked up its second straight win on Wednesday, improving to 8-7 with a 73-64 win over the Buffalo Bulls. Mariah Byard had a career night in the victory, scoring 21 points to lead four Bobcat scorers in double figures.
The Bobcats have now scored 70 points or more in four consecutive games, a feat which has not been accomplished since January 16-26, 2008 (122 games ago). Ohio shot 39.7 percent from the field in the game and was able to do enough to stop the Bulls (50 percent shooting) and the MAC No. 2 scorer Brittney Hedderson (25 points) from coming out on top.
The Bulls (5-10, 0-1 MAC) opened the scoring with a 10-2 run in the first three minutes of the game, but the `Cats would respond with a layup from sophomore Shavon Robinson (Canton, Ohio) and three-pointers from seniors Tenisha Benson (Akron, Ohio) and Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) to quickly even the score.
Buffalo led 22-15 at the midway point of the first half after solid outside shooting from Hedderson and Margeaux Gupilan. Junior Alesia Howard (Columbus, Ohio) got Ohio back on track with a fast break followed by a pair of free throws from Robinson to put the Bobcats back within three with nine minutes to play in the first half.
The Bobcats grabbed their first lead of the game at the 3:23 mark after a layup from Byard (Mannington, W. Va.) put the `Cats up 23-22. The freshman would continue her strong play off the bench with a key three-point shot, followed by another three almost a minute later to send the `Cats into the locker leading 31-26. Ohio led the Bulls in second chance points (7-0) and was able to nab 13 points off of Buffalo's 12 turnovers. Byard led the first-half scoring with 11 points, while Howard and Benson followed with five and six, respectively.
Both teams traded baskets early to kick off the second-half action, but it was Fowler who extended Ohio's lead to 43-34 with a three pointer of her own, forcing the Bulls to call an early timeout. Consecutive layups by Howard, Robinson and junior Symone Lyles (Silver Spring, Md.) boosted the `Cats to a 53-41 lead at the 13-minute mark, their largest lead of the game.
Consistent outside shooting led to a 16-3 run from Buffalo, though, giving the Bulls the lead (57-56) with 7:16 left to play. Byard found her stroke once more with her fifth three of the night and capitalized on two free throws to put the `Cats back up 63-60 with under five minutes to play.
The Bobcats travel to Kent State this weekend to battle the Golden Flashes on Saturday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
