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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (10-6, 3-2 MAC) earned a win over Ball State (11-6, 3-2 MAC), 79-71, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
"I think the ball movement was significantly better today," head coach Bob Boldon said. "I think it's exciting moving forward because we've shown signs of what we can do. Every once in a while for whatever reason the ball seems to stick and that bogs us down. I thought we chose good times when to not pass it and take layups and we had as good of a balance today as we've had all year.
Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) led the way for the Bobcats on 10-of-18 shooting with 25 points. Hooks was 5-of-9 from the free-throw line and pulled down seven rebounds alongside her three steals and three assists in 38 minutes of play.
Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) had her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson shot 3-of-8 from the three-point line, added five assists and three steals in 35 minutes on the floor.
"We just find each other, we're both point guards," Johnson said on Hooks. "I try to get out of her way and let her do her thing. She just draws so much attention, I cut and I'm there."
Senior guard Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) collected 16 points on the day with six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Burke was 7-of-11 from the floor and made two threes in 32 minutes.
Junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) shot 5-of-8 from the free-throw line and totaled nine points with five rebounds, including two offensive boards. Sophomore forward Edecia Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) recorded eight points and pulled down three rebounds.
Overall, Ohio shot 30-of-63 (47.6 percent) from the field and 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from behind the three-point line. Ball State was 27-of-65 (41.5 percent) from the field and 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from the three-point line.
The Bobcats forced 17 turnovers and pulled in 42 rebounds. Hooks, Burke and Johnson each had three steals while Burris and redshirt sophomore guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) each swiped one.
After trading baskets to open the game, Ohio went on a 10-0 run capped by a Burke layup to give the Bobcats a 12-5 lead with 5:35 left in the quarter. Burris finished the quarter the same way she started it, sinking both of her shots from the free-throw line to give Ohio a 24-21 advantage.
The Bobcats started the second quarter with a battle for the lead and were tied at 32 with 5:44 left in the half. Ohio went on another 10-0 run capped off by a Johnson three and finished out the half 49-37 after a Hooks free throw.
Johnson led Ohio with 16 points and seven rebounds in the first half while Hooks had 15 points of her own. Ohio was 19-of-37 (51.4 percent) from the field at the half and sank three three-pointers while grabbing 22 rebounds.
Burke opened up the third quarter with a trifecta and maintained the lead for the rest of the game. A free throw from Beck gave the Bobcats a 17-point lead to end the third period, 68-51.
Ball State scored six unanswered points within the first three minutes of the quarter and chipped away at the Ohio lead. Ball State was able to get the Ohio advantage down to eight with 3:34 left in the game but came no closer. OU pushed the lead back to 11 with a Johnson and-one layup with 2:21 remaining. Ball State scored the final two baskets of the game but Ohio won, 79-71.
The Bobcats were 11-of-26 from the field in the second half and made two three-pointers. Hooks led Ohio with 25 points, while Johnson finished with 21.
Ohio continues Mid-American Conference play next week to play Northern Illinois on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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