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Box Score (PDF) 

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (13-6, 6-2 MAC) earned its fourth-straight win after defeating Akron (9-10, 2-6 MAC), 70-57, on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.

"I thought they showed a lot of toughness tonight," head coach Bob Boldon said. "I thought they did a great job of staying in the game. I was pleased with our effort out of the locker room in the second half, particularly on the defensive end."

Senior guard Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) led the way with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Burke hit two threes and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) had 17 points while adding nine rebounds and a season-high seven steals. Hooks added four assists and knocked down four free throws.

Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) had 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting and was 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Johnson added four assists and two steals.

Freshman guard Peyton Guice (Westerville, Ohio) had a career-high eight points off the bench and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

"Peyton has been showing progress and she's a much better player than the beginning of the season," Boldon said. "She's so cerebral. She has a great understanding of the game and that helps her growth. Defensively for the last two or three weeks she's been really solid for us."

Guice's previous career-high was three, set against IUPUI. 

"I think she (Peyton Guice) brought all the energy that we needed. Her presence out there defensively was very helpful and it's good to have her come off the bench because that's the spark we need.

Sophomore forward Edecia Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had four points, redshirt junior guard Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.) had three and junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) recorded one. 

Overall, Ohio shot 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) from the field and was 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from the three-point line. Ohio was 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Akron was held to 21-of-55 (38.2 percent) from the field and 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from deep while going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. 

Ohio outrebounded Akron, 40-34 and the Bobcats pulled down 10 offensive boards. Hooks led the way with nine boards while Beck had eight off the bench. Burris pulled in seven, Burke six and Barker five.

Ohio forced 25 Akron turnovers and had 14 steals. Hooks' seven strips led the way, while Johnson and Burke had two each.

The Bobcats started the first quarter down 18-16 and was led by Johnson and Burke with five points each. Ohio was 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the field and 1-of-5 (20.0 percent) from deep. Akron was able to get the lead to 15-9 with 4:42 left in the quarter before Ohio ended the quarter on a Guice layup to cut the lead to two.

Ohio and Akron each posted 16 points in the second quarter. Hooks had seven points while Guice had six of her eight in the second quarter. OU was 3-of-15 from the field but 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Akron started the second quarter by getting a seven-point lead with 8:29 left, the Zips largest lead of the night. The Bobcats chipped away and two Guice free throws at the end of the half put Ohio back at a two-point deficit.

The Bobcats outscored Akron 20-8 in the third quarter. The Bobcats were led by Johnson with nine points while Hooks had seven. Ohio grabbed the lead with 9:37 left in the third quarter but Akron answered right back. Hooks grabbed another layup with 7:26 left and Ohio held the lead the rest of the game. Burke's three put Ohio up 45-40 with 3:31 left in the quarter. Ohio ended the third frame on a 7-0 run capped by a Beck layup to take a 52-42 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Ohio outscored 18-15 in the final quarter. Burke had 11 points after hitting two threes. Ohio pushed the lead to 17, its largest advantage of the game with 7:41 left after Burke knocked down a three-pointer. Akron would get no closer than 11 for the rest of the quarter and won, 70-57.

Ohio will return to action on Saturday at Central Michigan. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.