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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (1-0) opened the season with a 76-72 victory over Liberty (0-1) on Wednesday afternoon at the Convocation Center. Redshirt junior guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) led the game with 31 points.
The Bobcats were down 14 points in the second quarter before storming back to retake the lead in the third quarter. Ohio outscored LU 18-12 in the second quarter and 23-11 in the third quarter.
"I thought we did a tremendous job of rebounding from the start of the game when we were down," head coach Bob Boldon said. "We went on a nice run in the third quarter and took the lead. To start the fourth quarter, we were a little sloppy. I think that's a little bit of human nature. That's something that you try to fight. You try to keep that energy up."
Ohio was led by Johnson with 31 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Johnson was 10-of-25 from the floor and 5-of-16 from the three-point line. Johnson has now scored 30 or more points in her career four times and was +4 on the floor.
"I knew the shots would eventually fall," Johnson said. "I was anxious for today. I wasn't letting my game come to me early so I had to adjust. In the third quarter when I saw back-to-back shots go down, it felt great."
Senior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) had 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line. Hooks added seven rebounds and two steals.
"Sometimes the level of difficulty on her shot looks a little bit higher but it's something she practices," Boldon added. "I thought she did a great job of creating space all night."
Both redshirt junior guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) and senior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) each pitched in eight points. Burris had seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end.
Junior forward Edecia Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had seven points on 2-of-5 shooting and was an impressive +24 when on the floor.
Sophomore guard Peyton Guice (Westerville, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore forward Abby Garnett (Golden, Colo.) each had two points.
The Bobcats were 22-of-62 (35.2 percent) from the field and 8-of-31 (25.8 percent) from the three-point line. Ohio was 24-of-30 from the free-throw line. Liberty was held to 24-of-62 (38.7 percent) from the field and 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) from behind the arc. The Flames were 12-of-16 from the free-throw line.
Ohio forced 12 turnovers and had six steals. Hooks and Burris had two swipes each. Ohio had 26 points in the paint compared to Liberty's 20.
The Bobcats will be back in action on Friday against No. 22 Notre Dame. Tip-off is set for noon at the Convocation Center.
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