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Box Score (PDF)

CLEVELAND –  Led by a 28-point performance by redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio), the No. 4 Ohio women's basketball team (19-11) took down No. 5 Western Michigan (18-13), 84-75, on Wednesday afternoon (March 11) in the Mid-American Conference Quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

Ohio will take on No. 9 Toledo in the MAC Semifinals on Friday (March 13) at 11 a.m.

Johnson's 28 points came by going 9-of-23 from the field, 6-of-11 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Johnson had her seventh double-double of the season after pulling down 11 rebounds and adding five assists. Johnson's final three points of the night gave her 1,000 in her career.

"I think we're a little bit spoiled sometimes by what some of our athletes can do and she's certainly one of them," head coach Bob Boldon said. "I thought Erica's (Johnson) control of the game was great. She was spectacular. I don't even know if that's the right word to use. She shot over 50 percent from the three-point line. It was an incredible night.

Senior guard Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) finished with 20 points, going 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

"It was really fun tonight," Burke said. "We were just talking well. Those moments were so big and it was big for all of us. It wasn't just my shot, it was just us celebrating together. That was one of our goals coming into the tournament. Even if it's a small play, just making a big deal out of it. I just had a lot of confidence and it just helped me throughout the game."

Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists and was +14 in just 19 minutes on the floor.

Junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore Ohio) had nine points and redshirt junior guard Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.) had seven points.

Overall, Ohio shot 43.3 percent (29-of-67) from the field, 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from three-point range and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the free throw line. WMU went 43.1 percent (28-of-65) from the field, 32.1 percent (9-of-28) from three-point range and 83.3 percent (10-of-12) from the charity stripe.

WMU outrebounded the Bobcats, 40-36. Ohio pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. Johnson led Ohio with 11 rebounds. Burke pulled down five rebounds while Burris, Hooks and Barker each had four boards.

Ohio forced 10 turnovers and only turned the ball over seven times. Barker and sophomore forward Edecia Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led Ohio with two steals each.

For WMU, Leighah-Amori Wool finished with 20 points and six rebounds, while Breanna Mobley finished with 17 rebounds and 12 points. Jordan walker also finished the game in double figures, scoring 15 points.

Ohio opened the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Johnson and Burke, giving Ohio an early 6-0 lead. After a three from WMU, two free throws from junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) put the Bobcats up five with 8:11 left in the first quarter. However, the Broncos scored five-straight points to tie the game at eight before a layup from Hooks put Ohio back up two. After WMU briefly took a two-point lead and Johnson's second three of the afternoon, Ohio took a 13-12 advantage going into the media timeout.  Out of the timeout, a three and layup from Hooks put the Bobcats up 18-12. However, WMU went on an 11-1 run to give the Broncos a 22-19 lead after the first quarter of play.

A layup from Hooks that started the second quarter cut the WMU advantage to one before a layup from Beck put Ohio back up by one. After WMU tied the game up at 24-24, two free throws from the Broncos tied the game back up at 26-26. However, a jumper from Burris and a deep three from Johnson put Ohio up 31-26 and forced WMU to call a timeout with 4:41 left in the quarter.

Back-to-back layups from Barker and Burris put Ohio up 35-29 before a layup from WMU cut the Ohio lead to four. A Burris three and two Johnson free throws gave Ohio a 40-33 lead but a WMU three with 1:39 left in the quarter cut the Bobcats' advantage to 40-36. Johnson responded with a three of her own, giving the Bobcats a 43-37 lead going into the half.

At the half, Ohio shot 40.0 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three-point range and 80.0 percent from the free throw line, while WMU shot 36.1 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. WMU outrebounded the Bobcats 24-20, while Ohio forced five Broncos' turnovers with Ohio only turning the ball over twice. Johnson led Ohio with 14 points and four made threes. Hooks added 12 points for Ohio, while Burris scored nine. 

WMU opened the third quarter with four-straight points before a three from Barker put Ohio up 51-45 with 6:35 left in the quarter. After Ohio and WMU traded baskets and free throws, layups from redshirt sophomore guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) and Barker pushed Ohio's advantage to 58-51 with 4:34 left in the quarter. Then, back-to-back layups from Johnson and Burke gave the Bobcats a 62-51 lead with 3:03 left in the third quarter. Out of a timeout, WMU went on a 5-0 run before a three from stopped the Western Michigan run. Out of a timeout, a layup and free throw from Burke put Ohio up 68-58, however WMU hit a three to cut the Bobcats lead to 68-61 going into the fourth quarter.

Western Michigan cut the OU advantage to 70-67 to open the fourth quarter before a three from Burke slowed down WMU. Another three from Burke extended Ohio's lead to nine, and OU and WMU each hit a layup. Out of the timeout, WMU cut the Ohio lead to 81-75 before a three from Johnson with 31 seconds left sealed the 84-75 victory for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats will now move on to take on No. 9 Toledo on Friday, March 13 at 11 a.m. on ESPN+.

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