FOLLOW OHIO WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Box Score (PDF)

ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball (18-11, 11-7 MAC) team earned the No. 4 seed and a bye in the upcoming 2020 Mid-American Conference Tournament after defeating Miami (11-19, 4-14 MAC), 92-78, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

Ohio will play either No. 5 Western Michigan or No. 12 Bowling Green on Wednesday, March 11 at 2 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

"It was nice to see the ball moving and the ball going in the basket," head coach Bob Boldon said. "The ball was being shared and we had some joy with how the game is supposed to be played."

The Bobcats honored three seniors – Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.), Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) and Maddie Bazelak (Dayton, Ohio) – before the game.

"It's bittersweet," head coach Bob Boldon said. "The reason that it hurts a little bit is how nice it is. When you watch a kid like Maddie (Bazelak) come into our program and make such an impact in a short time and on the other end of the spectrum you have Amani Burke, who has played for us from day one. From the time she's stepped on campus she's been a part of what we do and she has a bunch of scoring records. Katie Barker always comes back and fought through injury after injury. When you think about that, you appreciate those kids so much for what they mean to your program and what they have given to Ohio University. That's when the bitter part comes in, because they are leaving. I am really happy for those three because they are going to leave OU with degrees and make our university very proud."

Burke had 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 4-of-8 from the three-point line. Burke added four steals, two assists and a rebound and was +40 on the floor in 29 minutes. Bazelak had five points and a career-high five rebounds, while Barker hit one three.

"It was special because not only did we win, but we were getting excited for each other," Burke said. "Gabby (Burris) hit 1,000 points, Erica (Johnson) hit a half-court shot and more. That gets us excited for each other's accomplishments."

The Bobcats were led by junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio), who had 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Hooks hit one three and pulled down nine rebounds and dished out seven assists.

Junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) had 19 points and hit the 1,000-career point mark in her career. Burris was 6-of-12 from the field and knocked down two threes while pulling down four rebounds.

Junior guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) had her sixth double-double of the season after 16 points and 13 rebounds while going +22 on the floor in 33 minutes.

Twelve Bobcats saw the floor for Ohio in the win. Redshirt sophomore guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) had three points while freshman guard Peyton Guice (Westerville, Ohio) and junior guard Hunter Rogan (Urbana, Ohio) had two points each.

Overall, Ohio was 30-of-72 (41.7 percent) from the field and 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from the three-point line. Miami was 28-of-68 (41.2 percent) overall and 7-of-28 (25.0 percent) from deep. The Bobcats were 19-of-28 (67.9 percent) from the free throw line while the Redhawks were 15-of-19 (78.9 percent).

Ohio had assists on 20 buckets. Both Johnson and Hooks had seven each, while Burke and Kroll had two.

The Bobcats forced 19 turnovers and had 13 steals. Johnson and Burke each had four swipes while Hooks had three and Kroll had two. The Bobcats had 25 points off turnovers while Miami was held to eight. Ohio had 21 fast break points.

OU and Miami each had 44 rebounds. Ohio had 16 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. Johnson led Ohio with 13 boards, while Hooks one short of a double-double with nine. All 12 Ohio players pulled down at least one rebound.

Ohio took a 34-23 lead into the half. Ohio went on to put up 34 point quarter in the third frame and jumped out to a 68-44 advantage. Burris had 14 points in the third quarter, going 4-of-5 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Ohio was outscored by Miami, 34-24 in the final frame and won, 92-78.

More MAC Tournament information can be found here.