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MIAMI, Fla. -- The women's basketball team returned to action on Monday afternoon (Dec. 20), as Ohio played their first game in the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown against UMass Lowell. The Bobcats (5-3) picked up the victory over the River Hawks (3-6), by a score of 74-60. Ohio was led on the offensive end by their dynamic trio of Cece Hooks, Erica Johnson, and Gabby Burris, who scored 25, 22 and 19 points respectively.  

Ohio took advantage of 10 Red Hawks turnovers in the 1st quarter, scoring nine points off the takeaways and building a 17-13 lead after the first ten minutes of play. Hooks led the way for the Bobcats, scoring 10 points in the frame and swiping two steals, while Burris scored the other seven points for Ohio. 

Burris opened up the 2nd quarter with a three-pointer to put her into double digits for scoring on the day, a precursor to what was to come for the senior in the quarter. Johnson got in on the scoring early on in the quarter as well, netting her first two points of the contest on a hook shot just over a minute into the period. After a total of 10 points scored by Burris in the 2nd quarter, she led the Bobcats in points (17), along with steals (4) and a tie for the team lead in rebounds (5). The strong showing by Ohio on offense helped the Bobcats extend their lead to 38-25 as the two teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime. 

The third quarter was back and forth between the two teams, as the Bobcats and River Hawks traded baskets for a majority of the frame. Hooks led the team with six points, pushing her total to 18 on the day, as Ohio outscored UMass Lowell 17-16 in the period and took a 55-41 lead into the fourth quarter. 

Johnson made her presence felt offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of her 22 points points to lead the Bobcats in the final 10 minutes. An even scoring quarter by the two teams of 19 points apiece ended the game with the final score of 74-60.

As a team, the Bobcats finished the game having shot 42.6% from the field (29 for 68), 26.1% from beyond the arc (6 for 23), and 76.9% from the free throw line (10 for 13). The Ohio defense created 25 turnovers, including 13 steals, which led to 22 points. 

Up Next:

The Bobcats will return to action tomorrow morning, as they take to the court inside Ocean Bank Convocation Center against Binghamton at 11 a.m. for their second game of the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown. 

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