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Box Score (PDF)

CLEVELAND – Despite a game-tying three from freshman guard Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) late in the fourth quarter, the No. 3 Ohio women's basketball team fell in overtime, 101-92, to No. 2 Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Semifinals Friday afternoon inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

"I told our team how proud I was of them to get to this moment," head coach Bob Boldon said. "The last month of our season has been a roller coaster, to say the least. That we played in that last game was very impressive. Obviously defensively we weren't as good as we'd like to have been, but understand how good Central Michigan was."

Senior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists and had seven steals, while redshirt junior forward Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) added 23 points and was 5-of-9 from three. Mace scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Senior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) added 17 points for the Bobcats. 

Ohio shot 45.5 percent from the field and was 12-of-33 from three-point range, while CMU shot 52.2 percent from the field and was 14-of-35 from three. The Chippewas out-rebounded Ohio, 40-32. 

However, the Bobcats were able to score 46 points in the paint and capitalize on 21 CMU turnovers, scoring 37 points off of them. 

The first half was a battle, with the Bobcats sprinting out to the early lead. The Bobcats extended their lead to 15-11 with four minutes to go in the first quarter before a CMU three late in the quarter put Central Michigan up 22-19 after the first. A three from Burris tied the game to open the second quarter, however, CMU went on to take a 39-32 lead with 4:12 left. However, the Bobcats went on a 10-3 run to take a 42-41 lead with 2:05 left in the quarter thanks to a Johnson three. However, back-to-back layups from CMU put Central Michigan up 45-42 at the half. 

Johnson led the Bobcats with 13 points, followed by Hooks with 12.  The Bobcats shot 51.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three, while CMU shot 58.1 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three. 

The second half was a mirror image of the first half, with both teams trading baskets and neither extending a lead by more than five points at any moment in the half. With the Bobcats trailing by five points with just over a minute to go in the game, Ohio went on a 5-0 run capped by a Hooks steal and a three by Mace to tie the game at 85-85 with 52 seconds left. Neither team would see any open looks over those final seconds, sending the game to overtime. Most importantly in the half, Hooks fouled out with eight seconds left, rendering her unavailable in overtime. 

Ohio was unable to get the offense going in overtime, falling 101-92. 

Postseason information will be announced on Monday evening. 

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