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ATHENS, Ohio – On the day Cece Hooks was honored pre-game for breaking the Ohio basketball scoring record, the senior point guard scored 27 points and logged her fifth double-double of the season en route to setting the all-time scoring record for the Mid-American Conference. Spurred on by Hooks' performance, the Bobcats (9-5, 3-2) went on to defeat Bowling Green (7-7, 2-3) on Saturday afternoon, 85-70. 
 
"It's hard to quantify what she's [Hooks] done here and really, truly understand what that means," head coach Bob Boldon said after the game. "There was buzz around it today. She needed 19 points today, and everybody was certain that she was going to get it. That's absurd. The plan was for her to get it today … she ended up with 27 and you guys act like that's normal. It's insane. She had 27 points and 10 rebounds and seven assists. That's a ridiculous stat line. That is a story in and of itself. And that's going to get just pushed aside. Nobody's even talking about it because she's the MAC's all-time leading scorer. And you should celebrate the heck out of that because I don't know how anybody's ever going to do it again. And we really should take a moment … take a moment to enjoy this and really appreciate the fact that I got to witness what I got to witness.
 
Ohio got off to a quick start and scored the first eight points of the game. The Bobcats were able to extend their lead to as large as 10 at 13-3 just over five minutes into the contest, and ended the frame up by five, 21-15. It was a balanced scoring attack by Ohio, with all five starters scoring. The Bobcats' leading scorer was Kaylee Bambule after she connected on two three pointers. 
 
Ohio opened up the second quarter on an 10-2 run, making both of their shots from deep and shooting 57.1% overall from the field during the run. Later on in the frame another run from the Bobcats, this time an 8-2 burst, pushed Ohio's lead to their largest of the contest at 39-20. Bowling Green cut into Ohio's lead as the second quarter wound down, narrowing the deficit to 14 (41-27) with six seconds remaining. Erica Johnson converted on two free throws to take the two teams into halftime with Ohio leading 43-27. Hooks and Gabby Burris were the leading scorers for the Bobcats during the second quarter, each scoring five points. 
 
The two teams went back and forth to start the second half, with Bowling Green getting as close as 11 points just over 90 seconds into the quarter. The Bobcats responded with a 11-4 run to give Ohio 56-38 lead. Hooks made history yet again later in the quarter, making a layup with 1:44 left in the third quarter. The layup gave her 19 points on the day and 2,510 career points, a mark that put her atop the MAC for career scoring. 
 
"The way I was playing in the first half, I didn't even think I was going to get there," said Hooks after the game. "But it came along, and I didn't even know I had 19, and I saw everybody screaming and I just said, 'what the heck?'. I didn't even know that I had done it, I just saw everybody running on to the court."
 
The Bobcats continued their offensive effort as the quarter would down, going into the final frame with a 70-48 lead. The Falcons caught fire from beyond the arc in the final frame, shooting 71.4% (5 for 7) from deep in the first five minutes of the quarter, trimming Ohio's lead down to 12, 79-67. Both defenses found their footing as the end of the game approached, and Ohio finished out the game with the 85-70 victory. Burris was the leading scorer for the Bobcats in the fourth quarter, scoring seven points while also grabbing a team-leading three rebounds.
 
Ohio shot 54.5% (30 for 55) from the field during the game, including 47.6% (10 for 21) from beyond the arc. It's the first time Ohio has made 10 or more three-pointers since their game on Jan. 8 against Northern Illinois. The Bobcats' defense forced 12 Falcon turnovers, which Ohio turned into 12 points. Burris played all 40 minutes and finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Johnson scored 13 points, and Bambule also scored in double figures, with 12 points via 4 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Up Next:

Ohio has another quick turnaround and will play their second game in three days when they take on Buffalo Monday night (Jan. 24). The Bobcats and the Bulls will tip-off inside the Convocation Center at 7 p.m.

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