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TOLEDO, Ohio – A 28-point final quarter by the Ohio women's basketball team, including a 15-2 run to close out the contest, led the Bobcats (11-5, 5-2) to their third straight conference win on Wednesday night (Jan. 26). Ohio defeated the Toledo Rockets (14-4, 8-1) by a score of 79-72 inside Savage Arena, handing Toledo their first conference loss of the season. 
 
"I was really proud of the way the team hung in there and stuck together," noted head coach Bob Boldon after the game. "Toledo is a very good team and I was happy to be a part of a well-played game. We did a good job executing down the stretch and we had some kids make some big baskets."
 
The Bobcats were led by point guard Cece Hooks, who scored 30 points on 11 of 18 shooting from the field, while also grabbing seven rebounds, and swiping four steals. Erica Johnson and Gabby Burris were the other two Bobcats in double figures, with 17 and 15 points respectively. 
 
"She [Hooks] deserves most of the credit for what she does," added Boldon. "Her ability to get into space and finish, and with both hands, it's really like nothing I've ever coached. I'm just grateful to have her."
 
Burris scored the first five points for Ohio, followed by Hooks quickly scoring the next eight points for the Bobcats. Hooks connected with two three-pointers during that stretch, to help give Ohio a 13-11 lead at the first media timeout of the game. Yaya Felder got in on the party from beyond the arc, and Hooks hit double-digit scoring before the end of the first 10 minutes of play. Toledo went into the second quarter holding just a two-point lead, 20-18, over the Bobcats. 
 
Both teams continued their strong play on the offensive end of the court during the second frame. The Rockets opened up a lead as much as seven points at one point during the quarter, but the Bobcats used another three-pointer by Felder and two separate three-point plays by Madi Mace to close the gap, tying the game at 32 points each. The two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the half, and the two teams headed into the locker rooms with Toledo leading 38-37. 
 
In the first half, Ohio only shot 37.5% (12 for 32) overall, but the Bobcats' shooing 50% (5 for 10) from beyond the arc helped them keep pace with Toledo's 45.5% (15 for 33) overall shooting performance. Hooks led the team with 12 total points, with Felder and Burris following closely behind with eight points apiece. 
 
The start of the second half continued to showcase the two team's offensive abilities, with both Ohio and Toledo shooting 50% from the field at the media timeout. Johnson led the charge for the Bobcats' offense through the first six minutes of the third stanza, putting up five of Ohio's 11 points. The Rockets made a push on offense to close out the frame, opening up a lead as large as nine points multiple times, including as time expired with a buzzer-beating layup. 
 
The Bobcats started the final quarter by shooting 83.3% (5 for 6) from the field in the first five minutes of play. Ohio drew within two points at the 5:53 mark in the final quarter, with Hooks knocking down a free throw to trim Toledo's lead to 66-64. After Toledo opened up a gap at 70-64, Hooks and Johnson took over, combining to score the final 15 points for the Bobcats. Johnson scored nine of her 17 total points during the stretch, while Hooks scored the other six points of the Bobcats' 15-2 run, and swiped two of her four steals. Ohio took the lead, at 71-70, for the first time since the 4:31 mark in the first quarter with a layup by Johnson with 2:55 left in the contest, forcing a Toledo timeout. The Rockets scored their final points of the night out of the break, before the Bobcats' defense stepped up for the remainder of the game to finish out the 79-72 victory.
 
Ohio shot 45.6% (26 for 57) from the field overall, including 81.8% (9 for 11) in the final quarter. Their defense in the fourth quarter held Toledo to only 25% (5 for 20) shooting from the field, and forced the Rockets to shoot 40.6% (28 for 69) overall, below their season average of 42.8%..

Up Next:

Ohio will stay on the road for their next game as they travel to take on Western Michigan (10-5, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29), for their fourth game in seven days. Tip-off inside University Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN3. 

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