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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (2-6, 0-0 MAC) returned home to the Convocation center tonight (Dec. 13), after a long stretch of road games. The Bobcats faced the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (6-5, 0-0 AAC) in a tough non-conference matchup, ultimately falling 44-77. The Bobcats were led on offense by Yaya Felder, who had 18 points and defensively by Ella Pope with 4 defensive rebounds. 

Sophomore Yaya Felder immediately came out in the first quarter driving to the basket giving Ohio four points within the first two minutes of play. Abby Garnett also had a turnaround jumper to add to the lead, shutting out the Bearcats 6-0. The lead increased for Ohio with more driving layups from Garnett and a huge three pointer from Felder. Cincinnati increased the pressure with back-to-back layups from Jadyn Scott to gain the lead 16-15 before the start of the second quarter. 

The second quarter started with a three pointer from Cincinnati to increase the Bearcats lead to 19-15. The Bobcats responded to the offensive pressure with defensive rebounds from Ella Pope, Caitlyn Kroll, and Abby Garnett. On the offense, Ohio was slowed down by Cincinnati's Jillian Hayes with blocks on driving layups, but the Bobcats held strong with offensive rebounds from Caitlyn Kroll and Ella Pope. Caitlyn Kroll also had a near-perfect three pointer to help the Bobcats get back on the board.The score going into halftime was 20-36. 

Ohio started the third quarter on defense with immediate pressure on Cincinnati forcing a missed layup. Caitlyn Kroll who was there to collect the defensive rebound, leading to a layup from Abby Garnett to start the second half. Yaya Felder and Caitlyn Kroll followed with more driving layups, showing a renewed Ohio offense. Jaya McClure and Kate Dennis both showed patience on the defense forcing turnovers on Cincinnati to give Ohio increased opportunities in the paint.

The score was 35-52 to start the fourth and final quarter, putting pressure on Ohio to make offensive plays. Yaya Felder responded with a turnaround jumper and a driving layup, while Jaya McClure took the lead on steals. Overall, the Bobcats ended the game with a FG% of .31 (16-51), a  3PT% of .14 (3-21), and a FT% of .60 (9-15). Ohio also accumulated 22 rebounds, 11 steals, and 10 assists. 

Up Next:

Ohio will stay in Athens to play at the Convocation Center on Sunday December 18th . The Bobcats will face off against UT Chattanooga for another non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 1pm and can be streamed on ESPN+. 

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