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NEW YORK, NY – The Ohio women's basketball team (2-8, 0-0 MAC) will stay on the road and face Columbia University (10-2, 0-0 IVY) at Levien Gymnasium on Schiller Court. This matchup will tipoff at 1 pm on Wednesday (Dec. 28) and will be available to watch on ESPN+. The Bobcats look to secure a road win, before returning home to the Convocation Center where they will start MAC play against Akron. 

FIRST FOR EVERYTHING 
It is recorded that the Ohio women's basketball team has never faced the Columbia Lions in the school's respective history. Wednesday's game will mark the first meeting between the MAC and the IVY league teams and start the all-time series count. 

COLUMBIA'S 2022-23 SEASON
The Lions have played a total of 12 games thus far in the 2022-23 season, coming out with a 10-2 record. They have proven successful against tough components, coming out on top against; Memphis (77-69), Delaware (64-56), Seton Hall (83-76), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (95-57), University of Miami (78-71), Marist (103-54), Lafayette (91-43), Stony Brook (84-68), UMass (83-74), and LIU (90-47). Columbia has only fallen twice this season in their non-conference matchups; Vanderbilt (63-74), and Iowa State (76-99). The Lions were invited to participate in the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament at the end of November where they went 2-0, proving resilient not only at home but also on the road. 

LAST NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
The Bobcats will be Columbia's 13th and last non-conference matchup of their 2022-23 season. The Lions will go on to play Yale on Saturday (12/31) and kick off their conference play. The same goes for the Bobcats as they finish out their non-conference contests with Columbia and begin MAC play on Jan 4th against Akron. 

SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Most recently, Columbia faced off against LIU where they defeated the Sharks 90-47. The Lions were led by: Jaida Patrick (24 pts), Paige Lauder (16 pts), and Abbey Hsu (14 pts). Paige Lauder also grabbed the most rebounds on the team during the matchup, totaling 6; 2 offensive, and 4 defensives. The team capitalized on second-chance points with 11, had 50 points in the paint, 29 fast break points, 33 bench points, and 29 points off turnovers. 

PROJECTED LION STARTERS
There are several key players for Columbia that will take the court on Wednesday, but the projected starters are; So. Guard, Kitty Henderson (#10), Jr. Guard, Abbey Hsu (#35), Sr. Guard, Jaida Patrick (#5), Sr. Forward, Kaitlyn Davis (#4), and Sr. Forward, Hanna Pratt (#12). 

LEADING THE LIONS
Currently, Abbey Hsu leads the Lions basketball team in scoring with a total of 215 points, averaging 17.9 points a game. Hsu holds an FG% of .460, is 70% from the free-throw line, and is 41  for 87 in three-point shooting (47.1%). Following Abbey Hsu is Jaida Patrick who has accumulated 161 points for the Lions, averaging out to 13.4 points per game. Leading in rebounds for Columbia is Kaitlyn Davis who has snagged 85; 30 offensive, and 55 defensives. Davis currently averages 7 rebounds a game and also has the team-high in steals with 22. Another leader on the Lions roster is Kitty Henderson. Henderson has 61 assists, proving to be an offensive threat and a designated player to move the basketball.  

COLUMBIA'S OVERALL TEAM STATISTICS
The Lions have accumulated 987 points in scoring, going 354-763 (46.4%) in field goal attempts, 130-325 (40%) in three point attempts, and 149-228 (65.4%) in free throws. The team has also grabbed 486 rebounds, averaging 40.5 per game and recorded 241 assists. The Lions also hold 110 steals and 42 blocks overall.

OHIO'S MOST RECENT STATS
The Bobcats ended their last game with a FG% of .62 (31-50), a  3PT% of .43 (9-21), and a FT% of .88 (15-17). Ohio also collected 20 rebounds, grabbed 4 steals, and had 16 assists. 

LAST TO LEAD
In the Bobcat's last contest, Yaya Felder grabbed 20 points to keep her offensive stats running for the season. On the other-side Ella Pope led Ohio in rebounds with 6. Other outstanding performances came from Caitlyn Kroll who went 4-6 from the three point line and Jaya McClure going 3-5.

NOW LEADING OHIO
The Bobcats have been led by Yaya Felder in scoring this season as she continues to drive to the basket. Yaya Felder holds the lead in points with a total of 187. Caitlyn Kroll holds 99 points, then Jaya McClure follows with 82. Ella Pope and Caitlyn Kroll lead Ohio in rebounds, both with 50 apiece. In terms of steals, Yaya holds 23 for the season and Kroll is close behind with 19. 

MATCHUP NOTES
- Both the Bobcats and Lions have faced the LIU Sharks in their 2022-23 season, Columbia defeating them 90-47, and Ohio falling to them 67-74
- Yaya Felder has continued to reach offensive highs, setting personal records in scoring and surpassing them days later
- On the Lions roster, Abbey Hsu ranks No. 3 in the nation in 3-pointers made per game
- This is the last non-conference matchup for both teams before they start conference play 
- This is the first meeting between the two teams and will initiate their all-time series 

Up Next:
The Ohio Bobcats will return home on Wednesday, January 4th to play Akron. The contest will be at 7 pm and will be available to stream on ESPN3/+ 

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