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ATHENS, Ohio—Unable to maintain their lead, the Ohio women's basketball team (11-9, 5-6 MAC) fell to Western Michigan (13-9, 7-6 MAC), 80-73. Overall, the Bobcats were 35.4 percent (23 for 65) from the field, with redshirt junior
Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) leading the team with 23 points. Freshman
Yaya Felder (Hartford, Conn.) was close behind with 16 points and nine rebounds.
"I thought our ball screen defense was better this game," said head coach
Bob Boldon. "We fell short tonight; we can learn from it."
The Bobcats took a few minutes to settle in, falling behind Western Michigan 8-0 before freshman
Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W.Va.) put Ohio on the board. The margin remained the same and they entered the second period down 16-11. Ohio went to work in the second period, tacking on 20 points to Western Michigan's 17, leaving the Bobcats trailing 33-31 heading into the second half.
Ohio shot 34.4 percent (11 for 32) from the field in the first half and was led by senior
Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio), who scored 10 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Felder was close behind with eight points scored and five rebounds.
Felder kicked off the third period with two points, tying the game 33-33. After the first media timeout of the half, two free throws from Mace put Ohio in the lead. The game remained tight, with the Broncos going on a 10-3 drive to take back the lead, 43-38. Back-to-back buckets from Felder and Johnson kicked off 12-6 run for the Bobcats as the teams continued to pass the lead back and forth. Mace sunk two free throws to give Ohio a 54-53 edge heading into the last 10 minutes of play.
After Western Michigan tied the game, 59-59, the Bobcats Felder and Johnson gave the Bobcats' a five-point lead before the Broncos went surged ahead, taking a 65-64 lead with 5:32 remaining in the game. Johnson tacked on three more points for Ohio before Western Michigan scored 15 points in the last five minutes, defeating the Bobcats 80-73.
Up Next
The Bobcats return to the Convocation Center on Monday, February 14 to take on Eastern Michigan. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can tune in on ESPN3.
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