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ATHENS, OH – The Ohio women's basketball team (2-9, 0-2 MAC) will stay at home and play the Buffalo Bulls (5-4, 1-1 MAC) at the Convocation Center this Wednesday (Jan. 11th). The Bobcats look to win their first MAC contest of the year as the Bulls look to increase their all-time record. The game will be played at 7pm and can be streamed on ESPN+.

MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAY
Mid American conference play has begun and both the Ohio Bobcats and The Buffalo Bulls have two games under their 2023 MAC belt. Ohio ultimately fell to both Akron and Kent State, putting up a tough battle in both, whereas Buffalo is 1-1. Buffalo also lost to Kent State, but defeated Central Michigan to tie their MAC record at 1-1 to start conference play. 

ALL-TIME SERIES 
The Ohio Bobcats have seen The Buffalo Bulls forty-seven times in the schools respective history, putting the all-time series at a recorded 21-26. The 5 game difference reflects the consistent competition between the two schools and Ohio looks to close the gap in the series to make the new record 22-26.

LAST TIME OUT
The last matchup between Ohio and the Bulls was not even a year ago; they faced off on February 23rd, 2022 in Buffalo. The Bobcats were on a road stretch winning streak but were defeated by the Bulls 65-79. Ohio was led by now graduated, Gabby Burris with 16 points and Cece Hooks with 14.

SCOUTING THE BULLS
Buffalo's last matchup was against Central Michigan where they took the win by seven points, 70-63. The Bulls dominated on the offense and were led in scoring by Re'Shawna Stone with 24 points, Zakiyah Winfield with 14 and Jazmine Young with 13. These three players have scored in double figures multiple times this season and have been consistent in the paint. Stone and Winfield also grabbed 10 rebounds apiece in their last matchup contributing to Buffalos total of 33. Other key players from their most recent matchup were Latrice Perkins with 2 steals and Emerita Mashaire with 2 assists.

BULLS NON-CONFERENCE SEASON
Buffalo started the season with a two point defecit against Canisius (55-57), but rebounded quickly to defeat Stonehill (62-56). The Bulls then took a 3 loss hit to Mercyhurst (68-70), Drexel (35-53), and Rhode Island (56-71). However the Bulls finished out their non-conference season strong with 4 wins in a row to close. They defeated Niagra (63-58), LIU (91-59), Bucknell (58-51), and St. Bonaventure (58-49). They finished out their non-conference schedule 5-4 and are looking to advance their MAC record by one. 

LEADING BUFFALO
Currently the Buffalo Bulls are led in scoring by Zakiyah Winfield, who has accumulated 163 points this season which averages her out to 14.8 points per game. Winfield is closely followed by Re'Shawna Stone who has totaled 147 points this season, averaging 13.8 a game and Jazmine Young with 141 ponts, averaging 12.8. These three hold double the amoubt of points compared to the rest of the roster and hover around the 42% from field goal range. Zakiyah Winfield also leads the team in rebounding with 21 offensive, and 102 offensive getting her to a total of 123 rebounds this season which averages out to 11.2 a game. Another leader on the team is Kayla Salmons, who currently holds the most block for Buffalo, totaling 9.  

PROJECTED BUFFALO STARTERS
The Buffalo Starters are predicted to be Zakiyah Winfiel (#2), Jazmine Young (#3), Emerita Mashaire (#13), Re'Shawna Stone (#20), and Kayla Salmons (#23). 

OHIO'S MOST RECENT STATS
The Bobcats ended their last game going 16 for 55 (29.1%) on field goal attempts, 1-21 (4.8%) from the three point line and seeing the line 14 times going 11 for 14 (78.6%) in free throws. The Bobcats also grabbed 32 rebounds, had 9 steals, and 5 assists. 

LAST TO LEAD
In the Bobcats last contest against Kent State, there was a new offensive leader in points. Jaya McClure grabbed 11 points for another double figure game, but her first game leading Ohio in scoring. On the other-side it was Caitlyn Kroll who led Ohio in rebounds with 6 followed by Abby Garnett with 5. 

NOW LEADING OHIO
The Bobcats have been led by Yaya Felder in scoring for the majority of the season. Felder currently holds the lead in points for the Bobcats with a total of 236. Caitlyn Kroll follows Felder in scoring with 116 points, and then Jaya McClure with 103. Caitlyn Kroll leads Ohio in rebounds, totaling 68; 59 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive. In terms of steals Yaya holds 30 for the season and Kroll is six behind with 24. 

MATCHUP NOTES
- This matchup will be the third game of MAC play for both teams 
- Buffalo's head coach is in her first season and will face the Bobcats for the first time 
- Ohio will be at home for the second game in a row
- Both teams are coming off a loss against Kent State
- Ohio still looks to gain a win at their home court 
- Both Ohio and Buffalo faced off against LIU in non-conference play 

Up Next:
The Bobcats will continue MAC conference play back on the road this Saturday, Jan. 14th against Northern Illinois. The game is set to tipoff at 7pm and can be streamed live on ESPN3/+. 

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