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OXFORD, OH.– After an exciting matchup between state rivals, The Ohio Bobcats (3-14, 1-5 MAC) came out victorious against the Miami RedHawks (7-12, 2-4 MAC), defeating them 84-73 in overtime. The battle of the bricks proved to be an intense contest with several leaders from both teams, but Ohio claimed the two highest scorers; Yaya Felder securing 28 points and Caitlyn Kroll with 20, followed by Miami's Ivy Wolf with 19. 

The Bobcats started the first quarter putting immediate pressure on the RedHawks defense with several shots from downtown and driving layups. Yaya Felder initiated the scoring in minute one scoring back to back in the paint off a Miami turnover and a defensive rebound from Caitlyn Kroll. The scoring continued steadily with other points coming from Ella Pope and Jasmine Hale with three point jump shots. Halfway through the first, Ohio grabbed even more momentum with Caitlyn Kroll grabbing a steal from Miami leading to a driving layup in the paint by Yaya Felder, assisted by Ella Pope to get the score to 16-9. Ohio's biggest lead of the first quarter was 10 and they maintained it going into the second. 

After allowing the Bobcats to score 22 points in the first quarter, Miami came out limiting them to 14 in the next 10 minutes. Despite Miami's efforts, Ohio came out scoring back to back threes from Abby Garnett and Yaya Felder to get the score to 28-13. Ohio then increased the lead off a driving layup from Jasmine Hale, putting the RedHawks into a 17 point deficit. Miami gained momentum with 3 minutes left in the second with three pointers coming from Ivy Wolf and Maddi Cluse to get the score to 36-27 at the end of the half. 

At the end of the first 20 minutes, Ohio was led by Yaya Felder with 17 points and 5 assists. Caitlyn Kroll also helped the Bobcats get ahead with 2 steals and 2 defensive rebounds. Overall, Ohio went 14 for 34 (41.2%) from the field, and 5 for 13 (38.5%) from the three point line going into the locker room at half. 

To start the third period, Miami had offensive possession, getting an immediate layup to start closing the gap in scoring. Ohio's Kate Dennis immediately responded with a three point jumper, assisted by Caitlyn kroll. Dennis was 2 for 3 on the three point line in the third period putting 6 points on the board for Ohio helping to maintain their lead. Other efforts came from Jasmine Hale with several rebounds and Kailah Johnson with a big steal to end the third quarter at 51-39.

In the fourth quarter, the battle of the bricks came to life between the two Ohio based teams. Miami came out fired up on the offense collecting 27 points in the final ten minutes of play. Possession went back and forth with the Bobcats lead going from 10 points to 15 points, then down to 6, and back up to 10. The RedHawks finally capitalized on Ohio's fluctuation in the final two minutes of play, getting the 62-53 score to 66 with less than 2 seconds on the clock. Ohio began to fall under the RedHawks pressure, giving them 19 free throws in the fourth which allowed them to come back within reach of the Bobcats. Miami was led in the fourth by Ivy Wolf, Peyton Scott, and Katey Richason. Wolf collected 10 points, Scott had 6, and Richason grabbed 6 rebounds.   

Heading into overtime at 66-66, the rivals were running on adrenaline with key players fouling out. For Ohio it was Kate Dennis and Yaya Felder; and for Miami it was Maddi Cluse. The 5 minutes of overtime went by quickly as Miami grabbed the initial lead at 69-66, but Jasmine Hale grabbed an and-one to get the score tied again at 69-69. The Bobcats then grabbed the last four minutes of overtime and ran, holding the RedHawks to 69 points. Specifically, Caitlyn Kroll stepped up for the Bobcats in OT going 8 for 8 on the free throw line and giving Ohio 11 points in 5 minutes. Kroll proved to be a leader once more, leading Ohio in their first MAC win of the season against arch rival Miami of Ohio. 

Up Next:

The Ohio women's basketball team will now head home for a few days before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where they will play Wednesday January 25th at 7 pm against Central Michigan. The MAC contest can be streamed live on ESPN3/+. 

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