ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball (0-1, 0-0 MAC) returns to the Convocation Center on Thursday, Nov. 16 for its home opener against Dayton (1-1, 0-0 A10). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the Bobcats' matchup will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING DAYTON
Dayton finished last season with a 7-21 overall record and 5-10 record in Atlantic 10 play. In the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, Dayton was picked to finish ninth, two spots up from where the Flyers finished last season. The Flyers also had one player, graduate student Mariah Perez, selected for the All-Atlantic 10 Preseason Third Team.
 
Dayton opened its season with a road matchup at Connecticut, who was most recently ranked third in the NCAA Women's Basketball NET Rankings. The Flyers fell to the Huskies, 102-58. Following the loss to UConn, Dayton achieved a 91-73 win in its home opener versus Lindenwood. The Flyers out-rebounded the Lion 44-29, was 35-for-63 from the field for a 55.6 FG%.
 
The Flyers have several players to watch that have been top contributors in their first two games of the season. Senior Anyssa Jones has a team-high 28 points with an average 14 points per game. Mariah Perez leads the team in rebounds (17), blocks (2) and ranks second in points (22). Junior Ivy Wolf is also one of Dayton's top performers on the court with 21 points, a team-high in three-pointers made (4) and most minutes played (71).
 
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio opened the 2023-24 season on the road with the team falling 64-71 in a tough battle at App State.
 
In tonight's season opener, Ohio led for most of the game but an unsuccessful fourth quarter allowed App State to come back with the win. The Bobcats' increase in turnovers between the first and second half gave the Mountaineers more scoring opportunities. App State recorded 35 points off turnovers and outscored Ohio 31-7 in the fourth quarter.
 
Despite the loss, the Bobcats showed off their potential for success this season. The combination of young talent and veteran leadership will prove useful for Ohio throughout the rest of the season. Freshmen Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas), Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) and senior Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey) all recorded 10 points apiece. Fantroy was an integral player for the Bobcats with her smart defense and quick offensive transitions. In total she tallied six steals, two rebounds and a .556 field goal percentage. Redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) contributed to the Ohio's play all over the court. Mace recorded seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and matched her career-high in steals with three.
 
As a team, the Bobcats recorded a 43.6 field-goal percentage and netted 32 points in the paint. Ohio scored 23 points off turnovers with 14 fast break points.
 
ALL TIME VS DAYTON
The Bobcats and Flyers have played each other 14 times and most recently met during the 2022-23 season. Dayton leads the series with nine wins while Ohio has earned three wins. The Bobcats have won two games in the last 10 meetings. between the two teams.
 
LAST TIME VS DAYTON
The last competition between Ohio and Dayton was during the 2022-23 season with the Bobcats earning a 52-51 victory over the Flyers. Overall, the Bobcats ended the game with a FG% of .300 (17-57), a 3PT% of .210 (7-34), and a FT% of .790 (11-14). Ohio also accumulated 34 rebounds, 5 blocks, 9 steals, and 9 assists.
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTIC LEADERS
Team Rankings (Top 5):
Scoring Margin - 4th (-7.0)
Field Goal Percentage - 3rd (0.436)
3PT Field Goal Percentage - 3rd (0.389)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 1st (30.0)
Blocks Per Game - 2nd (6.00)
Steals Per Game - 1st (16.00)
 
Individual Rankings (Top 10):
Rebounds Per Game - Madi Mace, 9th (7.0)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - Madi Mace, 2nd (7.0); Monica Williams, 7th (6.0)
Field Goal Percentage - Laylay Fantroy, 4th (.556)
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Cassidy Lafler, 1st (1.000); Bailey Tabeling, 6th (.667)
Blocked Shots - Kate Dennis, 4th (4)
Blocked Shots Per Game - Kate Dennis, 1st (4.0)
Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 4th (6)
Steals Per Game - Laylay Fantroy, 1st (6.0); Madi Mace, 4th (3.0); Bengisu Alper, 5th (3.0)
 
Game-High Stats (Top 3):
Team Steals - 2nd (16); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
Individual Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 2nd (6); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
Individual Blocks - Kate Dennis, 2nd (4); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
 
THE RETURN OF MCCLURE
At the end of her debut season with the Bobcats, sophomore, Jaya McClure, ranked third on the team in points (209), field goals made (70), steals (29) as well as second in assists (71). As a freshman, she played in 26 and started in five games, amassing a total of 706 minutes.
 
McClure's performance on the court earned her a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team.  The Louisville, Ky. native was among the top three offensive contributors for Ohio during the 2022-23 season. McClure recorded a career-high 22 points, seven assists and went 6-6 from the free throw line in the Bobcats' conference win against Central Michigan (Feb. 18).
 
VETERAN BOBCATS
Guard Kate Dennis (Jr.) was a consistent contributor for the Bobcats, being one of the two players that started and played in all 29 games last season. Dennis finished the 2022-23 season ranked second in minutes played (844), third in three-pointers (29) and blocks (13), fourth in steals (42) and fifth in assists (21). The junior recorded multiple career bests last season including 12 points, four FGM and 3FG made versus Ball State (1/28/23).
 
Coming off the bench last season, Kailah Johnson (Sr.) played in 28 games as a guard for Ohio. Johnson opened the season versus LIU (L, 67-74) with a career-high 12 points, recording a .600 FG%, 3FG% and .500 FT%. The senior finished the season with 58 points, 16 steals and 26 rebounds.
 
Forwards Aja Austin (Jr.) and Cassidy Lafler (So.) are the only two returning players in their position. With the help of newcomers, Austin and Lafler have big shoes to fill on the court after the departure of Ohio's two starting forwards. Both players made appearances in 24 games for the Bobcats. Lafler finished her debut season with 53 points, 42 rebounds, 8 steals, four assists and blocks. In 24 games, Austin totaled 20 points, 50 rebounds, five assists, seven steals and four blocks.
 
Also returning for the Bobcats are Madi Mace (R-Jr.) and Peyton Guice (Sr.) who did not play in the 2022-23 season due to injuries.
 
MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Ohio women's basketball team was selected to finish ninth in the 2023-24 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league on Thursday, Nov. 2. Ohio earned 40 points and was chosen to finish above Western Michigan (38), Central Michigan (24) and Miami (23). Toledo (121) was selected to finish first in the conference with 11 first-place votes and the 2024 MAC Tournament with nine votes. Ball State (110) also received one first-place vote, was picked to finish second in the conference and earned two tournament champion votes.
 
BOBCATS STAFF: FAMILIAR FACES
Ohio returns its entire coaching staff from last season. Associate Head Coach Tavares Jackson joins head coach, Bob Boldon, in his 11th season with the Bobcats. Assistant Coach Steph Haas returns for her sixth season while Assistant Coach Chelsea Welch and Director of Operations Ebony Pegues enter their third season with the program. Former Ohio women's basketball player, Kaylee Gregory Bambule, enters her second season with the team as Video Coordinator.
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats will be back in action as they travel to Morehead State on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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