ATHENS, Ohio –The Ohio women's basketball team (2-2, 0-0 MAC) defeated IUPUI (1-5, 0-0 Horizon) 75-71 on Sunday, Nov. 26 in the Convocation Center.
Sophomore Cassidy Lafler (Dublin, Ohio) sunk a free throw in the second quarter to start a one-point lead for Ohio. The team maintained the lead throughout the rest of the game and got as far as 13 points head of IUPUI.
"Getting up 13 at the end of the third quarter, I felt we looked a little bit too comfortable with that. IUPUI a very well coached team and a very talented team. As you saw, it came back and chipped away, chipped away at a couple of possessions. That media timeout came in at the time that was probably a possession that I was thinking about calling a timeout if we had to. Thankfully we didn't have to," head coach Bob Boldon said. "I think our kids deserve a lot of credit for the resiliency that they showed and sticking together. Again, it's hard to put into words that feeling when it seems like you've won the game, or you're gonna win a game but it's been kind of slowly taken away from them and It's hard to fight that. I thought they did a really good job of fighting that, sticking together and executing."
IUPUI looked to take the lead in the fourth quarter after it knocked Ohio down to a minimal lead. However, Ohio's defense stayed on target to keep IUPUI out of the paint. It manufactured a two-minute scoring drought for IUPUI toward the end of the fourth.
The Bobcats defense improved throughout the game. They stole the ball from the Jaguars 11 times, led by junior Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) with four. Dennis' defensive positioning allowed the Bobcats to get their hands on the ball more.
When Ohio got its hands on the ball, it went for the 3-pointer. Ohio went 11-for-21 beyond the arc for its best 3-point percentage so far this season. Senior guard Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey) took charge on 3-point shooting with a 3-for-3 performance.
"A lot of times on screens, they would go under looking for us to go downhill and also just getting in there and creating offense for my team. So I think we did a good job of that," sophomore guard Jaya McClure (Louisville, Ky.) said.
McClure led the Bobcats in scoring with 21 points, mostly on 3-pointers. She shot 3-for-4 beyond the arc and 6-for-9 from the line to set a new season high in points.
Right behind her was freshman Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.), who recorded new season-bests in steals, assists and rebounds with three, five and six respectively. Williams also played scored six points for the Bobcats while rotating in an out at point guard for a season-high minutes played.
Four Bobcats totaled double-digit points: Alper, Dennis, McClure and junior guard Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) Alper had 13 points, Dennis 10 and Watkins 10 to help the Bobcats to their highest-scoring game of the season.
Ohio's perfect record at home will be tested in its next game against Longwood on Wednesday, Nov. 29. However, Boldon is confident his team will be ready for the challenge.
"I don't think we're anywhere near the team we will be in January and that's something that is encouraging. It can be frustrating at times, but I think they they've handled it and the schedule setup is such that you get to see a lot of different things. We're gonna see a completely different team on Wednesday. I mean the press for most of the game and to be able to be through these different scenarios, they're all learning opportunities," Boldon said. "They deserve a lot of credit, and so much as I feel like they learned from the situations that we've been in, you know, time will tell if we really have. It sure seems like they are and their enthusiasm and joy for the game has been awesome."
Wednesday's game versus Longwood will tip-off at 7 p.m. ET. Fans will be able to watch the Bobcats on ESPN+.
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