ATHENS, Ohio –The Ohio women's basketball team (2-3, 0-0 MAC) fell to the Longwood Lancers (2-4, 0-0 Big South) 75-72 on Wednesday, Nov. 29 in the Convocation Center.
 
Offensively, Ohio was led by junior guard Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) with 16 points, freshman guard Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas) with a career-high 15 points and sophomore guard Jaya McClure (Louisville, Ky.) with 11 points. 
 
Overall, the Bobcats finished 25-of-65 (38.5%) from the field, 5-of-24 (20.8%) from the arch and 17-of-28 (60.7%) from the line. Ohio recorded a total of 35 rebounds, nine steals and 12 assists.
 
From the jump, the Lancers grabbed the ball and immediately challenged the Bobcats' defense, gaining an early offensive lead. Junior guard Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) scored first for Ohio with a driving layup off a fast break, followed by redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W.Va.) with a three-point jumper. Ohio continued to push back offensively against Longwood. Freshman guard Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) put the Bobcats ahead of the Lancers scoring back-to-back with a three-point jumper and a driving layup. The Lancers responded with back-to-back three-point jumpers, tying the score 21-21. Going into the second quarter, the Bobcats were behind by three points setting the score 26-23.
 
Watkins opened the scoring for both teams in the second quarter with two made free throws. Ohio held a strong offense and defense against Longwood throughout the quarter. Coming out of the media timeout, Fantroy scored a driving layup continuing to close the score gap against Longwood. Offensively, Watkins led with 10 points in the quarter. A highlight of the quarter was a driving layup by Watkins with an assist from Mace. Going into the locker room, Ohio trailed behind Longwood 44-41. 
 
Going into the second half, Ohio continued to push defensively against the Longwood. Dennis scored the first basket of the half with a driving layup off a turnover. Both teams traded baskets to keep the score gap within one point for most of the quarter. A highlight of the quarter was an intense block by Watkins. With two minutes left in the quarter, the Lancers gained the lead 61-55 going into the final quarter of the game. 
 
In the final ten minutes of play, the Bobcats continued to push on offense and defense to keep the score gap in their favor. In the last 10 seconds of play, McClure made both free throws from the line, putting the Bobcats behind the Lancers by one point. Longwood had a five-second violation in the last eight seconds of play, giving Ohio the chance to close the score gap once more. Ultimately, Ohio fell to Longwood 75-72 after an intense quarter. 
 
The Bobcats will be back in action as they travel to Ohio State University to take on the Buckeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on B1G+.
 
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