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ATHENS, Ohio –The Ohio women's basketball team (2-5, 0-0 MAC) fell to the Syracuse Orange (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast), 82-62, in a competitive battle on Saturday, Dec. 9 in the Convocation Center.
 
Offensively, Ohio was led by freshman guard Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) with a career-high 23 points going 7-for-9 from three and was the highest scorer between both teams of the game. Overall, Tabeling shot 80 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the three-point line. She had one of the best single-game shooting performances by an Ohio freshman. Tabeling is tied with three other players for single-game three-point field goals made and recorded the seventh-best single-game three-point percentage in program history.
 
Sophomore guard Jaya McClure (Louisville, Ky.) with 15 points, a career-high six rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Junior guard Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) and freshman guard Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) collected five points apiece. Senior guard Peyton Guice (Westerville, Ohio) also made her first debut in the Convocation Center since the 2021-22 season.
 
Overall, the Bobcats finished 21-of-63 (33.3%) from the field, 10-of-31 (29.4%) from the arc and 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the line. Ohio recorded a total of 33 rebounds, eight steals and 13 assists.
 
From the jump, the Bobcats grabbed the ball and played strong on both offense and defense. Redshirt junior guard Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W.Va.) opened the scoring for both teams going 2-of-2 from the line. Williams continued adding points to the board for the Bobcats with a jumper in the paint and a three-point jumper. Syracuse began to challenge Ohio's defense, gaining a six-point offensive lead. Tabeling scored back-to-back three-point jumpers to tie the score 13-13. Orange responded with two layups and going 3-of-4 from the line, giving them a five-point lead of 20-15 against the Bobcats going into the second quarter. 
 
Dennis opened the scoring for the Bobcats in the second quarter with a layup assisted by McClure and a three-point jumper, cutting the score deficit to 22-20 against Orange. Ohio and Syracuse traded baskets keeping the margin to just a few points. Tabeling continued her offensive streak with a driving layup off a steal and a three-point jumper assisted by McClure, giving the Bobcats their first offensive lead of the game 37-33. Tabeling led offensively between both teams in the half with 17 points. Going into the locker room, Ohio trailed behind Syracuse 44-41.
 
Orange opened the second half challenging the Bobcats' defense, forcing them to call a 30-second timeout with 8:21 left in the quarter. Out of the timeout, McClure went 2-for-2 at the line giving Ohio their first points of the quarter. Syracuse continued their offensive lead against Ohio throughout the third quarter. Senior guard Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey) ended the third quarter with a three-point jumper off an opponent turnover. The Orange led 64-47 going into the final quarter of the game. 
 
In the final ten minutes of play, sophomore forward Cassidy Lafler (Dublin, Ohio) and freshman guard Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas) put the Bobcats back on the board scoring one layup each. Tabeling followed with back-to-back three-point jumpers, cutting the score deficit to 71-57 with six minutes left of play. Freshman guard Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored her first collegiate points with the Bobcats to close the fourth quarter. Syracuse went on to win the game with a score of 82-62. 
 
The Bobcats will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 16 as they take on Indiana State in the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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