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KALAMAZOO, MICH.– The Ohio Bobcats (6-22, 4-12 MAC) took on Western Michigan (11-16, 6-10 MAC), Saturday afternoon in University Arena. The matchup was a back and forth battle, with both teams looking to secure the win and increase their chances in making the postseason MAC tournament. After 40 minutes, Ohio dropped the road game 49-68 to the Broncos after being up 25-24 at halftime. Yaya Felder led the Bobcats in scoring with 23 total points, followed by Abby Garnett with 8.
Overall, the Bobcats went 17-of-49 (34.7%) from the field, 5-of-24 (20.8%) from the three, and 10-of-12 (83.3%) from the line. Ohio also grabbed 31 rebounds, 8 steals, and collected 9 assists.
In the first 10 minutes of play, Ohio was led on offense by Abby Garnett totaling 5 points in quarter 1. Garnett went 2-of-2 from the field and 1-of-1 from the three, followed by Yaya Felder with 4 points for the Bobcats. Felder initiated the scoring for Ohio at the line drawing a foul on WMU's Taylor Williams, followed by another forced foul for 2 more free throws. Abby Garnett continued on offense for the Bobcats with a driving layup, immediately followed by a three point jump shot getting the score to 9-5. The Broncos responded with a three pointer in the last 15 seconds of play, but Ohio protected the lead going into the second quarter at 9-8.
With the one point lead going into the second, Ohio remained energized on the offense and Kate Dennis proved this with an immediate jumper from the three point line. Dennis led the Bobcats in the second with 8 points going 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from the three. Felder was another offensive leader for Ohio with 6 points for the Bobcats grabbing four from the field and two from the line. With 7 minutes left of the half, the Broncos fought back to even the score at 14 apiece, and from there the game went back and forth. The score was tied 3 more times in the second quarter before Yaya Felder had two steals forcing Bronco turnovers, leading to Kate Dennis closing the half out with a 3 point jump shot to give Ohio a 25-24 lead going into the locker room.
Western Michigan came out with a renewed offensive spirit going on a 12-0 run to start the second half and claim a 36-25 lead against the Bobcats at 6:34 in the third. Ohio's Cassidy Lafler broke the Broncos offensive streak by grabbing a layup and one, but the quarter still proved to be an offensive challenge for Ohio, only putting up 7 points on the board. Defensively the Bobcats grabbed 8 rebounds, 7 of those being defensive. Leading on defense was Yaya Felder with 3 rebounds, followed by Kate Dennis with 2, and 1 apiece from Aja Austin and Abby Garnett. The Broncos grabbed 12 total rebounds in the third; 9 defensive and 3 offensive. Going into the fourth and final quarter the Bobcats were trailing 32-47.
The last ten minutes of play was a battle between the Bobcats and the Broncos as they both fought to clench another conference win. After being down by 18, Ohio began to close in on WMU with three pointers from Abby Garnett and Aja Austin getting the Broncos lead down to 11. Yaya Felder also contributed to the fourth quarter scoring 8 points, going 3-of-4 from the field and sinking 2 more foul shots. The Bobcats had multiple opportunities on offense, but couldn't finish the majority of their shots going 6-of-13 from the field and 2-of-6 from the three in the fourth quarter. Cassidy Lafler was the only Bobcat to grab rebounds in the fourth quarter, securing 2 offensive and 2 rebounds. Ultimately, Ohio couldn't catch up to Western Michigan falling 49-68
Up Next: The Bobcats last road stretch of the 2022-23 season will come to a close after Saturday's matinee in Michigan. The team will return to the Convocation Center Wednesday (3/1) to play their cross state rivals at 7 pm. The Miami RedHawks are looking for revenge after the Bobcats defeated them in overtime earlier this season. Tipoff is set for 7 pm in Athens, Ohio and can be streamed on ESPN3/+.
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