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ATHENS, OH.– The Ohio Women's Basketball Team (4-18, 2-9 MAC) returned home after a week on the road this Wednesday (2/8), facing the Bowling Green Falcons (22-2, 8-1 MAC). BGSU is currently ranked first in the Mid-American Conference standings, proving to be a challenging opponent. The Bobcats held strong in the Convocation Center, but ultimately fell 44-81. Individually, Ohio was led by Freshman guard, Jaya McClure (Louisville, KY). McClure secured 14 points for the Bobcats and was closely followed by sophomore guard Yaya Felder (Hartford, CT.), totaling 8. 

Overall, the Ohio Bobcats went 12-of-52 (23.1%) from the field, 5-of-24 (20.8%) from the three, 15-of-19 (78.9%) from the line, snagged 34 rebounds, 9 steals, and collected 10 assists.

The Bobcats came out aggressive, winning the jump ball, but was immediately challenged by Bowling Green's defense. Redshirt junior Abby Garnett (Golden, Colo.) initiated the first basket for Ohio, scoring a second chance layup in the paint. An offensive highlight play of the quarter was a three pointer made by redshirt junior Jasmine Hale (Cincinnati, Ohio) off of a free ball, giving the Bobcats their first five points of the game. On defense, Ohio collected a total of 10 rebounds and two assists; Felder having two of those rebounds and both assists. Collectively, Ohio went 9-of-9 at the free throw line with Abby Garnett, Junior Kailah Johnson (Holland, Ohio), Freshman Cassidy Lafler (Dublin, Ohio) going 2-of-2, and Felder hitting 3-of-3. At the end of the first quarter, Ohio pushed back on the Falcons getting the score to 16-18 going into the second quarter. 

In the second ten minutes of play, Ohio continued to battle the Falcons, increasing their defensive pressure and forcing three Bowling Green turnovers. Leading on offense for Ohio in the second quarter was Jaya McClure, grabbing nine points. McClure started the quarter sinking a three point jumper, and overall went 3-of-6 from the field, 1-of-3 from the three, and 2-of-2 from the line. Defensively, the Bobcats were outrebounded by BGSU, only collecting five, compared to the Falcon's 11. Ohio's five rebounds came from Yaya Felder with two, and sophomore Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.), Jasmine Hale, and sophomore Aja Austin (Westerville, Ohio) with one apiece. The score stood at 45-28 going into the locker room at half.   

Coming into the second half, the Bobcats came out strong defensively with Garnett grabbing a steal in the first 20 seconds of play. Offensively, the Bobcats were led by Kailah Johnson with three points, followed by Jasmine Hale and Jaya McClure with two apiece. On defense, redshirt senior Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) led with three rebounds followed by Garnett, Johnson, Austin and Lafler with one each. The Bobcats collected a total of eight rebounds in the third; two offensive and six defensive. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Kate Dennis ended the third quarter hitting a three point jumper to get the score to 39-65 going into the last ten minutes of play.

Entering the last ten minutes of play, Ohio continued to press on defense, collecting a total of 10 rebounds, 8 being defensive and 2 offensive. The Bobcats were led by Yaya Felder in rebounds with four, followed by Aja Austin with two. Bowling Green had three players hit double digits; Jocelyn Tate (18), Elissa Brett (17), and Nyla Hampton (16), which contributed to their road. Ultimately, Ohio fell to the nearly undefeated Bowling Green Falcons, 44-81. Head Coach Bob Boldon commented on the Falcons, "Bowling green was really good, they took advantage of every mistake we made and that's what good teams do. I thought we matched their energy pretty well in the start, but making shots matters."

Up Next:
The Ohio Bobcats will remain home in the Convocation Center to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday (2/11). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and will be available for streaming on ESPN3. 

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