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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (4-10, 1-3 MAC) is set to continue conference competition at Western Michigan (5-9, 0-4 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Heading into its matchup with Ohio, Western Michigan has a 5-9 overall and 0-4 conference record. Western Michigan averages 59.6 points per game; shooting 38.4 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from the arc and 67.5 percent from the line. Western Michigan averages 29.1 rebounds, 12.4 assists and 8.6 steals per game. The Broncos have forced 17.9 turnovers per game and average 16.6 points off turnovers.
 
Opponents average 68.8 points per game; shooting 44.9 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from the arc and 71.1 percent from the line. Opponents average 37.9 rebounds, 13.9 assists and 8.1 steals per game. Opponents have forced Western Michigan to give up 16.6 turnovers per game and average 15.9 points off turnovers.
 
Kaitlyn Zarycki leads the team with 246 points, 67 rebounds, 32 steals and ranks second for assists with 44. Maggie Stutelberg sits at second on the team in points with 115. Hannah Spitzley ranks third for points (95) and rebounds (40).
 
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are 4-10 overall and 1-3 in conference play heading into their game at Western Michigan. Ohio averages 61.9 points per game; shooting 37.7 percent from the field, 28 percent from the arc and 64.2 percent from the line. Ohio averages 32.4 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 10.5 steals per game. The Bobcats have forced 22.1 turnovers per game and average 17.8 points off turnovers.
 
Meanwhile, opponents average 72.5 points per game; shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 28.3 percent from the arc and 69.2 percent from the line. Opponents average 45.7 rebounds, 15.1 assists and 9.9 steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio to give up 20.9 turnovers per game and have scored an average of 21.9 points off turnovers.
 
Jaya McClure (147), Kennedi Watkins (136) and Bailey Tabeling (110) lead Ohio in scoring. Watkins (55) also ranks second for rebounding behind Madi Mace who has tallied a team-high 64 rebounds. McClure also leads the team with 38 assists followed by Monica Williams with 25 and Mace with 21. Laylay Fantroy and Bailey Tabeling are tied for first on the team for steals with 21 each.
 
ALL TIME VS WESTERN MICHIGAN
Heading into the matchup, Ohio is 12-12 in its series with Western Michigan. The Bobcats are 8-5 at home, 3-7 on the road and have won five of the last 10 meetings.
 
LAST TIME VS MICHIGAN
The two teams last met during the 2022-23 season in the University Arena. The Broncos claimed a 68-49 win over the Bobcats.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio women's basketball team (4-10, 1-3 MAC) fell 63-50 at Toledo (11-3, 4-0 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 13.
 
Junior Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) was Ohio's top performer on the court today. Watkins tallied a career-high 21 points; shooting 66.7 percent from the field, 75 percent from the arc and 66.7 percent from the line.
 
Freshman Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) was an important contributor for the Bobcats as she recorded 10 points, four rebounds and a steal.
 
Senior Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey) finished the game with a team-high six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
It was an aggressive first quarter with Toledo earning a 16-7 lead over the Bobcats.
 
Ohio's defense continued to improve in the second quarter, but the Rockets maintained a 27-19 lead heading into the locker room. At the half, Watkins led the Bobcats with 11 points. Watkins netted nine of her 11 points in the second quarter and finished the half four-for-five from the field and two-for-three from the arc.
 
Alper recorded three rebounds while Williams and redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) tallied two each.
 
Ohio challenged Toledo's lead with 15 points in the third quarter, but the Bobcats continued to trail the Rockets, 45-34, heading into the final quarter of the game.
 
Toledo came out on top with a 63-50 win over Ohio.
 
THE JAYA MCCLURE SHOW: SEASON 2
After missing the first game of the season due to injury, McClure has returned to the court with a commanding presence and has acted as a major playmaker for the Bobcats. She has amassed 147 points in 11 games, ranks seventh in the MAC for points per game (13.4) and seventh for assists per game.
 
McClure leads the team with 38 assists and has recorded seven double-figure point games. She matched her season-best in points for the third time this season with 21 at Bellarmine (12/30). Against Syracuse (12/9), McClure recorded a career-best in rebounds (6), assists (9) and free throws made (7).
 
WATKINS MAKING HER MARK
Since arriving in Athens, junior Kennedi Watkins has made an immediate impact on the court for the Bobcats. Watkins surpassed the 500-point milestone after netting 10 points in Ohio's 67-61 win over Dayton (11/16). At Toledo, she tallied a career-best 21 points. Watkins has tallied 136 points - the second best on the team - so far this season and has recorded eight double-figure point games. Watkins' dynamic play and experience provides Ohio's young team with more veteran leadership.  The Ballwin, Mo. native is currently averaging 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds per game and has tallied 11 blocks.
 
MACE'S COMEBACK STORY
After spending the 2022-23 season on the sidelines due to injury, redshirt junior Madi Mace has proved to be an important presence on the court for Ohio since the first game of this season. She ranks first on the team in rebounds (64/4.6 RPG) and has netted 65 points (4.6 PPG). Mace reached 300 career rebounds after grabbing four versus Syracuse and reached 500 career points after she netted a season-best 16 points at Kent State.
 
DEPENDABLE KATE DENNIS
Junior Kate Dennis has remained a consistent player for Ohio, maintaining a spot in the starting lineup throughout all 14 games this season. Dennis has played 309 minutes for the Bobcats - averaging 22.1 minutes per game - tallied 84 points, 23 rebounds, 10 steals and seven blocks. She has only recorded seven turnovers across 14 games, averaging less than one turnover per game.
 
TABELING FOR THREE
Freshman Bailey Tabeling has emerged as one of Ohio's best shooters, specifically from the third-point line. Against Syracuse (12/9/23), Tabeling led both teams with 23 points; shooting 80 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the arc. Tabeling's performance beyond the arc was one of the best by an Ohio freshman and she is the first Bobcat to record seven or more three-pointers in a single game since Amani Burke in 2018-19. The freshman ranks third in the MAC for 3FG percentage (.442) and leads the conference with the top single-game performance for 3FGs made so far this season.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT: LAYLAY FANTROY & MONICA WILLIAMS
With more than half of the active players being underclassmen - including five freshmen - Ohio has one of the youngest teams in the league. Newcomers, Monica Williams and Laylay Fantroy, average 20 or more minutes per game and Williams has earned a position in the starting lineup in all 14 games this season.
 
Fantroy recorded her first career double-double and is Ohio's first player to do so this season. Coming off the bench, she ranks fifth in rebounds (40) and has a team-high 21 steals. Fantroy is currently sixth in the MAC for steals per game and ranks second in the conference in game-high individual performances this season with her six steals at App State.
 
Williams ranks fourth on the team in points (109), fourth for rebounds (44) and second for assists (25). In Ohio's win over IUPUI, Williams tallied career highs for rebounds (6), assists (5) and steals (3). She matched her career high in rebounds in Ohio's conference opener and win versus Akron. At Kent State, Williams recorded her first double-figure point game with a career-high 15 points.
 
WELCOME BACK, PEYTON GUICE
After spending almost two years on the bench with major injuries, senior Peyton Guice returned to the court during Ohio's game at Ohio State. Since then, Guice has started in three games. Through eight games, she has tallied 17 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Against NIU (1/10), Guice recorded a career-best six rebounds.
 
TEAM STATISTIC CATEGORY LEADERS (TOP 3)
 
Points: Jaya McClure (147), Kennedi Watkins (136), Bailey Tabeling (110)
Rebounds: Madi Mace (64), Kennedi Watkins (55), Bengisu Alper (46)
Assists: Jaya McClure (38), Monica Williams (25), Madi Mace (21)
Blocks: Kennedi Watkins (11), Kate Dennis (7), Cassidy Lafler (5)
Steals: Laylay Fantroy (21), Bailey Tabeling (21), Bengisu Alper (18), Madi Mace (18), Jaya McClure (17)
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTIC LEADERS (Thru 1/15)
Team Rankings (Top 5):
Total Steals - 2nd (147)
Steals Per Game - 2nd (10.50)
Turnover Margin - 4th (1.21)
 
Individual Rankings (Top 10):
Points Per Game - Jaya McClure, 7th (13.4)
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Bailey Tabeling, 3rd (.442)
3PTs Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 10th (1.6)
Free Throws Made - Jaya McClure, 6th (44)
Free Throw Percentage - Jaya McClure, 10th (.741)
Assists Per Game - Jaya McClure, 7th (3.5)
Total Blocks - Kennedi Watkins, 8th (11)
Blocks Per Game - Kennedi Watkins, 8th (0.8)
Steals Per Game - Laylay Fantroy, 6th (1.8)
 
Game-High Stats (Top 3):
Team FT Percentage - 3rd (100%), Ohio at Ohio State (12/5/23)
Individual 3PT FGs Made - Bailey Tabeling, 1st (7); Ohio vs. Syracuse (12/9/23)
Individual Assists - Jaya McClure, 2nd (9); Ohio vs. Syracuse (12/9/23)
Individual Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 2nd (6); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 20 as they prepare to host Eastern Michigan in the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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