ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (5-10, 2-4 MAC) took down Eastern Michigan (5-10, 2-4 MAC) 72-62 on Saturday, Jan. 20 in the Convocation Center.
 
Overall, the Bobcats shot 43 percent from the floor and 36 percent from the three-point line. The Bobcats grabbed 33 rebounds including 10 offensive. Ohio's defense forced 26 turnovers and scored 21 off  turnovers. The Eagles never lead once throughout the span of the game.
 
Individually, the Bobcats were led by freshman guard Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) with a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds, adding four assists. Redshirt junior guard Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) led the team with seven assists, adding nine points and four boards. Freshman guard Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas) also put up 14 points with three boards and an assist. Freshman guard Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) had four buckets from outside the arc in the first half and 12 points total.
 
The Bobcats lost the tip, but Watkins immediately grabbed a steal on the defensive end. Ohio took a quick five-point lead within the first four minutes off a layup from Williams. Tabeling was able to convert consecutive three-pointers late in the first quarter, giving the Bobcats a two-point lead as they headed into the second quarter.
 
The Bobcats started the second quarter with a bang, with quick consecutive threes from Tabeling sending their lead back up to eight at the start of the quarter. Tabeling started the game four-for-four from behind the arc and scored 12 of the first 23 points for Ohio. The lead would grow to 11 after consecutive layups and playing solid defense throughout the second quarter. The Bobcats defense held the Eagles scoreless for over four minutes in the middle of the second quarter, initiating a 12-0 run over that span. The run was capped off by a the 14^th three-pointer of the season from senior guard Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey). The Bobcats' run continued, with the lead inflating to 14 at the three-minute mark in the second. Fantroy converted a late and-one to bring the lead to 11 and Williams converted a layup with two seconds left to make the score at the half 39-26 in favor of the Bobcats. In the second quarter alone, the Bobcats scored 22 points.
 
At the half, the Bobcats were led by Tabeling with 12 points, shooting 100 percent from behind the arc. Fantroy had nine points and an assist. Williams had six points with three rebounds and two assists, while also leading the plus/minus category with +13. Mace led the team with five assists.
 
The Bobcats shot 50% from the floor, 42% from three. The defense held the Eagles to 33% shooting and 25% from three. The defense forced 12 turnovers, compared to only seven given up. Off turnovers, the Bobcats scored 14 points, doubling the Eagles' seven. The Eagles never had a lead throughout the first half, and the game was only tied for a little over a minute.
 
After halftime, Ohio came out firing, with Alper hitting her second three-pointer of the afternoon. The Bobcats' hot shooting at the end of the half slowed down early in the third, but the game remained in Ohio's favor early in the third. The lead hovered around 10 points, with the Bobcats handling adversity when the Eagles started to come back. Mace hit a three when the Eagles had pulled the lead to six, to keep the Ohio lead to a three-possession game. With two minutes left in the quarter, the Bobcat lead was at nine. Mace drew a charge with 1:30 left to keep the lead at double digits, and the Bobcats would find the free throw line in the bonus many times. The Bobcats would go on a late run in the third, mounting an 8-0 run in the last two minutes. The score at the end of three quarters sat at 55-44 in favor of the Bobcats.
 
At the start of the fourth, the Eagles crept back into the game, scoring three-point baskets consecutively followed by a layup to cut the Bobcat lead to six at the 7:45 mark. But, the Bobcats were able to hit a three at the 6:52 mark courtesy of senior guard Peyton Guice's (Westerville, Ohio) first three of the season to bring the lead back to nine. The Bobcats found woes throughout the middle of the fourth in shooting, failing to find the basket from the five-minute mark to the two-minute mark. Williams was able to draw a charge with two minutes late and very soon after hit a jumper to bring the Bobcats their first bucket in three minutes of game time on a fouled layup. With the Bobcats lead at 6, Williams converted the and-one to get the lead back to eight with 1:23 left. The Eagles converted a three, but they could not escape the bonus fouls at the end of the game. Guice increased the lead to eight with 18 seconds left. The Bobcats forced five turnovers in the last three minutes, and the final score would give the Bobcats a 10-point win with a final score of 72-62.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at Central Michigan. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and can be streamed on ESPN+.

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