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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (5-11, 2-4 MAC) is set to travel to Central Michigan (3-13, 1-5 MAC) for a conference road matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Heading into its matchup with Ohio, Central Michigan has a 3-13 overall and 1-5 conference record. Central Michigan averages 62.9 points per game; shooting 38.5 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from the arc and 66.1 percent from the line. Central Michigan averages 41.3 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 7.1 steals per game. The Chippewas have forced 14.9 turnovers per game and average 12.1 points off turnovers.
 
Opponents average 72.8 points per game; shooting 40.1 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from the arc and 74.5 percent from the line. Opponents average 38.7 rebounds, 14 assists and 9.7 steals per game. Opponents have forced Central Michigan to give up 20.3 turnovers per game and average 18.2 points off turnovers.
 
Nadege Jean (151), Karrington Gordon (148) and Rochelle Norris (140) are Central Michigan's current top three scorers. Norris (126) and Jean (105) also rank first and second for rebounding. Lisa Tesson has a team-high 47 assists while Taylor Anderson ranks first for steals (32) and second for assists (34).
 
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are 5-11 overall and 2-4 in conference play heading into their game at Central Michigan. Ohio averages 62.3 points per game; shooting 37.9 percent from the field, 28.1 percent from the arc and 65.4 percent from the line. Ohio averages 32.3 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 10.6 steals per game. The Bobcats have forced 22.3 turnovers per game and average 18.4 points off turnovers.
 
Meanwhile, opponents average 71.9 points per game; shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 29.3 percent from the arc and 68.8 percent from the line. Opponents average 44.3 rebounds, 15.1 assists and 9.9 steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio to give up 20.5 turnovers per game and have scored an average of 21.1 points off turnovers.
 
Kennedi Watkins (160), Jaya McClure (151) and Monica Williams (132) are Ohio's current top scorers. Madi Mace has a team-high 68 rebounds and Watkins ranks second with 61 rebounds. McClure and Williams rank first and second on the team in assists with 40 and 33 respectively. Laylay Fantroy leads the team in steals with 25 total.
 
ALL TIME VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Heading into the matchup, Ohio trails 8-13 in its series with Central Michigan. The Bobcats are 3-8 at home, 5-5 on the road and have won four of the last 10 meetings.
 
LAST TIME VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The two teams last met during the 2022-23 season in the Convocation Center. The Bobcats claimed a 83-75 win over the Chippewas.
 
LAST TIME OUT
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 the 14th 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. 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. 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. With the Bobcats lead at 6, Williams converted the and-one to get the lead back to eight with 1:23 left. 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 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 151 points in 12 games, ranks ninth in the MAC for points per game and eighth for assists per game.
 
McClure leads the team with 40 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 a team-high 160 points so far this season and has recorded nine 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 10.7 points, 4.1 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 (72/4.5 RPG) and has netted 78 points. 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. Against Eastern Michigan, Mace recorded a career-best seven assists.
 
DEPENDABLE KATE DENNIS
Junior Kate Dennis has remained a consistent player for Ohio, maintaining a spot in the starting lineup throughout all 16 games this season. Dennis has played 346 minutes for the Bobcats - averaging 21.6 minutes per game - tallied 90 points, 25 rebounds, 10 steals and seven blocks. She has only recorded eight turnovers across 16 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 second in the MAC for 3FG percentage (.459) 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 16 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 fourth in rebounds (49) and has a team-high 25 steals. Fantroy is currently eighth 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 third on the team in points (132), tied third for rebounds (52) and second for assists (33). In Ohio's win over IUPUI, Williams tallied career highs for assists (5) and steals (3). At Kent State, Williams recorded her first double-figure point game with a career-high 15 points. Against Eastern Michigan, she grabbed a career-best eight rebounds.
 
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: Kennedi Watkins (160), Jaya McClure (151), Monica Williams (132)
Rebounds: Madi Mace (72), Kennedi Watkins (61), Bengisu Alper (52), Monica Williams (52)
Assists: Jaya McClure (40), Monica Williams (33), Madi Mace (28)
Blocks: Kennedi Watkins (11), Kate Dennis (7), Cassidy Lafler (5)
Steals: Laylay Fantroy (25), Madi Mace (23), Bailey Tabeling (23), Bengisu Alper (20)
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTIC LEADERS (Thru 1/22)
Team Rankings (Top 5):
3PT FGs Made - 5th (111)
3PT FGs Made Per Game - 5th (6.9)
Turnover Margin - 3rd (1.81)
Total Steals - 2nd (170)
Steals Per Game - 2nd (10.63)
 
Individual Rankings (Top 10):
Points Per Game - Jaya McClure, 9th (12.6)
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Bailey Tabeling, 2nd (.459)
3PT FGs Made Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 10th (1.8)
Free Throws Made - Jaya McClure, 8th (44)
Assists Per Game - Jaya McClure, 8th (3.3)
Total Blocks - Kennedi Watkins, 10th (11)
Blocks Per Game - Kennedi Watkins, 10th (0.7)
Steals Per Game - Laylay Fantroy, 8th (1.8)
 
Game-High Stats (Top 3):
Individual 3PT FGs Made - Bailey Tabeling, 1st (7); Ohio vs. Syracuse (12/9/23)
Individual Assists - Jaya McClure, 3rd (9); Ohio vs. Syracuse (12/9/23)
Individual Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 2nd (6); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats returns home to the Convocation Center for a matchup with Miami on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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