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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (4-8, 1-1 MAC) will host conference opponent Northern Illinois (7-6, 1-1 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 10 in the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Heading into its matchup with Ohio, Northern Illinois has a 7-6 overall and 1-1 conference record. Northern Illinois averages 67.5 points per game; shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from the arc and 69.1 percent from the line. Northern Illinois averages 39 rebounds, 14.2 assists and 6.8 steals per game. The Huskies have forced 14.2 turnovers per game.
 
Opponents average 65.0 points per game; shooting 38.3 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from the arc and 75.4 percent from the line. Opponents average 39 rebounds, 13.3 assists and 7.8 steals per game. Opponents have forced Kent State to give up 15.1 turnovers per game.
 
Jayden Marable leads the Huskies with 170 points, 57 assists, 21 assists and ranks second on the team with 60 rebounds. Averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, Brooke Stonebraker is Northern Illinois' top rebounder with a total of 99 so far this season. Stonebraker is also the team's second-leading scorer with 131 points. Sidney McCrea has netted 122 points this season, ranking third on the team in points.
 
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are 4-8 overall and 1-1 in conference play heading into their game versus Northern Illinois. Ohio averages 62.9 points per game; shooting 38.3 percent from the field, 28.4 percent from the arc and 64 percent from the line. Ohio averages 32.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 10.7 steals per game. The Bobcats have forced 22.8 turnovers per game and average 18.4 points off turnovers.
 
Meanwhile, opponents average 73.8 points per game; shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from the arc and 68.9 percent from the line. Opponents average 45.1 rebounds, 14.8 assists and 10.6 steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio to give up 22.1 turnovers per game and have scored an average of 23.6 points off turnovers.
 
Jaya McClure (146), Kennedi Watkins (103) and Bailey Tabeling (98) lead Ohio in scoring. Watkins (46) also ranks second for rebounding behind Madi Mace who has tallied a team-high 57 rebounds. McClure also leads the team with 36 assists followed by Monica Williams with 23 and Mace with 19. Laylay Fantroy has a team-high 18 steals and three players rank behind her with 17 a piece.
 
ALL TIME VS NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Heading into the matchup, Ohio leads the series with Northern Illinois 11-9. The Bobcats are 5-3 at home, 5-5 on the road and have won seven of the last 10 meetings.
 
LAST TIME VS NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The two teams last met during the 2022-23 season in the Convocation Center. Ohio outlasted Northern Illinois, earning a 72-71 victory over the Huskies.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio women's basketball team (4-8, 1-1 MAC) fell at Kent State (8-4, 2-0 MAC) 92-63 on Saturday, Jan. 6.
 
Redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) led the team with a season-best 16 points in addition to four rebounds and three steals. Freshman Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) netted a career-best 15 points; finishing five-for-six from the field, one-for-one from the arc and four-for-six from the line. Freshman Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. Junior Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) tallied a team-high five rebounds. After the first 10 minutes, Kent State had a 22-16 lead over Ohio.
 
The Bobcats got off to a slow start, but Mace helped Ohio with a nine-point performance in the first quarter. Offensively, Ohio found opportunities under the basket and at the free throw line. Kent State out-rebounded Ohio 11-8 and scored nine points off turnovers.
 
Kent State maintained a 45-31 lead as the two teams headed into the locker room for halftime. Ohio's defense lagged, allowing the Golden Flashes to capitalize on a lot of opportunities on offense. Mace continued to be a force for the Bobcats on the court. She finished the first half with 14 points, four rebounds and a steal. Williams contributed six points while Watkins and Tabeling grabbed four and three rebounds, respectively.
 
At the end of the third quarter, Ohio trailed Kent State 68-44. Kent State went on to win the game, 90-63.
 
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 146 points in 10 games, ranks sixth in the MAC for points per game (14.6), ninth for points, eighth for assists and seventh for assists per game.
 
McClure leads the team with 36 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). She has tallied 103 points - the second best on the team - so far this season and has recorded six 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 9.4 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game.
 
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 (57/4.8 RPG) and has netted 58 points (4.8 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 12 games this season. Dennis has played 261 minutes for the Bobcats - averaging 21.8 minutes per game - tallied 72 points, 21 rebounds, nine steals and seven blocks. She has only recorded seven turnovers across 12 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 (.467) 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 more than 20 minutes per game and Williams has earned a position in the starting lineup in all 12 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 is tied for third in rebounds (39) and has a team-high 18 steals. Fantroy is currently ninth 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 for rebounds (38) and second for assists (23). 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. The game was Guice's first time competing since the 2021-22 season. She played eight minutes, recording two points and two assists in the fourth quarter. 
 
TEAM STATISTIC CATEGORY LEADERS (TOP 3)
 
Points: Jaya McClure (146), Kennedi Watkins (103), Bailey Tabeling (98)
Rebounds: Madi Mace (57), Kennedi Watkins (46), Laylay Fantroy (39)
Assists: Jaya McClure (36), Monica Williams (23), Madi Mace (19)
Blocks: Kate Dennis (7), Kennedi Watkins (6), Cassidy Lafler (5)
Steals: Laylay Fantroy (18), Madi Mace (17), Jaya McClure (17), Bailey Tabeling (17), Bengisu Alper (16)
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTIC LEADERS (Thru 1/8)
Team Rankings (Top 5):
Total Steals - 2nd (128)
Steals Per Game - 2nd (10.67)
Turnover Margin - 5th (0.67)
 
Individual Rankings (Top 10):
Points Per Game - Jaya McClure, 6th (14.6)
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Bailey Tabeling, 2nd (.467)
Free Throws Made - Jaya McClure, 4th (43)
Assists Per Game - Jaya McClure, 8th (3.6)
Steals Per Game - Laylay Fantroy, 9th (1.8)
 
Game-High Stats (Top 3):
Team FT Percentage - 3rd (100%), Ohio at Ohio State (12/5/23)
Team Steals - 3rd (18), Ohio vs. Indiana State (12/17/23)
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 at Toledo on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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