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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (1-2, 0-0 MAC) is set to host No. 12/11 Ohio State (3-0, 0-0 B1G) in the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and fans will be able to watch the game on ESPN+.
 
The first 200 fans to show up early to the game will receive a limited edition Ohio women's basketball t-shirt.
 
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
No. 12/11 Ohio State currently has an 3-0 overall record heading into its matchup at Ohio. The Buckeyes recently defeated Belmont, 67-63.
 
The Buckeyes average 88.3 PPG; shooting 47.0 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from the arc and 63.6 percent from the line. The team averages 40.3 rebounds, 16 assists and 13.7 steals per game. The Buckeyes have forced 24.3 turnovers per game and average 22.3 points off turnovers.
 
Ohio State's opponents average 61.7 PPG; shooting 36.2 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from the arc and 72.0 percent from the line. Opponents average 39 rebounds, eight assists and five steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio State to give up 12 turnovers per game and average nine points off turnovers.
 
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio currently has an 1-2 overall record heading into its matchup with Ohio State. The Bobcats recently earned their first victory of the season, defeating George Washington 52-40.
 
The Bobcats average 60.0 PPG; shooting 32.3 percent from the field, 24.2 percent from the arc and 64.6 percent from the line. The team averages 39.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 7.7 steals per game. The Bobcats have forced 13.7 turnovers per game and average 9.3 points off turnovers.
 
Ohio's opponents average 68.0 PPG; shooting 35.9 percent from the field, 25.3 percent from the arc and 66.0 percent from the line. Opponents average 48.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists and eight steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio to give up 19.7 turnovers per games and average 17 points off turnovers.
 
ALL TIME VS OHIO STATE
The Bobcats trail in their all-time series with Ohio State, 1-14.
 
LAST TIME VS OHIO STATE
The last competition between Ohio and Ohio State was during the 2023-24 season. The Bobcats fell on the road to the Buckeyes, 85-45.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio women's basketball team (1-2, 0-0 MAC) earned its first win of the season with a 52-40 victory over George Washington (2-2, 0-0 A10) on Saturday, Nov. 16 in the Convocation Center. 
 
The Bobcats grabbed a total of 42 rebounds including 32 defensive rebounds. Ohio's defense forced 19 turnovers and scored six points off them. Ohio also recorded 12 steals. 
 
Individually, the Bobcats were led by senior Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) who had a career-high 15 points; finishing five-for-eight from the field, two-for-five from the arc and three-for-three from the line. Sophomore Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) also contributed 12 points, a career-high nine rebounds and three steals. Graduate student Aliah McWhorter (Cincinnati, Ohio) added seven points, two assists and one steal. Graduate student Anyssa Jones (Westerville, Ohio) also added six points and snagged two steals.
 
GW won the tip, but a steal from Tabeling kept them off the board early on. Both teams played aggressive on defense to keep each other off the scoreboard, both scoreless for almost the first three minutes of the game. Jones put the first points of the game up after drawing a foul under the rim, going 2-for-2 at the stripe. Ohio kept its momentum with a layup by Dennis assisted by McWhorter and a three-point jumper from Tabeling. GW had back-to-back layups to tie the score, but Ohio finished the quarter with a second chance layup from McWhorter and an exciting buzzer beater three-point jumper by sophomore Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.). 
 
GW opened the quarter with back-to-back layups, but sophomore Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) snagged a steal to assist Tabeling to a driving layup to keep Ohio in play. A deep three-point jumper by Dennis put Ohio further ahead of GW by nine points. Out of the media timeout, Jones had back-to-back layups to keep Ohio ahead. Both teams traded baskets, but GW closed the score gap six points against Ohio. Going into the locker room, Ohio led 24-18. 
 
Ohio had possession to begin the second half and got on the board first after Williams went 2-for-2 at the free throw line. Dennis added to the board with a three-point jumper assisted by Tabeling, allowing Ohio to lead by 10. Freshman Gigi Bower (Powell, Ohio) furthered Ohio's lead going 2-for-2 at the stripe after drawing a foul. Ohio played a strong defense and GW's only points on the board were three free throws during the first five minutes of play in the quarter. GW didn't score its first basket during regular play until almost six minutes into the quarter. Dennis kept Ohio ahead with a layup and a free throw. Ohio finished the quarter with a nine-point lead going into the final quarter of the game. 
 
Back-to-back scoring from Dennis and Tabeling to set Ohio ahead by 14 forced GW to call a timeout early in the fourth quarter. For almost two minutes of play, both teams kept each other off the board. GW broke the score drought with a jumper, but Tabeling responded with a driving layup assisted by Williams to force GWU to call a timeout. Out of the timeout GW managed to get a few baskets on the board, but Ohio still led by 10. Ohio held a lead until the end of the quarter, defeating GW 52-40.
 
TEAM STATISTIC CATEGORY LEADERS (TOP 3)
Points: Bailey Tabeling (43), Kate Dennis (28), Kennedi Watkins (28), Anyssa Jones (19), Aliah McWhorter (19)
Rebounds: Monica Williams (23), Bailey Tabeling (20), Anyssa Jones (13)
Assists: Monica Williams (10), Aliah McWhorter (5), Bailey Tabeling (5), Asiah Baxter (3), Anyssa Jones (3)
Blocks: Bailey Tabeling (3), Kate Dennis (2), Asiah Baxter (1), Kennedi Watkins (1)
Steals: Bailey Tabeling (5), Asiah Baxter (4), Monica Williams (4), Aliah McWhorter (3)
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICAL LEADERS (Thru 11/18)
Team Rankings (Top 5):
Opponent FG% - 1st (.359)
Opponent 3PT% - 4th (.253)
3PT FG's Made Per Game - 3rd (7.3)
Opponent FT% - 5th (.660)
Rebounds Per Game - 3rd (39.3)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - 3rd (28.7)
Steals Per Game - 4th (7.67)
 
INDIVIDUAL Rankings (Top 10):
Points Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 7th (14.3)
Total Rebounds - Monica Williams, 10th (23)
Rebounds Per Game - Monica Williams, 7th (7.7)
Defensive Rebounds - Bailey Tabeling, 9th (19)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 6th (6.3); Monica Williams, 8th (5.7)
3PT FG% - Asiah Baxter, 7th (.500)
3PT FG's Made Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 2nd (2.7)
Assists Per Game - Monica Williams, 8th (3.3)
Minutes Per Game - Monica Williams, 8th (34.0); Bailey Tabeling, 9th (33.3)
 
GAME HIGHS (Top 3):
Team 3PT FG's Made - Ohio vs. Georgia Southern (11/4), 3rd (12)
Individual FG's Made - Kennedi Watkins vs. Georgia Southern (11/4), 3rd (10)
 
LAST SEASON'S STANDOUTS
Among Ohio's returning players, several were standouts for the Bobcats during the 2023-24 season. Three Bobcats were recognized with 2023-24 MAC Postseason Honors for their impactful performances on the court last season.
 
Despite several inuries, junior Jaya McClure concluded her sophomore season as one of the Ohio's top performers. The All-MAC Honorable Mention made 21 appearances with 16 starts, ranked first on the team for assists (75), second for points (278) and recorded 35 steals. Throughout the season, McClure tallied a career-high 26 points, 11 FGM, nine assists, seven rebounds and seven FTM.
 
Senior Kennedi Watkins made an immediate impact for the Bobcats in her first season at Ohio. Along with McClure, Watkins was named an All-MAC Honorable Mention. She made 26 appearances with 21 starts, ranked first on the team in points (288), blocks (12), averaged 11.1 PPG, grabbed 98 rebounds and ranked eighth in the MAC for steals with 40 total. Watkins recorded a career-high 26 points, five blocks, 10 FGM and seven rebounds.
 
Sophomore Bailey Tabeling ended her debut season at Ohio as one of the top three-point shooters in MAC and NCAA. She was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team after ranking third on the team for points (260), second for steals (48), grabbing 75 rebounds and recording 32 assists. Tabeling ranked third in the MAC for three-point percentage, fourth for 3FGs per game and seventh for steals. The sophomore also ranked 24th in the NCAA for three-point percentage at the end of the season.
 
VETERAN BOBCATS
The Ohio women's basketball team has nine players returning for the 2024-25 season including the previously named standouts; Jaya McClure (Jr.), Kennedi Watkins (Sr.) and Bailey Tabeling (So.).
 
Guards Kate Dennis (Sr.) and Monica Williams (So.) were important contributors for the team and consistently part of Ohio's starting lineup last season. Both Bobcats started and played in all 30 games during the 2024-25 season.
 
Dennis played 697 minutes across 30 games. She finished the 2022-23 season with 183 points, 57 rebounds, eight assists, eight blocks and 17 steals. Dennis ranked second in three-pointers (47), 3PT % (.343), blocks and first for FT%. The senior averaged less than one turnover per game with 21 total last season. Dennis recorded multiple career bests last season including 14 points versus Kent State (2/21/24), four steals versus IUPUI (11/26/23) and four blocks at App State (11/11/23).
 
Williams played a team-high 788 minutes, averaging 26.3 minutes per game across 30 games. In her debut season with Ohio, she recorded 247 points, 68 assists, 101 rebounds, 42 steals and seven blocks. Williams ranked second on the team for assists, third for steals, blocks and fifth for blocks. The sophomore netted a season-high 15 points at Kent State (1/6/24), recorded a season-high eight rebounds versus Eastern Michigan (1/20/24), a season-high five assists & seven steals versus Central Michigan (3/2/24) and three blocks versus Kent State (2/21/24).
 
Coming off the bench last season, Asiah Baxter (So.) played 73 minutes across 12 games as a guard for Ohio. Baxters netted 13 points and shot 41.7 percent from the field. She also totaled 10 rebounds and two assists. Baxter played a season-high 21 minutes at Ball State (2/3/24)
 
Cassidy Lafler (Jr.), Emma Barnett (So.) and Aja Austin (Sr.) are Ohio's three returning forwards. All three Bobcats missed a large portion or the entirety of the  2023-24 season due to injuries.
 
WELCOME TO ATHENS
Ohio welcomes seven newcomers, including three freshmen, a redshirt freshman, sophomore and two transfers, to its 2024-25 roster.
 
Gigi Bower (Freshman; Powell, Ohio): A 5-9 guard, Bower joins the team after being a four-year letterwinner for basketball at Olentangy Liberty.
She earned several honors including Second Team All-State, First Team All-OCC, OCC Central Player of the Year, First Team All-District 11, First Team All-Delaware County, Delaware County Player of the Year and SBC Live All Star. During the 2022-23 season, Bower set the record for the most three pointers in a season and helped her team to an OCC Championships title.
 
Kiersten Cashell (Sophomore; Hilliard, Ohio): A 5-10 guard, Cashell was a four-year letterwinner for basketball at Hilliard Davidson High School. In 2022-23, Cash was a team captain, played in 22 games and averaged 12.5 points per game. The Hilliard native was named All-OCC Second Team and team MVP. Cashell received the Sharon Huesman Memorial and OCC Byron Prushing scholarships.
 
Anyssa Jones (Graduate Student; Westerville, Ohio): Prior to Ohio, Jones started her collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Dayton and playing for the Flyers for two seasons. At Dayton, the 5-10 guard appeared in 59 games, made 43 starts and averaged 27.8 minutes per game. In two seasons with the Flyers, she amassed a total of 541 points, 288 rebounds, 52 assists and 55 steals in her two seasons with the Flyers. At Ohio State, Jones appeared in 15 games, was two-time Scholar-Athlete Award recipient and earned 2021-22 Academic All-Conference honors.
 
Madison Lim (Redshirt Freshman; Marysville, Ohio):  A 5-10 guard, Lim was a four-year letterwinner for basketball at Mechanicsburg High School where she served as team captain. She was a recipient of the 2022-23 Scholar-Athlete Award. She helped her team to two conference championship titles and a birth to the 2023 District Semifinals. Lim started in all 25 games during senior season.
 
Aliah McWhorter (Graduate Student; Cincinnati, Ohio): A 6-1 guard, McWhorter enters her first year with the Bobcats spending four season playing at Wake Forest. She did not see action for two seasons due to injury. In total, McWhorter played in 19 games and made for start for the Demon Deacons. During the 2023-24 season, McWhorter appeared in 14 games, made one start versus North Carolina (2/18) and tallied 45 total minutes on the court.
 
Olivia Rinard (Freshman; Williamstown, W. Va.): A 5-5 guard, Rinard was a four-year letterwinner for basketball and soccer in high school. Rinard attended Williamstown High School for two years before transferring to Marietta High School for her junior and senior years. During her freshman season, Rinard's team competed at the West Virginia State Final Four.
 
Danni Scully (Freshman; Park Ridge, Ill.): A 6-1 forward, Scully was a four-year letterwinner for basketball at Nazareth Academy. She was a team captain, two-time All-Conference, a Montini Christmas First Team All-Tournament selection and named an All-State Honorable Mention. In 2023, Scully received the MVP Award in the state semi-final game. Scully helped her team to a 2022 State Runner Up finish and a 2023 State Championship title.
 
2024-25 MAC PRESEASON POLL
The Ohio women's basketball team was selected to finish sixth, tied with NIU, in the 2024-25 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Ohio earned 64 points and was chosen to finish above Miami (OH) (44), Akron (43), Western Michigan (34), Eastern Michigan (23) and Central Michigan (20). Ball State (120) was selected to finish first in the conference with 10 first-place votes. Kent State (104) also received two first-place votes and was chosen to finish second in the conference. Ball State (8) was also selected to win the 2025 MAC Tournament, followed by Bowling Green (1), Buffalo (1), Kent State (1) and Toledo (1).
 
2024-25 PRESEASON ALL-MAC
Junior guard Jaya McClure was selected to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team, as announced by the league on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Last season, McClure was named an All-MAC Honorable Mention after appearing in 22 games and making 17 starts. McClure concluded the season with 278 points, 12.6 PPG, 75 assists, 35 steals and 56 rebounds. McClure ranked first on the team for assists and second for points.
 
BOBCATS STAFF: FAMILIAR FACES
Ohio returns almost its entire coaching staff from last season. Associate Head Coach Tavares Jackson joins head coach, Bob Bolden, in his 12th season with the Bobcats. Assistant Coach Chelsea Welch enters her third season and Director of Operations Ebony Pegues enters her fourth season with the program. Kaylee Gregory Bambule has been promoted to an assistant coach
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats will be back in action when they travel to Wright State for a game on Sunday, Nov. 24. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.

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