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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (7-15, 4-7 MAC) will host Ball State (21-3, 10-1 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 17 in the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING BALL STATE
Heading into its matchup with Ohio, Ball State has a 21-3 overall and 10-1 conference record. Ball State averages 74.5 points per game; shooting 45.4 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from the arc and 70.6 percent from the line. Ball State averages 33 rebounds, 16.1 assists and 10.8 steals per game. The Cardinals have forced 20.1 turnovers per game and average 20.8 points off turnovers.
 
Opponents average 61.8 points per game; shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from the arc and 66.6 percent from the line. Opponents average 34.4 rebounds, 12.8 assists and 6.7 steals per game. Opponents have forced Ball State to give up 14.8 turnovers per game and average 14 points off turnovers.
 
Ally Beck leads Ball State in scoring with 322 points total this season. Alex Richard has grabbed a team-high 117 rebounds while Nyla Hampton leads the team with 121 assists and 81 steals.
 
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are 7-15 overall and 4-7 in conference play heading into their game with Ball State. Ohio averages 63.1 points per game; shooting 38 percent from the field, 28 percent from the arc and 67.5 percent from the line. Ohio averages 31.5 rebounds, 11.1 assists and 10.9 steals per game. The Bobcats have forced 22 turnovers per game and average 19.4 points off turnovers.
 
Meanwhile, opponents average 71.9 points per game; shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from the arc and 72.1 percent from the line. Opponents average 42.5 rebounds, 15.3 assists and 9.8 steals per game. Opponents have forced Ohio to give up 19.8 turnovers per game and have scored an average of 21 points off turnovers.
 
Bailey Tabeling leads the Bobcats in scoring with 202 points. Madi Mace has grabbed a team-high 89 rebounds and Laylay Fantroy leads the team with 40 steals. Jaya McClure and Monica Williams are tied for first on the team with 47 assists each.
 
LAST TIME VS BALL STATE
Ohio traveled to Ball State several weeks ago for its first matchup of the season with the Cardinals. Ball State earned a 97-66 win over Ohio.
 
ALL TIME VS BALL STATE
The Bobcats lead the series with Ball State 39-32 and have won five of the last 10 matchups.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio women's basketball team (7-15, 4-7 MAC) fell 80-71 to the Texas State Bobcats (13-12, 3-9 Sun Belt) on Saturday, Feb. 10.
 
Overall, the Bobcats shot 43 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point arch. The Bobcats went 17-for-26 at the free-throw line. The Bobcats grabbed a total of 30 rebounds with 18 being defensive. Ohio's defense forced 24 turnovers and scored 22 points off them.
 
Individually, the Bobcats were led by freshman Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas) with a career-high 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Jaya McClure (Louisville, Ky.) with 17 points, four assists and four steals. Junior Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) with eight points and three steals. Freshman Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) and senior Bengisu Alper (Istanbul, Turkey) also added four points each for Ohio.
 
Ohio may have lost the tip, but it fought on defense on the other end to stop Texas from scoring. Ohio got on the board first with Fantroy drawing a shooting foul, going 2-for-2 at the stripe. Williams would keep the momentum going for Ohio with a driving layup shot clock buzzer-beater assisted by Fantroy. Texas would slowly gain a lead against Ohio, sinking multiple shots from beyond the arc.
 
Ohio would keep the score gap short by drawing shooting fouls on offense. Texas found themselves in foul trouble halfway through the quarter giving Ohio the bonus advantage from the stripe. The Ohio Bobcats would go 11-14 from the stripe in the first quarter. McClure sunk a three-point jumper and had a driving layup to keep Ohio on the scoreboard. Fantroy finished the quarter with a buzzer-beater jumper assisted by McClure. Texas led by three going into the second quarter.
 
Texas had possession to begin the second quarter, but after missing a shot, Fantroy snagged the rebound to assist a three-point jumper to McClure to tie the score. The Ohio Bobcats would be on an offensive streak with driving layups from Williams and Fantroy. Fantroy drew a foul to take the bonus shot from the stripe. Ohio gained its first lead since the first quarter forcing Texas to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Ohio continued to keep Texas off the board by forcing turnovers. Freshman Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) extended Ohio's lead with a deep three-point jumper. Both teams would keep each other off the scoreboard for almost two minutes of play. Fantroy would break the streak with a layup off an opponent turnover. Texas scored a three-point jumper buzzer-beater to end the second quarter. Ohio led 35-33 at the half.
 
Ohio opened the second half with possession, but quickly lost it to a turnover. Texas would gain a short lead, but a made free throw and driving layup from Fantroy put Ohio back ahead by one. Ohio and Texas traded baskets to stay within a few baskets of each other. Texas gained another lead, but Ohio would claw back into the game with a driving layup from Fantroy and a second-chance layup from Watkins. Alper added to the board with a driving layup assisted by Williams. The Texas Bobcats led 56-47 going into the final period of the game.
 
The fourth quarter started slow for both teams. The only points on the board within the first two minutes were two made free throws for Texas and one layup for Ohio. Texas made two back-to-back layups forcing Ohio to call a timeout with 7:24 remaining in the game. Out of the timeout, Fantroy went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line. A steal by junior Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) helped assist a driving layup for Fantroy. Ohio began to close the gap with a three-point jumper by Tabeling and two driving layups from redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.). Going into the final media timeout of the game, Texas led by seven. Texas would continue to out-score Ohio for the remainder of the quarter. Ohio fell to Texas 80-71.
 
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 played started in nine of 14 games, amassing 174 points.
 
McClure is tied for first on the team with 47 assists and has recorded eight 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 185 points so far this season, is tied second on the team for scoring and has recorded 10 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 10.3 points, 3.8 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 (89/4.0 RPG) and has netted 120 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 22 games this season. Dennis has played 490 minutes for the Bobcats - averaging 22.3 minutes per game - tallied 120 points, 39 rebounds, 14 steals and seven blocks. She has only recorded 16 turnovers across 22 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 and 17th in the NCAA for 3PT FG percentage and has the second-best single-game performance for 3FGs made so far this season. Tabeling ranks first on the team for points with 202 total.
 
FRESHMEN 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 22 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 for majority of the season, she has a team-high 37 steals, ranks second in rebounds (73) and fourth in points (160). Fantroy is currently fifth in the MAC for steals per game, total steals and ranks third in the conference in game-high individual performances this season with her six steals at App State. Fantroy made her first career start at Ball State (2/3) and recorded a career-high 24 points versus Texas State (2/10)
 
Williams is tied for second on the team for points (185), tied for third for rebounds and tied for first for assists. In Ohio's win over IUPUI, Williams tallied a career-high five assists. 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. In the team's win versus Miami, Williams matched her career best in steals with three total.
 
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. Since her return, Guice has played in 16 games, making 10 starts.  Against NIU (1/10), Guice recorded a career-best six rebounds.
 
TEAM STATISTIC CATEGORY LEADERS (TOP 3)
Points: Bailey Tabeling (202), Kennedi Watkins (185), Monica Williams (185), Laylay Fantroy (184)
Rebounds: Madi Mace (89), Laylay Fantroy (79), Bengisu Alper (70), Monica Williams (68)
Assists: Jaya McClure (47), Monica Williams (47), Madi Mace (35), Peyton Guice (28)
Blocks: Kennedi Watkins (11), Kate Dennis (7), Cassidy Lafler (5)
Steals: Laylay Fantroy (40), Bailey Tabeling (34), Madi Mace (29)
 
MAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTIC LEADERS (Thru 2/15)
Team Rankings (Top 5):
3PT FGs Made - 4th (156)
3PT FGs Made Per Game - 3rd (7.1)
Free Throws Made - 4th (268)
Turnover Margin - 4th (2.27)
Total Steals - 2nd (240)
Steals Per Game - 1st (10.91)
 
Individual Rankings (Top 10):
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Bailey Tabeling, 3rd (.440)
3PT FGs Made - Bailey Tabeling, 4th (48)
3PT FGs Made Per Game - Bailey Tabeling, 3rd (2.2)
Free Throws Made - Laylay Fantroy, 10th (55)
Free Throw Percentage - Laylay Fantroy, 10th (.724)
Total Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 5th (40); Bailey Tabeling, 9th (34)
Steals Per Game - Laylay Fantroy, 5th (2.0); Bailey Tabeling, 9th (1.5)
 
Game-High Stats (Top 3):
Team Steals - 1st (20); Ohio at Central Michigan (1/24/24)
Individual 3PT FGs Made - Bailey Tabeling, 2nd (7); Ohio vs. Syracuse (12/9/23)
Individual Steals - Laylay Fantroy, 3rd (6); Ohio at App State (11/11/23)
 
OHIO IN THE NCAA STATISTIC RANKINGS (Thru 2/14)
Team Rankings (Top 25):
Steals Per Game, 20th
Turnovers Forced Per Game, 8th
 
Individual Rankings (Top 25):
3PT Field Goal Percentage - Bailey Tabeling, 17th
 
UP NEXT
The Bobcats will be back in action in the Convocation against Kent State on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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