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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (8-16, 5-8 MAC) defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes (15-8, 10-3 MAC) 79-77 after an intense battle on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Overall, the Bobcats shot 50.9 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from the three-point arch. The Bobcats went 10-for-13 at the free-throw line. The Bobcats grabbed a total of 31 rebounds with 25 being defensive. Ohio's defense forced 15 turnovers and scored 16 points off them. The Kent State Golden Flashes outrebounded Ohio 42-31, but Ohio snagged more steals with nine.
Individually, the Bobcats were led by sophomore Jaya McClure (Louisville, Ky.) with a career-high 26 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Junior Kate Dennis (Rockford, Ill.) with 14 points and three rebounds. Freshman Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) with 11 points, four assists, three blocks and two steals. Junior Kennedi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) with 11 points, three assists and two steals.
Ohio started the game hot winning the tip and immediately sinking a three-point jumper from Williams. Dennis kept the offensive momentum going for Ohio with another three-point basket assisted by freshman guard Laylay Fantroy (Palestine, Texas). McClure added points with a driving layup giving Ohio a four-point lead. Kent State began to crawl back into the game with driving layups and three-point baskets. The Golden Flashes extended their lead to 10 points with two minutes remaining in the quarter. McClure attempted to close the score gap by making back-to-back driving layups. Fantroy had a three-point play drawing a foul on a defensive steal under Ohio's rim.
Freshman Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) continued Ohio's offensive streak ending the quarter with a three-point jumper. Kent State led by three going into the second quarter.
Watkins opened the scoring in the second quarter with a driving layup to close the score gap against Kent State to one point. The Golden Flashes sank a layup, but Watkins stole the ball on a defensive play and scored another driving layup to keep the Bobcats behind by one point. The Bobcats found themselves in foul trouble during the quarter, giving the Golden Flashes the bonus shooting advantage from the stripe. Kent State took a six-point lead going into the final media timeout of the half. Dennis made a second-chance three-point basket followed by a field goal basket by McClure to put the Bobcats behind the Golden Flashes by three points. The Bobcats ended the quarter with a driving layup by McClure off an opponent turnover. The Golden Flashes led 42-41 going into the locker room.
Kent State got on the board first in the second half, but McClure and Dennis quickly responded with three-point jumpers to give Ohio its first lead since the first quarter. Williams extended Ohio's lead with a driving layup off an opponent turnover. Both teams traded baskets to keep the score gap within two points for the majority of the quarter. Kent State would close the gap to one point after a three-point play, but Dennis put Ohio ahead sinking a three-point jumper. McClure closed the quarter with an exciting buzzer-beater three-point jumper. The Bobcats led 61-57 going into the final ten minutes of play.
Kent State began the quarter with possession of the ball, but Ohio was determined to keep the team off the board by being aggressive on defense. The Bobcats forced the Golden Flashes to run out the shot clock and gained back possession of the ball. Watkins had a three-point play after drawing a foul on offense, furthering Ohio's lead. Redshirt junior Madi Mace (Parkersburg, W. Va.) added points to the board with a driving layup assisted by Watkins. McClure sank another three-point jumper, forcing Kent State to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Ohio continued to press on defense not allowing Kent State to score. Tabeling scored a three-point jumper to put Ohio ahead by seven with five minutes remaining in the game.
Mace had an exciting three-point jumper assisted by Watkins to further Ohio's lead. Williams had an intense block on the other end to stop the Golden Flashes from scoring. Ohio called a 30-second timeout with three minutes left on the clock. Kent State attempted a defensive press against Ohio, but Ohio broke through with a layup by McClure, forcing Kent State to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Ohio played aggressively on defense and forced Kent State to turn over the ball. With 38 seconds left on the clock, Ohio had a three-point lead.
Kent State sunk a three-point jumper on the other end to tie the score with 19 seconds on the clock, but McClure drew a foul on offense and went 2-of-2 at the stripe giving Ohio the lead once more.
Ohio led by two points with 10 seconds remaining in the game, forcing Kent State to call its final timeout of the game. Kent State had a player-controlled foul on defense, giving Ohio possession of the ball. The Golden Flashes had possession of the ball with four seconds remaining, but after an impressive defensive press, the Bobcats succeeded winning 79-77.
The Bobcats will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and is available to stream on ESPN+.
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