MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Ohio women's basketball team (7-4, 1-0 MAC) kicked off MAC play with a thrilling 85-83 overtime victory at Central Michigan (7-5, 1-1 MAC) on Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Ohio shot 44.8 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from the arc and 56.0 percent from the line. The Bobcats finished with 37 rebounds, 14 assists, 13 steals and four blocks.
Two Bobcats recorded 20 point games with redshirt sophomore
Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill.) scoring a career-high 22 points and junior
Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) tallying a season-high 20 points. Ranallo shot 7-for-18 from the field, 3-for-10 from the arc and 5-for-8 from the line. Tabeling shot 8-for-17 from the field and 4-for-9 from the arc. Ranallo and Tabeling also finished with a team-high three steals each.
Junior
Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore
Danni Scully (Park Ridge, Ill.) led the team in rebounding. Both players finished with a total of eight boards.
Graduate student
Elli Garnett (Lakewood, Colo.) led the team in assists with a total of five.
Central Michigan got the scoring started with a three pointer in the first minute of the game. The Bobcats got on the board at 8:45 with a layup by redshirt sophomore
Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill.). With 7:04 left on the clock, Ohio took a 9-8 lead over the Chippewas. The Bobcats continued to find their rhythm, extending their lead to 12-8 with 6:31 to go. Ohio pulled away slightly with a 6-0 scoring run near the end of the period. After 10 minutes of competition, Ohio led Central Michigan 23-16.
The Chippewas kicked off the second quarter with a 10-0 scoring run, while the Bobcats were unable to score for the first four minutes of the quarter. Sophomore
Gigi Bower (Powell, Ohio) ended Ohio's scoring drought with a three pointer at 5:50 left on the clock. From there, the Bobcats found more success on offense. A three pointer by junior
Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) tied the game at 35-35 with 1:18 to go. Both teams battled in the final minute of the half resulting in a tied 39-39 score heading into the locker room.
Both teams continued to battle in the third quarter, trading points back-and-forth. After five minutes of play, Ohio and Central Michigan were tied at 50-50. The Chippewas retook the lead, 52-51 with 3:27 left on the clock. Central Michigan held onto its lead as the Bobcats trailed the Chippewas, 59-54, heading into the final quarter of the game.
The fourth quarter was even more competitive than the previous period. Ohio just barely outscored Central Michigan 25-20. The highlight of the quarter was Tabeling's buzzer beater three pointer that sent the game into overtime. After one period of overtime, the Bobcats were victorious with an exciting 85-83 conference win.
The Bobcats will be back in action when they host Akron on Saturday, Jan. 3 in the Convocation Center. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
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