ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (5-19, 3-10 MAC) picked up an exciting 74-70 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies (12-13, 5-8 MAC) in the Convocation Center on Wednesday night. 

Ohio shot 49.1% from the field, 26.1%  from beyond the arc and went 16-of-20 from the line. Northern Illinois shot 38.5% from the field, 33.3% from deep and went 10-of-12 from the line. Northern Illinois outrebounded Ohio 38-31, but Ohio forced 11 turnovers and scored 12 points off them. 

Overall, Ohio was led by senior guard Kenndi Watkins (Ballwin, Mo.) with 23 points, one block, five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) added 16 points and three rebounds. Graduate student guard Anyssa Jones added 12 points, four rebounds and one steal. Sophomore guard Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) added an additional eight points, two assists and four rebounds. 

From the tip, Watkins scored the first basket of the game. However, when the Huskies regained possession, they would go on an 8-0 run to quickly gain a lead and force the Bobcats to call an early timeout. Out of the timeout, Jones sank a layup assisted by Baxter. Back-to-back three-point jumpers from Tabeling and Baxter helped close the score gap against the Huskies to two points. Both teams traded baskets to stay within two points, with the Huskies holding the lead for the remaining three minutes of the quarter.
 
The Huskies opened the second quarter by scoring off a turnover, but Tabeling responded with a three-point jumper for the Bobcats to not fall too far behind. Shots behind the arc from Baxter and Tabeling set the Bobcats ahead by four and earned their first lead since the first quarter. Ohio played quickly on offense, sinking five shots in a row to stay ahead of Northern Illinois. Going into the first media timeout of the quarter, Ohio had a four-point lead. Out of the timeout Watkins stole the ball to drive in for a layup, but drew a foul and earned a three-point play. The Bobcats kept their momentum on defense until the end of the quarter, leading at the half 45-39.
 
Ohio began the second half with possession and Baxter had a driving layup. Watkins would not be far behind with a basket behind the arc to further Ohio's lead to 11. The ball moved quickly up and down the court, but the Huskies made come back making five out of the last seven baskets to get behind the Bobcats by three points. Both teams traded baskets, but the Huskies sank an additional shot to tie the score 56-56 with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Northern Illinois had a layup on a fast break to ahead by two, but both teams played aggressively on defense to keep each other off the board for two minutes of play. With two seconds on the shot clock, Watkins drove in a layup to tie 58-58 going into the fourth quarter.
 
Northern Illinois began the final ten minutes of play sinking a basket, but junior forward Cassidy Lafler (Dublin, Ohio) responded the very next play with a driving layup to keep the score tied. Ohio gained a four-point lead after Tabeling and freshman guard Gigi Bower (Powell, Ohio) both went 2-for-2 at the free throw line. Tabeling kept the offensive momentum for Ohio by snagging a steal and scoring a driving basket under the rim. Both teams traded baskets once again, keeping the score within one point. Going into the final media timeout of the game, Ohio led 70-69. Ohio pressed on defense out of the timeout to keep Northern Illinois off the board, forcing them to call another timeout. With 12 seconds on the clock, Tabeling drew a foul and went 2-for-2 at the stripe to keep Ohio ahead, but Northern Illinois would call another timeout. With four seconds left on the clock, Ohio used its final timeout to keep possession of the ball. Out of the timeout, Tabeling would draw a foul and go 2-for-2 at the stripe, securing the 74-70 win over Northern Illinois.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action at Akron on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

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