ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (12-7, 6-3 MAC) fell 85-76 to UMass (15-4, 7-2 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in the Convocation Center.
 
Ohio shot 45.0 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from the arc and 69.2 percent from the line. The Bobcats finished with 27 rebounds, 16 assists 10 steals and six blocks.
 
Sophomore Gigi Bower (Powell, Ohio) led the Bobcats in scoring with 17 points; shooting 6-for-14 from the field and 5-for-11 from the arc. Two other Bobcats finished with double-figure points. Redshirt sophomores Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill.) tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Junior Antonicia Moultrie (Nassau, Bahamas) led the team in rebounding with five boards. Junior Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) recorded a team-high four assists. Tabeling, Bower and junior Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) all finished with a team-high two steals each.
 
It was a tight game between the Bobcats and the Minutewomen, especially the first half. A three pointer by Ranallo within the first minute of play got the scoring started for both teams. UMass tied the game at 8-8 with 6:24 left on the clock. Ohio pulled away with a 10-2 scoring run, leading UMass 20-10 with 3:32 to go. At the end of the first quarter, Ohio held a 21-16 lead over UMass.
 
Ohio kicked off the second quarter with another three pointer, this time by Baxter. UMass only trailed Ohio 27-25 with 5:16 left on the clock. The Minutewomen briefly stole the Bobcats' lead, 31-30, with 2:49 to go. Ohio answered back and retained its lead over UMass for the rest of the quarter. Heading into the locker room, Ohio led UMass 38-25.
 
The Bobcats struggled against the Minutewomen in the final two quarters. UMass outscored Ohio 26-20 in the third and 24-18 in the fourth. The Minutewomen quickly stole the lead from Ohio with the Bobcats trailing 41-40 at 8:50 left on the clock. The two teams traded points back-and-forth for majority of the third quarter. UMass began to pull away after taking a 57-54 lead with 1:24 to go. Ohio trailed UMass 61-58 heading into the final quarter of the game. With 5:19 left in the game, the Minutewomen extended their lead to 74-64. Despite their efforts, the Bobcats were unable to catch up with UMass. Ohio ultimately fell to UMass, 85-76.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action at Miami on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
#OUohyeah