ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (9-4, 3-0 MAC) took down Eastern Michigan (7-6, 2-1 MAC) 96-87 on Wednesday, Jan. 7 in the Convocation Center. The Bobcats have now won four games in a row for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
 
The Bobcats shot 54.1 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from the arc and 63.0 percent from the line. Ohio finished with 34 rebounds, 19 assists, 13 steals and eight blocks.
 
Among five double-figure scorers was Ohio's top scorer junior Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.), who recorded 21 points in addition to three rebounds, two assists and three steals. Tabeling finished 6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from the arc and 6-for-8 from the line.
 
Graduate student Elli Garnett (Lakewood, Colo.) and redshirt sophomore Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) both scored 19 points, a career high for Williams. Garnett shot 8-for-12 from the field, 2-for-5 from the arc and 1-for-2 from the line. Williams shot 5-for-8 from the field, a perfect 4-for-4 from the arc and 5-for-8 from the line. Williams also led the team in assists with five in addition to five rebounds and two steals.
 
Rounding out Ohio's top scorers were sophomore Danni Scully (Park Ridge, Ill.) and freshman ReRe Jennings (Killeen, Texas) with 10 points each.
 
Junior Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the team in rebounding with six boards. Baxter, Jennings and junior Antonicia Moultrie (Nassau, Bahamas) all recorded a team-high two blocks.
 
It was a competitive first quarter with both teams trading points back-and-forth until the final two minutes. The two teams were tied at 19-19 with 1:44 left on the clock. With just over a minute to play, Eastern Michigan went on a 10-1 scoring run and widened the gap between the two teams. At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats trailed the Eagles 29-20.
 
After the break, Eastern Michigan's offense continued its momentum. After a 9-0 scoring run, the Eagles held a 38-20 lead over the Bobcats. Tabeling responded with the eight unanswered points, kicking off what would be a 12-0 scoring run for Ohio. With 2:50 left on the clock, Ohio snatched Eastern Michigan's lead, 43-41, off another three pointer by Tabeling. The Bobcats outscored the Eagles 30-17 in the second quarter, giving the team a 50-46 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Ohio's momentum continued in the third quarter. The Bobcats outscored the Eagles 32-15; shooting 84.6 percent from the field, 80.0 percent from the arc and 66.7 percent from the line. Ohio also found some success under the basket, outrebound Eastern Michigan 10-4. The Bobcats continued to widen their lead due to success on both sides of the court. IN the final three minutes of the quarter, Ohio prevented Eastern Michigan from scoring while maintaining an 11-0 scoring run. Heading into the final quarter of the game, Ohio led Eastern Michigan 82-61.
 
Despite being down 21 points, the Eagles did not give up and continued to challenge the Bobcats. Despite the pressure from Eastern Michigan, Ohio was able to come out on top with 96-87 victory.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action at Buffalo on Saturday, Jan. 10. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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