ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball (15-9, 9-4 MAC) defeated Kent State (11-13, 5-7 MAC) 71-61 on Saturday, Feb. 14 in the Convocation Center.
 
Ohio shot 40.0 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from the arc. The Bobcats finished with 49 rebounds, 15 assists, nine steals and one block.
 
Graduate student Elli Garnett (Lakewood, Colo.) led the team in scoring with 19 points; shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-10 from the arc. Redshirt sophomores Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind.) also finished with double figure points, scoring 15 and 10 points, respectively. Ranallo also tallied a team-high three steals.
 
Graduate student Aliah McWhorter (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the team in rebounding with eight boards. Freshman ReRe Jennings (Killeen, Texas) and junior Antonicia Moultrie (Nassau, Bahamas) also recorded six rebounds each.
 
Junior Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) distributed a team-high five assists.
 
The Bobcats got off to a strong start in the first quarter, taking a 14-8 lead over Kent State with 6:14 to play. Garnett led the way for Ohio in the first, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-4 from the arc. Ranallo extended Ohio's lead to 12 points, 24-12, off a fastbreak layup with exactly two minutes on the clock. At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats led the Golden Flashes 27-15.
 
Ohio continued its momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Kent State 17-6. Another three pointer by Garnett put the Bobcats up 34-17 with 6:43 left on the clock. Ohio extended its lead to 23 points, 42-21, off a three pointer by Williams with 2:02 to go in the half. Ohio finished the quarter with 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Heading into the locker room, the Bobcats led the Golden Flashes 44-21.
 
The Bobcats struggled with their shooting in the third quarter; finishing 6-for-16 from the field and 3-for-11 from the arc. Despite the struggle on offense, Ohio was able to maintain its lead over Kent State. The Bobcats held a 59-41 lead over the Golden Flashes after three quarters of play.
 
It was a gritty fourth quarter for the Bobcats as Kent State outscored Ohio 20-12. With 3:01 left in the game, Kent State cut Ohio's lead to six points. The Bobcats were resilient and scored some crucial points in the final minute of play. Ohio came up victorious with a 71-61 win over Kent State.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action at Akron on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
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