MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ohio women's basketball team (15-12, 9-7 MAC) fell 86-85 in an extremely close battle at Ball State (24-6, 15-2 MAC) on Saturday, Feb. 28. During the game, junior Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind.) reached 1,000 career points at Ohio.
 
Ohio shot 38.2 percent from the field, 31.9 percent from the arc and 80.0 percent from the line. The Bobcats finished with 35 rebounds, 18 assists, 12 steals and one block. Ball State shot 45.5 percent from the field, 40.7 percent from arc and 71.4 percent from the line. The Cardinals finished with 52 rebounds, 26 assists, seven steals and one block.
 
Tabeling led Ohio in scoring with 19 points in addition to six rebounds, two steal, a block and a team-high six assists. Three other Bobcats finished the game with double figure points. Redshirt sophomore Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill.) tallied 15 points along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Freshman ReRe Jennings (Killeen, Texas) scored 12 points while junior Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind.) finished with 10 points. Baxter also recorded a team-high seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Ball State got off to a better start than Ohio, taking a 10-4 lead with 6:17 to play in the first quarter. The Cardinals found success from beyond the arc, making five of eight three pointers in the first 10 minutes of play. With 2:36 left in the quarter, Ohio trailed Ball State 19-12. Ohio looked to cut Ball State's lead, scoring five points in the final two minutes of play. At the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals led the Bobcats 22-17.
 
Ohio's opened the second quarter with back-to-back three pointers by Tabeling and Baxter. The Bobcats cut the Cardinals' lead to 25-23 with 9:09 left on the clock. Tabeling tied the game 27-27 with a layup at 5:53 on the clock. The teams continued to battle throughout the second quarter. A three pointer by Jennings with 1:41 to play cut Ball State's lead to 36-35. Heading into the locker room, Ohio only trailed Ball State 38-37.
 
Ohio's offense struggled a bit in the third quarter, only scoring 15 points to Ball State's 22 points. With 8:04 left on the clock, Ball State had extended their lead to seven points. Ohio responded with an 8-0 scoring run and took its first lead of the game, 45-44. The Bobcats held off the Cardinals, forcing seven turnovers with four steals. Both teams went over a minute without scoring. Ball State outscored Ohio 10-5 in the final three minutes of the quarter. Heading into the fourth, the Bobcats trailed the Cardinals 60-52.
 
Ohio kicked off the fourth quarter with back-to-back three pointers by Ranallo and Jennings, cutting Ball State's lead to only two points. The Cardinals responded with a 15-2 scoring run, extending their lead to 75-60 with 5:44 left on the clock. The Bobcats were resilient in their comeback attempt. With 2:21 to play, a layup by Tabeling cut Ball State's lead to 78-77. With 37 seconds on the clock, graduate student Elli Garnett (Lakewood, Colo.) drained a fastbreak three pointer and cut the Cardinals' lead to 83-82. Ball State took an 86-82 lead in the final second of the game. Sophomore Gigi Bower (Powell, Ohio) drained a last-second three pointer, but it unfortunately was not enough to beat the Cardinals. Despite their efforts, the Bobcats ultimately fell to the Cardinals 86-85.
 
The Bobcats will be back in action at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, March 4. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game will be available to watch on ESPN+.
 
#OUohyeah