Sports
Ohio Women’s Basketball gets first win in season opener
By: Austin Yau
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio Women’s Basketball opened their season with their home game of the MAC vs Sun Belt challenge against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. In a game where the two teams combined for 48 turnovers, Ohio was the cleaner team, and more explosive on offense, opening their season with a 57-46 win.
The first points did not come until 2:30 into the game. The scoring opened on a three-pointer from junior guard Monica Williams.
Williams delivered a buzzer-beater three-pointer at the end of the first quarter, as the scoring ramped up. With that shot, the Bobcats held a 14-6 lead after a turnover-heavy quarter where the two teams combined for 18 total turnovers.
It was another slow start to the second quarter, as both teams struggled to get points on the board. Another three by Williams was the only scoring for the first five minutes for the Bobcats.
The end of the quarter got slightly better on offense as both teams began to make more threes, and Ohio went into halftime with a 26-19 lead.
Out of halftime, the scoring in the game ramped up, especially for the Bobcats. They were able to attack the paint more, helping them to a 7-2 run to start the quarter.
Ohio’s defense also played great complement to their offensive strength, as they continued to force turnovers, leading to opportunities for Ohio and cutting off momentum for the Warhawks.
The Warhawks came out hot in the fourth quarter, as Kyla McBride hit a quick layup, and then Erin Henry got a steal. That was followed by free throws for Lea Nadolny, of which she made one. All that commotion cut the Ohio lead below double digits.
ULM made some tough buckets that forced some doubt into the Bobcats. But strong defense and some easy scoring chances for Asiah Baxter and Gigi Bower prevented any comeback attempt, as Ohio rolled to a comfortable 57-46 win.
Williams had a huge game for the Bobcats, scoring a team-leading 19 points. Much of that scoring came from beyond the arc, where Williams went 3-for-6.
Williams spoke on what was working for her “My drive and my floater. I was eager and ready to get back. Obviously I had an iffy season coming off my injury last year, so I feel like I’m full go now,” said Williams.
Head Coach Bob Bolden spoke on what he took away from the Bobcats win “I thought our kids did a really good job of keeping their composure. I thought we played hard; I thought we played together.”
The Bobcats will host Otterbein next Monday, Nov. 9th at 11 p.m.