Ohio women’s basketball (17-12, 11-7 MAC) defeated Central Michigan (18-11, 12-6 MAC) 89-88, at Rocket Arena in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament Wednesday afternoon.
“I was really proud of the way that our kids stuck together and finished the game,” said Ohio head coach Bob Bolden. “These two [Bailey Tabeling and Asiah Baxter] had a lot to do with it.”
The teams were able to score at a high level throughout the game, with the first quarter ignited the scoring.
Ohio scored 27 points and shot 66.7% in the first period of play. Meanwhile, Central Michigan shot 52.9% and notched 20 points. The Bobcats shined beyond the arc, shooting 5-for-7 (71.4%) from 3-point range in the first 10 minutes.
For Ohio, the sharpshooting was led by junior guard Bailey Tabeling—an All-MAC Second Team selection—as she knocked down four 3-pointers and scored a game and career-high 33 points in her 36 minutes of action.
“Seeing the ball go through the basket, it’s just a momentum changer,” said Tabeling. “I think it allowed other girls to get to the rim and score the way they want to score.”
For the Chippewas, sophomore guard Madi Morson scored a team-high 23 points in her first game since being selected as MAC Player of the Year. Alongside Morson, All-MAC Second Team selection, sophomore guard Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, scored 20 points.
While both sides had high-level scoring, Central Michigan won the rebounding battle—with 42 boards to Ohio’s 29—the Chippewas were able to regain or extend possessions. This was especially evident on the offensive glass, as Central Michigan snagged 13 offensive rebounds to Ohio’s seven. Senior guard Taylor Anderson led CMU with 12 total boards.
Both squads were slowed down in the fourth quarter due to a mixture of stifling defense and missed open shots, with both units shooting their lowest percentages in the closing quarter.
The game went down to the wire, as the teams were tied at 78 heading into the final two minutes of action. The foes traded 3-pointers before graduate forward Elli Garnett hit a layup to give Ohio an 83-81 lead. Then, Central Michigan responded with a free throw to cut the lead down to one.
On the ensuing possession, Ohio scored again to make the game 85-82 with 38.1 seconds to go in the contest. Ohio and Central Michigan traded baskets and free throws before a CMU 3-pointer at the buzzer. Ohio escaped with a one-point victory to keep their season alive.
Ohio, the fifth seed, moves on and will face top-seeded Miami (OH) Friday at 10 a.m. in the MAC Tournament semifinal round. Tune into Falcon Radio for a live broadcast from Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Trey Kennedy, streaming on bgfalconmedia.com.
