Simone Redd's play can be described only as serpent-like. The freshman guard moves around the court playing at a consistent level, never showy but doing definite damage to the other team.
Before fans take notice, she has made a few shots, grabbed a few rebounds and snagged a few steals throughout the game, and she has racked up 17 points, four rebounds and two steals.
She gets them quietly
coach Lynn Bria said. I have talked about freshmen hitting the wall and Simone Redd isn't hitting any wall. She plays at a consistent level at all times. Redd's slithery prowess was deadly to the Central Michigan Chippewas (10-18 overall, 4-12 MAC) Saturday as her play propelled the Ohio women's basketball team (13-15, 8-8 MAC) to a 71-43 win, knocking Central Michigan out of the Mid-American Conference Tournament and sending the Bobcats to Gund Arena.
The guard's play was consistently strong throughout the game adding points to the scoreboard. After scoring only one basket during the first half, Redd added a little pizzazz to her step hitting the first 3-pointer of the game for Ohio and driving right through the middle of the paint, hitting jumper after jumper and building the Bobcats' lead.
My teammates give me a lot of confidence my coaches give me a lot of confidence but I just come in here doing what I know how to do
Redd said.
Redd wasn't the only player to be on top of her game against the Chippewas. Four more Bobcats scored in double digits, including Erin Isbell, who had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Kristian Kirkpatrick and guard Andrea Johnson scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Ohio played the kind of defense Bria has been looking for out of her team all season. Luckily for the team, it came at the most opportune time. The Bobcats held the Chippewas to 43 points, the second-lowest for Ohio's defense all season.
Defensively
we did a great job for 40 minutes
Bria said. It is the first game all season we have had 40 minutes of team effort on both ends of the court. Seven lead changes within the first 10 minutes of play proved that the game might be like the last meeting between the Bobcats and the Chippewas, when Ohio hit the winning shot with only seconds remaining. But, that wasn't the case on Saturday.
The team took a 13-12 lead with 11:30 left and never allowed the Chippewas to get closer than three points. Missed shots and turnovers were the demise of Central Michigan and Ohio took full advantage by increasing the lead to 27-18 at halftime.
Sloppy play by the Chippewas gave the Bobcats opportunities to make use of their bad performances in the second half. Ohio went on a 15-4 run to go up 42-22. And with only four minutes remaining in the game, Ohio took its biggest lead of the game at 67-37.
Ohio heads to Gund Arena in Cleveland for the MAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Bobcats will take on No. 2 seed Kent State at 5:30 p.m. Ohio has not been to Cleveland since its win against Bowling Green in 2002.
It is long overdue
Isbell said. It isn't good enough to just get there. We need to win
too.
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