The only thing chillier than the air in Athens last night was Miami University's field-goal shooting.
Ohio's defense, which gave up 83 points in Sunday's loss to Kent State, buckled down to force the RedHawks into 21 turnovers and 28 percent shooting in a 56-43 victory over Miami at The Convo.
We play a lot better when we [press]
coach Lynn Bria said regarding her team's defensive effort. We don't have the depth to do it for long periods of time; otherwise I'd be doing it for forty minutes.
After trailing 4-0 to start the game, the Bobcats used a 13-0 run to open up a 13-4 lead. Miami had a little bit of a run of their own in cutting the lead down to two at 13-11.
Both teams exchanged scores and the lead the rest of the way through the first half as Ohio took a 29-27 lead at halftime. At that point, both teams were shooting 39 percent, but the Bobcats were helped by six three-pointers, two of them coming from Rachel Frederick.
The Ohio defense kicked in from there, holding the RedHawks to 18 percent shooting in the second half, resulting in only 16 Miami points.
Ohio cooled off a bit in the second half, especially from the three-point line, but relied on its defense to get the win.
This wasn't our best offensive game but our defense really picked it up said Simone Redd, who had an off night, only scoring 8 points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Stepping up on the offensive side were first-year players Rachel Frederick and Domenica Silva.
Frederick notched her third triple-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Silva pitched in with 10 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. She contributed defensively too, collecting three steals.
After contributing to Ohio's first two-game winning streak over Miami since 1998, Frederick and Silva both realized what getting a win over their hated rivals meant to the program.
It felt really good
said Frederick. We've heard about the Miami rivalry coming in
and it was nice to get the win.
Ohio (4-9, 1-1 MAC) will take to the road for their next two outings against Buffalo and Bowling Green, while Miami (5-8, 0-2 MAC) will look for their first conference victory at Akron.
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Jason Fazzone
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Bobcat guard Ciara Inglehart goes for two against Miami guard Cindi Merrill in a 56-43 victory last night in the Convo.
