Ohio won its third-straight game Saturday afternoon at Western Michigan in another fourth quarter comeback. The Bobcats (8-4, 6-3 Mid-American Conference) trailed the Broncos (2-8, 1-7 MAC) by seven points entering the fourth period.
They also were without two starters for most of the game since Erica Johnson suffered a concussion against Buffalo and Peyton Guice injured her knee minutes into the game.
Here are the numbers to know from Ohio’s 69-63 win over Western Michigan.
38
CeCe Hooks scored a season-high 38 points in the absence of Guice and Johnson. Hooks scored 13 of the Bobcats’ 15 points in the first quarter. Her 38 points were the most by any player this season. Hooks shot 14-of-23 from the field and two-of-seven from the 3-point line. No other player reached double digit scoring for the Bobcats.
Hooks also grabbed eight rebounds with two steals and three blocks. She did all of this without turning the ball over once. Hooks is now the leading scorer in the MAC with 25.8 points per game.
63
The Bobcats held the Broncos to just 63 points in the win. Ohio played the stellar defense it needed to without its second-highest scorer, Johnson. 63 points is the lowest point total an opponent has had against the Bobcats this season. The Bobcats forced 18 Western Michigan turnovers while only turning the ball over eight times.
Ohio has the worst defense in the MAC this season, allowing an average of 78.9 points per game. It also has the best offense in the conference.
40
Caitlyn Kroll played all 40 minutes of the game without Johnson and Guice to substitute in for her. Although she only scored four points, she stepped up on defense with five steals and six rebounds.
Kroll should be expecting to play more minutes with two starters out for the time being. She will also be taking on a larger role in the offense as a 3-point shooter.
What’s next?
Ohio will stay on the road to travel to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. Eastern Michigan has allowed the least points in the MAC this season. The Eagles had their four-game winning streak snapped Saturday against Ball State. If Ohio wins, it could move into the top three in the MAC standings.
