Ohio (13-8 Overall, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) was able to defend The Convo and get a very dominant win over Western Michigan (6-14 Overall, 3-7 MAC) by a final score of 73-34.
Today’s win ended a season-worst three-game losing streak and was a big MAC win, but this game was way more important than just a win or a loss. Today, Ohio Women’s Basketball, along with thousands of teams across all 50 states, celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
National Girls & Women in Sports Day originated in 1987 to celebrate the life and career of Olympic volleyball player Flora Jean “Flo” Hyman, who dedicated a large portion of her life advocating for women's sports equality. Since then, it has grown into a celebration of girls' and women's achievements in sports and their fight for sports equality of all ages across the United States of America.
“I think it’s a very important day,” junior guard Bailey Tabeling said. “When you think of your favorite sports and players, you think of your favorite male player. So, it’s nice to bring attention to the fact that women play sports at a high level too.”
Tabeling had a great game on the holiday. She was able to record impressive stats on both sides of the court with 13 points and three steals.
Tabeling also ended with a message to young girls everywhere who want to play sports.
“It’s the most you’ll have to work in your life, but it will also be the most rewarding thing in your life, especially the journey,“ she said.
This is Ohio University’s 14th year celebrating the holiday. In honor of the holiday, at halftime of today's game, all of OU's women athletes came out onto the court and received a standing ovation. This act of appreciation for OU’s women athletes was topped with a performance by the dance team OU Vibrations.
Another player that had a phenomenal performance today was graduate student forward Elli Garnett, who recorded an impressive stat line of 15 points, five rebounds and two steals.
“It’s just an amazing day that keeps growing and growing, and I’m so glad women's sports is getting the attention it deserves,” Garnett said. "There's nothing like it. It helps build character and lets you express yourself without words.”
Ohio head coach Bob Bolden was able to give a different perspective on what this holiday means to him as a head coach of a women's team.
“I’m a huge fan of the holiday, but it’s sad that we need to have it,” Boldon said. “It’s sad that we need to make a statement that women belong in sports, because that means that somebody disagrees with that, and how could you disagree with that? I coach some of the best athletes in the U.S., and for some people to believe they don’t even belong in sports is disappointing. We’ve made so much progress in women's sports in the last 50 years, but there's more to be done.”
