Jan. 3, 2009

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes

ATHENS, Ohio - Senior Lauren Hmiel scored a career-high 20 points and sophomore Thia Gholson pulled down a career-best 10 boards as Ohio (4-8) gave the No. 18 team in the land all they could handle before the Florida Gators (14-1) broke open a tight contest to take a 74-56 win in the second-ever meeting between the two foes. This was the Bobcats' final nonconference contest before opening Mid-American Conference action next week.

"I'm very proud of this team," Ohio coach Semeka Randall said. "We fought hard and did a great job taking care of the basketball. They pressured the heck out of us with some great athletes. Give credit to Florida. They came in with a mission and played extremely hard. I feel good about our team. They are doing good things, and we are putting ourselves in position to win games. Our time is due to make plays and win some games."

For the game, Ohio shot 34 percent for the floor on 23-68 field goals and 29 percent from three-point range against a quick and lanky Gator defense. Junior guard Jenny Poff was the only other Bobcat in double figures with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. Senior center Chandra Myers had a season-high six offensive boards to give her seven total rebounds. Sophomore forward Kamille Buckner added eight points, six boards, two blocks and a steal, while junior guard Jennifer Bushby notched a game-high eight assists, one shy of her career high.

For Florida, junior guard Jennifer Mossor led the Gators with 19 points. Junior forward Sharielle Smith had the game's only double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Junior guard Steffi Sorensen added 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Gators outrebounded the Bobcats by a slim margin of 48-44, despite the `Cats holding the edge in offensive boards.

Ohio did not back down from Florida in the early going and jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after a 3-pointer from Bushby. The Gators fought back quick and the action went back and forth through the majority of the first half. Down 15-12 with 10:30 remaining in the half, the `Cats mounted a 10-2 run behind a pair long-range bombs from Poff and a three-point play from Buckner to go ahead 22-17. Florida would storm back in a big way and went ahead 35-28 after a bucket from Sha Brooks. The Bobcats fought back and held their ground as the Gators took the 40-34 edge into the lockerroom.

Hmiel paced Ohio with 11 first-half points, while the Gators were led by Sorensen's team-high 11 points at the break. The back-and-forth affair with numerous lead changes during the half saw Florida turn the ball over 11 times to give the Bobcats their share of opportunities to push the Gators.

A thorn in the `Cats' side at times this season, Ohio kept its turnovers down over the first 20 minutes, giving the ball away only five times to Florida's 11. The Bobcats did not shoot the ball particularly well, however, going 14-41 from the floor for a 34 percent clip. The Gators made nearly 46 percent of their field goal attempts and outrebounded Ohio by three, though the Bobcats held the edge in offensive boards, 14-11.

In the second period, both teams came out firing with a torrid pace. A steal and layup by Hmiel two minutes into the half brought Ohio to within three, but Mossor answered with a three for the Gators.

Florida amassed a 10-point advantage five minutes into the second half, with both teams shooting close to 60 percent. The pace would slow down, however, as Ohio fought to keep the deficit to single digits. With six minutes to go, the Bobcats found themselves down by 11, and despite a valiant Ohio effort, the Gators proved why they are nationally ranked and pulled away in the final minutes of the game.

"We have many positives going into conference play," Randall said. "I believe some good things are going to happen for our basketball team."

Ohio will open MAC play Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Buffalo. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET with live stats available at OhioBobcats.com.