Jan. 6, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

ATHENS, Ohio - A proverbial new season will get under way Wednesday for the Ohio women's basketball team (4-8, 0-0) as it tips off Mid-American Conference play on the road at Buffalo (4-9, 0-0). Game time is set for 7 p.m. in the Alumni Arena. It will mark the 18th meeting all-time between the two schools.

Last Time Out
Senior Lauren Hmiel scored a career-high 20 points and Thia Gholson matched her career-best 10 rebounds as Ohio gave No. 18 Florida all they could handle before the Gators broke open a close contest to take a 74-56 win.

Ohio vs. Buffalo
The two conference foes will be meeting for the 18th time in the series Wednesday night. Buffalo leads the series 9-8, including a 4-3 edge in the Alumni Arena. The `Cats and Bulls split the series last season with each team winning on the other's home floor.

Recapping Ohio's 2007-08 MAC Season
The Bobcats finished up 2007-08 MAC play with a 10-6 record and a third place finish in the East Division. Ohio then advanced to the finals of the conference tournament and came close to an NCAA Tournament berth before coming up short to Miami.

D-ing it Up!
Ohio is giving up an average of 58.2 ppg. thus far. That total leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense.

Tightly Contested
Six of Ohio's games this season have come down to the final minute and have been decided by five points or less. The `Cats have been on the short end in each of them.

Numbers to Note
• .372 - Opponent's field goal percentage
• 22.1 - Ohio's turnovers per game
• +6.1 - Ohio's rebounding margin per game

Next on the Slate
Ohio returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center when it welcomes Bowling Green for a rematch of last year's exciting double-overtime thriller from the conference tournament.

Bulls Overview
A Quick Look...
Buffalo enters conference play 4-9 overall on the season, having dropped each of its last six games and seven of its last eight games. The Bulls own victories over Youngstown State, Delaware and Niagra, in addition to North Carolina Central. One of their common opponents with Ohio includes Cleveland State, a game Buffalo dropped 75-48 in Cleveland. The Bulls are 2-3 overall at home.

Buffalo Report Card
The Bulls are a half-court squad that likes to get the ball inside to their young talented post players, sophomores Kourtney Brown and Jessica Fortman. Buffalo is shooting at a .407 clip from the field and .281 from behind the arc. The Bulls crash the boards well, as they are pulling down just under 40 rebounds a contest, good for third in the conference. They also do a good job making the extra pass and getting people involved on the offensive end of the court. They are averaging over 15 assists a contest.

Who to Watch...
Starting forwards Brown and Fortman are Buffalo's top scorers, with Brown leading the way at 14.8 points per game, good for seventh in the conference. Fortman is pitching in 9.8 ppg. while pacing the Bulls on the glass at 6.5 rebounds per game. Brown is close behind at 6.5 rpg. Junior Rachelle Matthys is third on the team in scoring at 7.2 points a contest.

Florida Notables
The Bobcats forced the Gators into 11 first-half turnovers, more than half of UF's season average coming into the game... With a 34-30 edge in points in the paint, Ohio has now won that battle eight times on the season... Kamille Buckner recorded two blocks on the night to move past Domenica Silva and into third place on Ohio's career blocks list... Chandra Myers pulled down six offensive rebounds in first 20 minutes, the most offensive rebounds the senior has had this season.

A Lauren that Makes You Go Hmm...
Senior Lauren Hmiel scored a career-high 20 points against South Alabama and followed it up with 20 points again against nationally-ranked Florida. She has scored at least 15 points in each of Ohio's last five games. This year, she has also equaled her previous-career-best 19 points on two different occasions, against Memphis and Cleveland State, while also putting in an 18-point effort against Morehead State. She currently leads the team in scoring.

Breaking Out the Windex
Sophomore Thia Gholson has done a good job keeping the boards clean for Ohio of late. Over the last three games, she sophomore is averaging 9.3 rebounds a game, including a pair of career-high 10 rebound outings.

Chart Climber
Sophomore Kamille Buckner has now blocked 55 shots for her career. That total puts her third on Ohio's all-time blocks list. She now trails Amy Turner in second place and Holly Skeen at the top. Buckner is now 15 blocks behind Turner, while Skeen had 115 for her career.

Nationally Speaking
Ohio finds themselves ranked among the top 50 teams in the nation in three different categories this week. In addition to their No. 49 ranking in field goal percentage, the `Cats rank 50th in rebounding margin at +6.1 rpg. and are tied for 33rd in three-point field goal percentage defense. For how the Bobcats stack up in the MAC, please see page five.