April 10, 2008

The Ohio women's basketball team wrapped up the 2007-08 season with the most wins in 13 years, six new all-time records, and an historic run in the MAC Tournament. The Bobcats racked up twenty wins, 112 blocks, 234 three pointers, 504 assists, 1,359 rebounds, 2,331 points, a 386 three-point field goal percentage, and a 68-66 double-overtime victory over defending MAC champ Bowling Green in the MAC semifinals. So when it comes to justifying Ohio's work ethic this past season, the numbers don't lie.

"At first it seemed like we were waiting for some kind of secret strategy for winning," said Ohio Head Coach Sylvia Crawley. "But there was no secret recipe. The remedy was to simply work hard. I noticed that whenever we worked extremely hard, we saw good results."

And that they did.

The Bobcats finished the season with a 20-13 record, which is the program's first 20-win season since 1994-95 (23-7). The Bobcats also made strides in conference play by posting a consecutive 10-6 record, marking the first time since the 1997-98 season that Ohio has reached double-digit wins in the MAC.

If those numbers aren't evidence enough that the 2007-08 squad worked harder than most, the `Cats set six new program records with 112 blocks, 234 three pointers made, 504 assists, 1,359 rebounds, 2,331 points scored and a .386 team three-point shooting percentage.

Ohio spent more than half of the season as one of the top-15 teams in the nation in 3-pt field goal percentage, including four straight weeks at No. 2.

"I think the numbers that we put up during the season are a by-product of the team's and the staff's hard work," said Crawley. "I think that whenever you work hard, the accolades and the wins will follow."

"Our seniors took the initiative and set the tone for the year. They put in a lot of work during the off-season and once the school year started, we saw the difference, we saw the fruits of their labor. Their commitment triggered a lot of things for the season."

The senior trio of Lauren Kohn, Simone Redd and Quintana Ward, accounted for 43 percent of Ohio's points, including both Kohn and Redd reaching 1,000 points in their respective careers. Kohn finished the season as Ohio's leading scorer averaging 15.6 points per game. She finished her career with 1,429 points, including 997 in her two years at Ohio. In addition, she proved to be a leader for the Bobcats on and off the court as she was named first-team All-MAC and became the first Ohio women's basketball player since Caroline Mast in 1986 to receive Academic All-America honors by the CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine.

Redd wrapped up the season as the 12th Bobcat to score 1,000 points in her career. Redd is ninth in Bobcat history with 1,125 career points. Ward, who finished her career with 922 points, dished out the most career assists than any player in the last 20 years. With 466 career assists, Ward is second in Ohio history and holds three spots on Ohio's single-season assists list. She has played the most games at Ohio than any player in the program's history and is seventh all-time with 152 career steals.

In addition, the Bobcats overcame humps that had troubled the program in years past, including getting by Eastern Michigan in the MAC quarterfinals, something the `Cats hadn't done in two years, and advancing to MAC championship game for the first time since 1986.

Ohio led all teams during the tourney with 174 rebounds, outrebounding first-round opponent Central Michigan (38-29), second-round opponent Eastern Michigan (40-32), and third-round opponent Bowling Green (60-47) while the numbers kept piling up. Junior Lauren Hmiel led the `Cats in the tourney by averaging 12.8 points and eight rebounds per game. Hmiel reached double figures in each round and matched her career high of nine rebounds in three straight games.

Against Bowling Green in the semifinals, the Bobcats continued to make history as the `Cats took the Falcons to two overtime periods for a 68-66 win. It was Ohio's third overtime game ever in the MAC tournament and first double-overtime game. The Bobcats have won all three games.

Next year, the Bobcats can look forward to adding to their list of accomplishments. Freshman Kamille Buckner has the potential to become Ohio's all-time blocks leader after becoming the first freshman to reach Ohio's record book with 30 career blocks. Junior Jenny Poff finished the season as the team's second leading scorer with 8.3 points per game, and her 51 three-point field goals made and 114 assists made the Ohio single-season record lists. Junior Chandra Myers proved to be a dominant force for the `Cats in the post and shared a team lead with Kohn averaging 6.1 rebounds per game.

Sophomore Jennifer Bushby set a new all-time record at Ohio and the MAC with a .443 career three-point field goal percentage. Bushby scored a career-high 23 points to lead Ohio to a 74-64 win over Buffalo on Jan. 16. She shot 6-of-8 (.750) from three-point range as that performance tied for third on Ohio's single-game record list.

In addition to these top returnees, the Bobcats will welcome Danielle Woodmore, Ariana Bowles, Maxine Ohakim and Tracy Snider, who have all signed National Letters of Intent for next year.

----------
Quenjana Adams is the women's basketball contact in the Ohio Media Relations Office. She can be reached via e-mail at adamsq@ohio.edu.