ATHENS, Ohio – Following a season-opening win over Cleveland State on Tuesday night, Ohio Women’s Basketball packs up and hits the road for the first time this season. The Bobcats will be playing two games this weekend at the 2012 Subway Classic on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Ohio will open the tournament against host Minnesota on Saturday at 1 p.m. (noon Central) at Williams Arena. Depending on the result of the first game, the Bobcats will then play the winner or loser of the Maine – UNLV contest in the championship or consolation game on Sunday at noon or 2 p.m. EST.
Both Bobcat games will be broadcast live on WOUB-AM 1340 with Rob Schreier calling the play-by-play. Fans can also access the radio broadcasts via the ‘Listen Live’ links posted on OhioBobcats.com.
A Win on Saturday Would… Be the 461st win in program history Make the Bobcats 2-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season Be Ohio’s first win over Minnesota Be Ohio’s first road win of the season Set the Bobcats up to play in the championship game of the Subway Classic
Scouting the Golden Gophers Minnesota enters Saturday’s contest the owner of a 2-0 record. The Golden Gophers earned an 87-83 victory over Washington State in double overtime on Nov. 10 before beating Villanova, 75-60, on Nov. 11.
Micaella Riche leads the scoring attack, averaging 24.5 points per game. She is also the team’s leading rebounder at 10.0 boards per contest. Rachel Banham is not far behind, coming in with 23.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Banham had a tremendous 2011-12 season en route to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors.
Ohio – Minnesota Series History Saturday’s game will be the third all-time meeting between Ohio and Minnesota. The Golden Gophers hold a 2-0 advantage in the series, having beaten Ohio 92-73 in Athens during the 2000-01 season and 77-67 in Minneapolis during the 1999-00 season.
Top Ten Ohio enters Saturday’s contest with Minnesota holding the No. 10 RPI in the nation. This ranking puts Ohio ahead of 335 teams in the rest of NCAA Division One basketball.
Senior Homecoming Ohio’s early-season appearance at the 2012 Subway Classic will serve as a homecoming of sorts for senior forward Tina Fisher. A native of Cottage Grove, Minn., Fisher grew up a mere 22 miles from the site of the tournament (Minneapolis).
All About the Tempo Ohio scored 13 fast break points in its No. 13 win over Cleveland State while limiting the Vikings to zero points in transition.
Attacking the Glass Senior forward Tina Fisher collected a career high nine rebounds in the win over Cleveland State. Eight of these boards came in the second half.
Change of Fortunes Ohio improved its shooting percentage drastically in the second half of the win over Cleveland State. The Bobcats shot 34.8 percent from the field in the first half and 52.2 percent in the second half. This nearly mirrored Cleveland State’s change, as the Vikings shot 48.3 percent in the first half and 33.3 percent in the second.
A Game of Runs Between the 12:37 and 8:11 marks of the second half, Ohio ripped off a 14-1 run in the win over Cleveland State. This proved to be one of the decisive stretches in the contest, as the Bobcats never relinquished this lead.
A Trio of Doubles Ohio had three players score in double figures during the win over Cleveland State. Shavon Robinson led the way with 15 points while Mariah Byard and Tina Fisher chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.
