Nov. 29, 2011

2011-12 Game Notes | Gametracker | Live Video | Ohio Women's Basketball on Twitter

ATHENS, Ohio - Riding a three-game winning streak and off to its best start since the 2006-07 season, Ohio Women's Basketball will look to continue to defend its home court on Wednesday morning when the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks come to town. The game will be streamed live on OhioBobcats.com and will be broadcast on WOUB-AM 1340 with Grant Burkhardt on the call.

Wednesday's game marks the end of a season-long four-game home stand during which the Bobcats have defeated Marshall (68-56), Belmont (65-51) and Chicago State (65-37). The game will represent the program's annual "Middle School Day," during which local middle schools bring students to the game on field trips. Admission will be FREE to the general public for Wednesday's game. Following the contest with the Seahawks, Ohio will play five of its next eight games on the road.

Scouting the Seahawks
UNC-Wilmington comes to Athens the owner of a 1-3 record. The Seahawks dropped games to Middle Tennessee (79-60), Washington State (72-60) and NC State (83-64) before beating East Carolina (64-53) on Nov. 20. UNCW's victory came at home, meaning the Seahawks are 0-3 on the road so far in 2011-12.

UNCW is led in scoring by Alisha Andrews' 14.5 points per game. She's connected on 21-of-51 field goals so far this season and is a mainstay on the court for the Seahawks, playing 35.2 minutes per game. Chelsea McGowen is the club's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.8 boards per game.

So far in 2011-12, the Seahawks have allowed their opponents to shoot .450 from the floor.

Ohio - UNCW Series History
Wednesday's game will be the sixth meeting between Ohio and UNC-Wilmington. The Seahawks hold a 3-2 series lead and won the most recent game between the two squads, a 62-53 contest in Wilmington, N.C. on Dec. 29, 2010. Ohio is 2-1 in three meetings between the schools at the Convocation Center.

On a National Scale
As of games played on Nov. 27, Ohio ranks 28th of 336 NCAA Division One Women's Basketball programs in field goal percent defense (.325). Oklahoma State has the best mark, allowing opponents to shoot only .250 from the floor.

Contending in the Conference
As of games played on Nov. 27, Ohio ranks in the top three of Mid-American Conference schools in the following 10 statistical categories:

            1st        Scoring Defense                         51.5 ppg

            1st        Field Goal Percent Defense          .325

            2nd       Scoring Margin                           +12.2 ppg

            2nd       Free Throw Percentage               .734

            2nd       Three-point FG Percentage          .362

            2nd       Three-point FG % Defense          .244

            2nd       Offensive Rebounds                    17.5/game

            3rd       Rebounding Margin                     +7.0/game

            3rd       Turnover Margin                         +0.5/game

            3rd       Three-point FG Made                  5.3/game

Thank You; May I Have Another?
Sixteen of Ohio's 23 made field goals on Saturday came from the helping hand of a teammate. This total of 16 assists was a season high and means that 69.5 percent of the Bobcats' field goals came via an assist.

Freshman Phenoms
Two Bobcat freshmen scored ten points or more in the win over Chicago State. Mariah Byard (Mannington, W.Va.) scored 11 points and Kat Yelle (Geneva, Ill.) added 10.

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