Ohio got its revenge in dominant fashion against Ball State on Wednesday night in Muncie, Indiana. The last time the two met, the Cardinals came out with a slim three-point overtime win. This time, the Bobcats left no doubt in the 88-66 win without their second-leading scorer, Erica Johnson.
Ohio (11-6, 9-5 Mid-American Conference) has now finished a grueling three-game stretch of the season with its win over Ball State (9-8, 7-6 MAC).
Here are the numbers to know from the Bobcats’ 88-66 road win over the Cardinals.
2,000
CeCe Hooks scored her 2,000th point on Wednesday night, only the second player in program history to do so. She only trails Caroline Mast, who scored 2,449 points in her time at Ohio in the 1980’s. Becoming a 2,000-point scorer is just one of the things that makes Hooks an all-time great at Ohio. She also is the program leader in steals and the two-time reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Hooks scored 22 points with five assists and three steals in a bounce-back game from Saturday’s loss at Bowling Green, where she scored a season-low 12 points.
15
Ohio’s best quarter of the game was the third, in which it outscored Ball State by 15 points to lengthen an already large lead. The Bobcats made six-of-10 shots from three-point range and all eight attempted free throws.
Freshman Madi Mace and redshirt junior Caitlyn Kroll each scored 15 points in the game. For Mace, it was a career-high as she’s recently entered the starting lineup due to injuries. Kroll, who doesn’t leave practice until she’s made 100 3-pointers made four-of-eight shots from beyond the arc. She has had both of her best games against Ball State. The last time they played, she scored a season-high 20 points.
19
Gabby Burris came in as Ohio’s second-leading scorer in the win with 19 points. Burris, who is one of three 1,000-point scorers on the team, has taken an even more crucial role in the absence of Erica Johnson, who has been out with knee issues. Burris made five-of nine 3-pointers along with her four rebounds and three steals.
Burris has averaged 16.3 points in the last four games without Johnson and has only missed nine free-throw attempts all season out of her 64 total attempts.
What’s next?
Ohio returns to Athens for a three-game homestand against Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Bowling Green. The Bobcats, who currently stands at sixth in the MAC standings will have the perfect opportunity to improve their position heading towards the MAC Tournament in Cleveland.
