Ohio (4-19, 2-10 Mid-American Conference) is back in action Wednesday and will welcome Northern Illinois (12-12, 5-7 MAC) into The Convo. Ohio will look to defend its home court and complete a season sweep over a MAC opponent.
The Bobcats have suffered five straight losses and will be looking to get back on track against a team that it beat earlier this year.
Here is everything you need to know before the matchup:
Game Information:
Opponent: Northern Illinois
Location: The Convo
Time: Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Where to watch: ESPN+
Follow live stats here
Matchup History:
The Bobcats and the Huskies met just over a month ago in Dekalb, Illinois. The Bobcats won the game 71-55 after shooting the ball more efficiently than the Huskies.
Now, in the closing month of the season, Northern Illinois will be looking to avenge an early season loss. The Huskies are .500 this year on the road and will look to improve on that mark, but the Bobcats are looking to make it three of the last four against the Huskies.
Players to Watch
Ohio: Bailey Tabeling and Kennedi Watkins
Ohio’s two leading scorers will be crucial in this contest. Sophomore Bailey Tabeling will look to continue her impressive play from the first matchup between these two teams, where she scored 28 points on 48 percent shooting. Tabeling also collected eight rebounds and four steals in the contest to lead Ohio and will look to be a spark for it once again on Wednesday.
Senior Kennedi Watkins, similarly to Tabeling, will need to flex her scoring ability in this one. Northern Illinois allows over 40 percent shooting from the field and Watkins took advantage of this, shooting over 50 percent from the field in her first time against Northern Illinois. Watkins also had six rebounds in the first matchup and will look to contribute in that aspect again against Northern Illinois when they take the floor in Athens.
Northern Illinois: Lexi Carlsen and Brooke Stonebraker
Freshman Lexi Carlsen led the way for the Huskies in January against the Bobcats when she scored 17 points. While the Bobcats were able to take away some of the Huskies’ key scorers, Carlsen stepped up while the Ohio defense placed its focus on other players.
Ohio has struggled with rebounding throughout the 2024-2025 season, and to help this, they need to make sure they box out Northern Illinois senior Brooke Stonebraker, who had eight boards with four coming on the offensive glass. Stonebreaker also had 13 points and blocked two shots throughout the game. Ohio will need to slow her down and take her out of the play when on offense to limit her from making a presence down low.
