Bobcat Women Rally Past Long Beach State
Ohio forces 19 second-half turnovers in 91-82 victory

Contact: Jim Stephan, 740-593-1298 or sports.media@ohio.edu

ATHENS, Ohio (December 5, 2000) -- Jacquie Negrelli topped the 20-point plateau for the fourth straight game and Ohio forced 33 turnovers, 19 in the second half, as the Bobcats rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Long Beach State 91-82 at the Convocation Center Tuesday night. The Bobcats snap a two-game losing streak in improving to 2-3, while the 49ers fall to 1-4.

Candace Bates added a career-high 14 points, primarily by hitting four three-pointers, while Lori Moorman chipped in 13 points. Heather Laughlin and Cathy Szall rounded out the double figure scoring with 11 points each. LBSU's Jackie Moore led all scorers with 22 points, while Crystal Bailey added a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Charel Bailey tallied 16 points with Reta Sula adding 11.

Long Beach State trailed 18-17 when it scored five straight points for a 22-18 lead. The 49ers extended their run to 13-4 to open an eight-point advantage, 30-22, with 7:32 remaining. After the Bobcats cut the margin to three on two occasions, LBSU closed out the half on a 10-4 run to head to the locker room at intermission with a 49-40 lead.

The 49ers widened their lead to 14 points by opening the second stanza with an 11-6 run over the first five minutes and were ahead 65-51 with 13:05 remaining when the Bobcats rallied. Ohio scored eight straight points to start a 14-2 run that closed the gap to two, 67-65, with 9:28 remaining. The Bobcats took their first lead of the period, 73-71, on a Bates' three-pointer with 6:56 remaining. After Long Beach tied the score with a basket, Laughlin scored seven straight points and Negrelli added a free throw to push the Bobcats ahead by eight, 81-73. The lead reached nine when Negrelli hit two more free throws, capping a 32-9 run.

Long Beach closed to within four with 2:09 to play, but Laughlin hit a layup and Cathy Szall made four-of-six free throw attempts to secure the victory.

Ohio closes out its longest homestand since 1980-81 -- five games -- Friday when it welcomes Minnesota to Athens on Friday. Long Beach State is at UCLA on Sunday.