Ohio Bobcats women's basketball
2023–24 Ohio Bobcats women's basketball team
UniversityOhio University
Head coachBob Boldon (9th season)
ConferenceMid-American
East Division
LocationAthens, Ohio
ArenaConvocation Center
(Capacity: 13,080)
NicknameBobcats
ColorsHunter green and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament appearances
1986, 1995, 2015
Conference tournament champions
1986, 2015
Conference regular season champions
1986, 1995, 2015, 2016
Conference division season champions
2015, 2016, 2019, 2020

The Ohio Bobcats women's basketball team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East Division competing in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bobcats have played their home games in the Convocation Center since 1973.[2]

History

Ohio University's women’s basketball program began its unofficial debut in 1965. It was created by the Women’s Sports and Recreation Department (WRA) chapter of Ohio University. The team, led by Bev Smith, competed for 8 years before they became a part of the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics (WICA) organization. This marked the beginning of funding from athletics as opposed to education.[3]

Upon its official debut, the women’s basketball team played their first game in the 1973–74 season. The Bobcats have won three Mid-American Conference tournament titles in 1986, 1995, and 2015. They have been MAC regular season champions four times, most recently in the 2015–16 season. They have clinched a spot in the NCAA women's tournament three times, in which they have gone 0–3, most recently appearing in the 2014–15 season.[4]

The Bobcats' most notable season came in 1985–86. The team went 24–2 in the regular season, with a 16–2 record in the MAC. They won their first MAC season and tournament titles, as well as setting eight school records that are still held as of 2016. Their coach, 23-year-old Amy Prichard, became the first Ohio head coach to be awarded the honor of the MAC Coach of the Year.[4]

The Bobcats' current head coach is Bob Boldon. Boldon played college basketball at Walsh University from 1993–97. After debuting during the 2013–14 season, Boldon's team posted a record of 9–20. During his second season at Ohio University, he led the Bobcats to their first winning season since the 2007–08 season.[5] Boldon led the team to the MAC championship, clinching a spot in the 2015 NCAA tournament. The team lost in the first round to Arizona State, by a score of 74–55.[3] In the 2018-19 season the Bobcats won 30 games, being the first basketball team to do so between both Bobcat men's and women's programs.

Seasonal Results

as of 1/13/202

Postseason results

NCAA tournament results

The Bobcats have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 0-3.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1986 #9First Round#8 IllinoisL 69-68
1995 #14First Round#3 WashingtonL 73-57
2015 #14First Round#3 Arizona StateL 74-55

Women's National Invitation Tournament results

Ohio has been selected to participate in five Women's National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 6-6.

Year Round Opponent Result
2016 Round 1MarshallW 76–68
Round 2Virginia TechW 64-57
Round 3TempleL 75-61
2017 Round 1Penn StateL 74-65
2019 Round 1High PointW 81-74
Round 2Middle TennesseeW 59-57
Round 3Western KentuckyW 68-60
QuarterfinalsNorthwesternL 61-58
2021 Round 1ClemsonL 60-65
Consolation bracket Semi-FinalsFordhamW 81-64
Consolation bracket FinalsUMassL 71-95
2022 Round 1South Dakota StateL 87-57

Coaching staff

Name Position Year Alma mater
Bob BoldonHead coach2013Walsh University Indiana University 1997, 2003
Tavares JacksonAssistant coach2013University of Minnesota Crookston 2000
Steph HaasAssistant coach2018Florida Gulf Coast University 2016
Chelsea WelchAssistant coach2022Wright State University 2018
Ebony PegusDirector of Basketball Operations2021Massachusetts

Bobcat basketball traditions

Ohio is a tradition-rich school, and many of those traditions are associated with athletics events, especially basketball. Some Ohio traditions include:

  • Rufus the Bobcat – The school mascot, a fierce yet friendly looking Bobcat that always sports an Ohio jersey with a number "1" on the back.
  • Ohio Varsity Band – The pep band which performs at every basketball game.
  • "Stand Up and Cheer" – Ohio's fight song
  • "Alma Mater, Ohio" – Ohio's alma mater song

All-time records

All-time coaching records

Head coach Period W-L record Win pct. W-L record in the MAC Win pct. MAC Regular season championships
Nancy Schaub1973–197733–29.5320-0N/a
Kathy Martin1977–19785–8.3850-0N/a
Gwen Hoover1978–198127–40.4030-0N/a
Becky DeStefano1981–198438–43.46927-19.5870
Amy Prichard1984–199074–91.44842-58.4201
Marsha Reall1990–1999123–126.49484-82.5061
Lynn Bria1999–200677–123.38543-68.3870
Sylvia Crawley2006–200838–25.60319-13.5940
Semeka Randall2008–201350–103.32722-58.2750
Bob Boldon2013–present189–132.589107-77.5822
TOTALS1973–present654–720.476345-375.4794

Source: Ohio Basketball Media Guide

As of 1/13/2023

Top five winning coaches

Head coach Year Period W-L record W-L record in the MAC Win pct.
Bob Boldon2013–present189–132.589107-77.582
Marsha Reall1990–1999123–126.49484-82.506
Lynn Bria1999–200677–123.38543-68.387
Amy Prichard1984–199074–91.44842-58.420
Semeka Randall2008–201350–103.32722-58.275

All-time MAC records

The Bobcats have won 2 Mid-American Conference tournament titles in 1986, and 2015 as well as 4 MAC regular-season titles in 1986, 1995, 2015, and 2016. At the end of the 2021–2022 MAC season, Ohio owns an all-time MAC record of 342–348 (.496) in 41 seasons of league competition. The following are the all members of the MAC past and present not counting the postseason play as of 3/4/2023:

Opponent W-L record Win pct. Year WBB joined the MAC
Akron41-17.7071992
Ball State38-25.6031981
Bowling Green28-50.3591981
Buffalo20–24.4551998
Central Michigan29-35.4531981
Eastern Michigan35-24.5931981
Kent State32-48.4001981
Miami University37-47.4401981
Northern Illinois22-20.5241981–1986,1997
Toledo21–40.3441981
Western Michigan32-27.5421981
Marshall11-5.6881997–2005
Total346-361.489

[6]

References

  1. "Colors – Ohio University". Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  2. "Convocation Center". Ohio University. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Quick Facts" (PDF). grfx.cstv.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Ohio Bobcats" (PDF). Ohio Bobcats. Ohio University. 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  5. "Bob Boldon Bio - OHIOBOBCATS.COM - Ohio Official Athletic Site". www.ohiobobcats.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  6. "NCAA Archives". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
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