# Ohio Bobcats women's basketball

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.

## 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.
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.
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.
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. 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. 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

Mid-American Conference :
| Year | Overall Rec. | Conference Rec. |
| 1973–74 | 10–5 | NA |
| 1974–75 | 12–5 | NA |
| 1975–76 | 3–12 | NA |
| 1976–77 | 8–7 | NA |
| 1977–78 | 5–8 | NA |
| 1978–79 | 11–8 | NA |
| 1979–80 | 10–12 | NA |
| 1980–81 | 6–20 | NA |
| 1981–82 | 9–16 | 3–7 |
| 1982–83 | 15–13 | 11–7 |
| 1983–84 | 14–14 | 13–5 |
| 1984–85 | 11–16 | 6–12 |
| 1985–86 | 26–3 | 16–2 |
| 1986–87 | 10–16 | 7–9 |
| 1987–88 | 10–18 | 5–11 |
| 1988–89 | 8–20 | 5–11 |
| 1989–90 | 9–18 | 3–13 |
| 1990–91 | 10–18 | 6–10 |
| 1991–92 | 11–17 | 5–11 |
| 1992–93 | 13–14 | 10–8 |
| 1993–94 | 17–10 | 13–5 |
| 1994–95 | 23–7 | 15–3 |
| 1995–96 | 16–12 | 11–7 |
| 1996–97 | 12–15 | 9–9 |
| 1997–98 | 17–11 | 13–5 |
| 1998–99 | 4–22 | 2–14 |
| 1999–00 | 11–17 | 6–10 |
Mid-American Conference :
| Year | Overall Rec. | Conference Rec. |
| 2000–01 | 9–20 | 5–11 |
| 2001–02 | 13–16 | 7–8 |
| 2002–03 | 9–19 | 5–11 |
| 2003–04 | 13–15 | 7–9 |
| 2004–05 | 13–16 | 8–8 |
| 2005–06 | 9–20 | 5–11 |
| 2006–07 | 18–12 | 9–7 |
| 2007–08 | 20–13 | 10–6 |
| 2008–09 | 13–18 | 7–9 |
| 2009–10 | 8–22 | 4–12 |
| 2010–11 | 9–22 | 4–12 |
| 2011–12 | 14–18 | 6–10 |
| 2012–13 | 6–23 | 1–15 |
| 2013–14 | 9–21 | 4–14 |
| 2014–15 | 27–5 | 16–2 |
| 2015–16 | 26–7 | 16–2 |
| 2016–17 | 22–10 | 12–6 |
| 2017–18 | 16–15 | 9–9 |
| 2018–19 | 30–6 | 14–4 |
| 2019–20 | 19–11 | 11–7 |
| 2020–21 | 15–9 | 11–6 |
| 2021–22 | 15–15 | 9–10 |
| 2022–23 | 6–23 | 4–14 |
| 2023–24 | 11–19 | 8–10 |
| 2024–25 | 6–23 | 4–14 |

## 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 | #9 | First Round | #8 Illinois | L 69-68 |
| 1995 | #14 | First Round | #3 Washington | L 73-57 |
| 2015 | #14 | First Round | #3 Arizona State | L 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 1 | Marshall | W 76–68 |
| 2016 | Round 2 | Virginia Tech | W 64-57 |
| 2016 | Round 3 | Temple | L 75-61 |
| 2017 | Round 1 | Penn State | L 74-65 |
| 2019 | Round 1 | High Point | W 81-74 |
| 2019 | Round 2 | Middle Tennessee | W 59-57 |
| 2019 | Round 3 | Western Kentucky | W 68-60 |
| 2019 | Quarterfinals | Northwestern | L 61-58 |
| 2021 | Round 1 | Clemson | L 60-65 |
| 2021 | Consolation bracket Semi-Finals | Fordham | W 81-64 |
| 2021 | Consolation bracket Finals | UMass | L 71-95 |
| 2022 | Round 1 | South Dakota State | L 87-57 |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year | Alma mater |
| Bob Boldon | Head coach | 2013 | Walsh University Indiana University 1997, 2003 |
| Tavares Jackson | Assistant coach | 2013 | University of Minnesota Crookston 2000 |
| Chelsea Welch | Assistant coach | 2022 | Wright State University 2018 |
| Kaylee Gregory Bambule | Assistant coach | 2022 | Ohio University 2021 |
| Abby Garnett | Assistant coach | 2024 | Ohio University 2022 |
| Ebony Pegus | Director of Basketball Operations | 2021 | Massachusetts |

## 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 Schaub | 1973–1977 | 33–29 | .532 | 0-0 | – | N/a |
| Kathy Martin | 1977–1978 | 5–8 | .385 | 0-0 | – | N/a |
| Gwen Hoover | 1978–1981 | 27–40 | .403 | 0-0 | – | N/a |
| Becky DeStefano | 1981–1984 | 38–43 | .469 | 27-19 | .587 | 0 |
| Amy Prichard | 1984–1990 | 74–91 | .448 | 42-58 | .420 | 1 |
| Marsha Reall | 1990–1999 | 123–126 | .494 | 84-82 | .506 | 1 |
| Lynn Bria | 1999–2006 | 77–123 | .385 | 43-68 | .387 | 0 |
| Sylvia Crawley | 2006–2008 | 38–25 | .603 | 19-13 | .594 | 0 |
| Semeka Randall | 2008–2013 | 50–103 | .327 | 22-58 | .275 | 0 |
| Bob Boldon | 2013–present | 202–164 | .552 | 118-97 | .545 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 1973–present | 667–753 | .470 | 355-397 | .471 | 4 |
Source: Ohio Basketball Media Guide
As of 3/7/2025

### Top five winning coaches

| Head coach | Year | Period | W-L record | W-L record in the MAC | Win pct. |
| Bob Boldon | 2013–present | 202–164 | .552 | 118-97 | .549 |
| Marsha Reall | 1990–1999 | 123–126 | .494 | 84-82 | .506 |
| Lynn Bria | 1999–2006 | 77–123 | .385 | 43-68 | .387 |
| Amy Prichard | 1984–1990 | 74–91 | .448 | 42-58 | .420 |
| Semeka Randall | 2008–2013 | 50–103 | .327 | 22-58 | .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 2023–2024 MAC season, Ohio owns an all-time MAC record of 355–396 (.473) in 42 seasons of league competition. The following are the all members of the MAC past and present not counting the postseason play as of March 2024:
| Opponent | W-L record | Win pct. | Year WBB joined the MAC |
| Akron | 44–18 | .710 | 1992 |
| Ball State | 40–27 | .597 | 1981 |
| Bowling Green | 28–53 | .346 | 1981 |
| Buffalo | 20–28 | .417 | 1998 |
| Central Michigan | 31–36 | .463 | 1981 |
| Eastern Michigan | 37–24 | .607 | 1981 |
| Kent State | 33–50 | .398 | 1981 |
| Miami | 38–50 | .432 | 1981 |
| Northern Illinois | 24–21 | .533 | 1981–1986,1997 |
| Toledo | 21–42 | .333 | 1981 |
| Western Michigan | 33–30 | .524 | 1981 |
| Marshall | 11–5 | .688 | 1997–2005 |
| Total | 355–396 | .473 |