ATHENS, Ohio – Western Michigan women's basketball outlasted Ohio this afternoon, picking up another road win by a final score of 80-73. The victory is the eighth in enemy territory, moving WMU to 13-9 on the season, and 7-6 in Mid-American Conference play.

The Broncos opened things up in the Convocation Center with an 8-0 run thanks to pair of consecutive triples from sophomore guards Megan Wagner and Lauren Ross and a driving bucket from redshirt sophomore Taylor Williams. Williams ended the first with five points, four boards, and a block through 10 minutes of play as WMU held an early 16-11 edge after one.

Ohio (11-9, 5-6 MAC) answered in quarter number two, narrowly winning the 10-minute war by a 20-17 margin. Lauren Ross was scorching in the second, notching 15 points in the quarter alone and entering the halftime break with 19 total on 6-8 shooting and 4-5 from deep to go along with four rebounds. Taylor Williams had a nice first half as well, adding seven points, four boards, two assists and a pair of blocks. Entering the locker room, the Broncos held a narrow two-point advantage, leading 33-31.

The Bobcats opened the second half with a 7-0 run of their own in yet another closely contested period, holding the edge in the third by a margin of 23-20 to bring the total tally to 54-53 in favor of Ohio. WMU had a good shooting quarter from deep, cashing in on 4-8 from behind the arc, and also sank all four free throws as a group. At the end of three, the Bobcats clung to a narrow 54-53 lead.

The game ultimately came down to the final quarter, which began with the two teams trading off slim leads for the first five minutes of the fourth. Following the final media timeout at the 5:58 mark, Western Michigan began to take control as Lauren Ross caught fire, sinking a three and a pair of buckets to extend the Bronco lead.

Taylor Williams got to the rack for two to push the WMU advantage to seven with just over a minute left to play, giving her squad some breathing room late. The Broncos were able to keep Ohio at bay for the remainder of the outing thanks to good defense and free throw shooting, clinching a much-needed victory in Athens.

Lauren Ross was unconscious this afternoon, racking up a career-high 37 points on 11-20 shooting (55 percent) and 7-11 (63.6 percent) from three-point range. Ross also went 8-10 from the charity stripe while pulling down six boards, swiping a trio of steals, and dishing out two assists to cap off her impressive performance. Her 37 points is the most by any Bronco in program history since Carrie Moore scored 38 against Central Michigan in 2007, and ties Ross for fifth place on the Western Michigan single game scoring list.

Taylor Williams had a very efficient outing today as well, notching 13 points on 6-7 (85.7 percent) from the field to go with nine rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocks. Junior guard Sydney Shafer added 10 points off the bench, while also grabbing four boards and finding three open teammates for scores. Senior guard Maddie Watters was clutch off the bench as well, contributing 10 points of her own in addition to three assists and a pair of rebounds. Sophomore guard Megan Wagner had herself another solid outing, adding seven points, a game-high six dimes, five rebounds, and three steals. Wagner also posted a game-high plus/minus rating of +12.

As a group, the Broncos cashed in on 26 of 59 shot attempts (44.1 percent), and lit it up from three-point range, sinking 14-32 (43.8 percent) of their triples on the day. The 14 made three's is the third-most by any Bronco team in program history.

Western Michigan also set up shop for 20 points in the paint as the Bronco reserves outscored the Ohio bench 20-5. Furthermore, WMU pulled in 36 boards, dished out a whopping 19 assists, and nabbed seven steals. Out of the game's 40 minutes, Western Michigan held a lead for 30:23 and sealed the deal with a 9-0 scoring run ending at the 1:23 mark in the fourth quarter. On the defensive end, WMU held the Bobcats to 35.4 percent shooting, and just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Next on the schedule for the Broncos is another chance at the Bowling Green Falcons this coming Wednesday at home. Tip-off against BGSU inside University Arena on Feb. 16 is set for 7 p.m. and will be available for streaming via ESPN+.

Students get into all WMU home games for free with a valid Bronco ID, and further ticket information can be found at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets, or by calling 1-888-4-WMU-TIX. Wednesday's game will also be WMU's Unity Game, and further information on the event will be released closer to the date.

#LetsRide