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LGHL Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team falls in WCHA Final Faceoff title game
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Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team falls in WCHA Final Faceoff title game
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes will now wait to see who their quest for a second consecutive NCAA title will start against
Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team was able to make it to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game, but the Buckeyes weren’t able to take down Minnesota, who came into the WCHA postseason tournament just behind Nadine Muzerall’s team in the conference’s regular season standings.
Even with the loss, there is still plenty of reasons to be excited about Ohio State’s chances of repeating as national champions.
Ohio State played in the first semifinal of the WCHA Final Faceoff on Friday, matching up against Minnesota-Duluth, who the Buckeyes faced in the championship game of last year’s NCAA Tournament. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State struck first, as Brooke Bink scored an unassisted goal at the 10:50 mark of the second period, registering her third goal of the season.
Less than a minute later the Buckeyes doubled their lead with another unassisted goal. This time Emma Maltais was credited with the goal, giving her 11 goals on the season. The tally would end up being the game-winning goal, as Minnesota-Duluth was able to pull a goal back with less than three minutes left in the game after they pulled their goalie and brought an extra attacker onto the ice. Maltais now has three game-winning goals this season, and 16 in her Ohio State career, which ties Natalie Spooner for most game-winning goals in program history.
The victory secured Ohio State’s fifth trip to the WCHA championship game, and fourth consecutive year they have made the final. The win was also a notable one for goaltender Amanada Thiele, who now has 18 wins this season, which tied her career-high. Thiele also was credited with 18 wins last season, but the junior hopes there are a few more wins that are still out there that she’ll be able to add to her season total this year.
Unfortunately, Ohio State couldn’t make it three WCHA tournament titles in the last four seasons. The Buckeyes fell behind in the latter half of the first period when Savannah Norcross scored an even-strength goal to give the Golden Gophers a 1-0 lead. Minnesota would double their lead just over seven minutes into the second period thanks to a power play goal from Abbey Murphy, which was her 28th goal of the season.
The Buckeyes would respond with four minutes left in the period when Gabby Rosenthal netted her 20th goal of the campaign. The Golden Gophers would restore their two-goal lead just over a minute later when Peyton Hemp lit the lamp at Ridder Arena. The goal from Hemp would be the last goal scored in the game.
Even though they didn’t win the conference tournament, Ohio State is still a lock to make the NCAA Tournament since they are not only one of the best teams in the country, they are also WCHA regular season champions. The Buckeyes will find out who the defense of their national title will start against this afternoon when the teams included in the NCAA Tournament are announced on the selection show at noon on ESPNews.
Sophie Jaques continues to add accolades to her time at Ohio State, as she was named WCHA Player of the Year on Thursday. Jaques is strong on both offense and defense. Not only does Jaques lead one of the stingiest defenses in the country, her 46 points were tops amongst defensemen nationally.
Jaques already holds Ohio State’s record for most points by a defenseman with 154 points, she is one goal from tying the WCHA record for most goals by a defenseman in a career, which currently stands at 60 goals. This marks the second time a Buckeye has been named WCHA Player of the Year, with Tessa Bonhomme being the first to win the award in 2006.
Along with Jaques, Ohio State head coach was named WCHA Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the award with St. Cloud State’s Brian Idalski. Muzerall has taken the women’s hockey program to new heights since arriving in Columbus in 2016, leading the team to their first national title last year, and their first WCHA regular season title this season.
Muzerall now has been named the WCHA Coach of the Year four times in seven seasons at Ohio State, with this year being the second consecutive year she has earned the honor. For the second straight season Ohio State has won at least 30 games. Prior to Muzerall taking over as head coach, Ohio State had just one 20-win season.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes will now wait to see who their quest for a second consecutive NCAA title will start against
Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team was able to make it to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game, but the Buckeyes weren’t able to take down Minnesota, who came into the WCHA postseason tournament just behind Nadine Muzerall’s team in the conference’s regular season standings.
Even with the loss, there is still plenty of reasons to be excited about Ohio State’s chances of repeating as national champions.
Ohio State played in the first semifinal of the WCHA Final Faceoff on Friday, matching up against Minnesota-Duluth, who the Buckeyes faced in the championship game of last year’s NCAA Tournament. After a scoreless first period, Ohio State struck first, as Brooke Bink scored an unassisted goal at the 10:50 mark of the second period, registering her third goal of the season.
Less than a minute later the Buckeyes doubled their lead with another unassisted goal. This time Emma Maltais was credited with the goal, giving her 11 goals on the season. The tally would end up being the game-winning goal, as Minnesota-Duluth was able to pull a goal back with less than three minutes left in the game after they pulled their goalie and brought an extra attacker onto the ice. Maltais now has three game-winning goals this season, and 16 in her Ohio State career, which ties Natalie Spooner for most game-winning goals in program history.
The victory secured Ohio State’s fifth trip to the WCHA championship game, and fourth consecutive year they have made the final. The win was also a notable one for goaltender Amanada Thiele, who now has 18 wins this season, which tied her career-high. Thiele also was credited with 18 wins last season, but the junior hopes there are a few more wins that are still out there that she’ll be able to add to her season total this year.
Unfortunately, Ohio State couldn’t make it three WCHA tournament titles in the last four seasons. The Buckeyes fell behind in the latter half of the first period when Savannah Norcross scored an even-strength goal to give the Golden Gophers a 1-0 lead. Minnesota would double their lead just over seven minutes into the second period thanks to a power play goal from Abbey Murphy, which was her 28th goal of the season.
The Buckeyes would respond with four minutes left in the period when Gabby Rosenthal netted her 20th goal of the campaign. The Golden Gophers would restore their two-goal lead just over a minute later when Peyton Hemp lit the lamp at Ridder Arena. The goal from Hemp would be the last goal scored in the game.
Even though they didn’t win the conference tournament, Ohio State is still a lock to make the NCAA Tournament since they are not only one of the best teams in the country, they are also WCHA regular season champions. The Buckeyes will find out who the defense of their national title will start against this afternoon when the teams included in the NCAA Tournament are announced on the selection show at noon on ESPNews.
Sophie Jaques continues to add accolades to her time at Ohio State, as she was named WCHA Player of the Year on Thursday. Jaques is strong on both offense and defense. Not only does Jaques lead one of the stingiest defenses in the country, her 46 points were tops amongst defensemen nationally.
Jaques already holds Ohio State’s record for most points by a defenseman with 154 points, she is one goal from tying the WCHA record for most goals by a defenseman in a career, which currently stands at 60 goals. This marks the second time a Buckeye has been named WCHA Player of the Year, with Tessa Bonhomme being the first to win the award in 2006.
Along with Jaques, Ohio State head coach was named WCHA Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the award with St. Cloud State’s Brian Idalski. Muzerall has taken the women’s hockey program to new heights since arriving in Columbus in 2016, leading the team to their first national title last year, and their first WCHA regular season title this season.
Muzerall now has been named the WCHA Coach of the Year four times in seven seasons at Ohio State, with this year being the second consecutive year she has earned the honor. For the second straight season Ohio State has won at least 30 games. Prior to Muzerall taking over as head coach, Ohio State had just one 20-win season.
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LGHL Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship preview: Ohio State vs. Iowa
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Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship preview: Ohio State vs. Iowa
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes battle for a conference trophy for their trophy cabinets.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team did the unthinkable on Saturday when they beat the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. A 24-point comeback against a top team in the nation doesn’t happen all the time, or in the case of the Big Ten — ever.
As great as the Buckeyes’ performance was in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the job for Ohio State isn’t done. It continues Sunday night when the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 14 Ohio State face off in the tournament finale.
Before Saturday, it felt like there was a clear gap between the top three teams in the Big Ten, arguably the strongest conference in the nation with the most top 16 NCAA committee teams with five.
The Indiana Hoosiers, Maryland Terrapins, and Hawkeyes all showed the Buckeyes they were on another level, with the three sides going 5-0 against Ohio State in the regular season. After Saturday’s win, it looks like Buckeyes don’t care what those outside of the program think.
Using a strong inbounding press in the second half, Ohio State looked like the team they were in the first month of the season. The same team that beat the ranked Tennessee Volunteers and Louisville Cardinals with the help of inducing panic in opponents with their defensive tactics.
Against Iowa though, the Buckeyes have a lot going against them.
The most obvious is the Hawkeyes’ two offensive leaders: forward Monika Czinano and Naismith Player of the Year favorite, guard Caitlin Clark. Lately, though, that’s expanded.
“It’s just so tricky,” said head coach Kevin McGuff following Iowa’s win in the second semifinal on Saturday. “You’ve got to make some decisions because if you only focus on Clark and Czinano, then you can see what happened today and everyone can beat you.”
For Iowa, that means big games by guard/forward McKenna Warnock and guard Gabbie Marshall. On Saturday, against the Maryland Terrapins, Warnock and Marshall scored 21 apiece. Combined, the two went 10-for-21 from deep, with Marshall specifically hitting seven, her season high.
Marshall, who started the year slowly, has picked up the pace of late. In the guard’s last seven games, she averages 57.9% from beyond the three-point line. Ohio State can’t simply prepare for the only two powerhouses.
“We’ll mix it up and try a couple different things,” said McGuff. “I think the last time Iowa got into a great rhythm offensively, so I don’t think we can plan on doing the same thing all night.”
Sunday could look like Saturday. Against Indiana, the Buckeyes had freshman forward Cotie McMahon intercepting passes sent into Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Holmes. Also, in the second half when forward Rebeka Mikulášiková picked up four fouls, the Buckeyes went small, creating a quicker lineup that still had players like forward/guard Taylor Thierry and guard Emma Shumate who can make defensive plays under the basket by blocking away shots.
Even so, stopping or holding Clark back is one of the most difficult things to do in college basketball. Put single coverage on Clark and she finds the space to shoot, sometimes from over five feet away from the three-point arc. Double-team and she finds Czinano, Marshall, or a number of other Hawkeyes who can cause damage.
Also, Clark is the most confident player in the country.
“I think our confidence level of what we have right now is really good,” said Clark following their victory over Maryland on Saturday. “We’ll welcome any defense that any team wants to bring at us.”
Clark said that with a smile on her face, a confident smile from a person who regularly backs up what they say.
Even with Iowa sitting as the favorites entering Sunday, it by no means has to be a repeat of the 83-72 defeat Ohio State suffered in Columbus on Jan. 23. The Hawkeyes are a team the Buckeyes can beat.
This year, Ohio State was humbled by Iowa at home. The Buckeyes were 19-0 and regardless of what was said to the media, it’s hard to imagine that not getting into the heads of players. When Iowa beat Ohio State, the Buckeyes went on to lose four games overall in the two weeks that followed. That’s created a different Scarlet & Gray.
“I think we just regained some confidence that was probably eroded a little bit from some of those losses. That’s part of it,” said McGuff. “Your confidence, your psyche’s a big part of it and I think we’re in a much better place now.”
On top of the psyche, Ohio State’s beaten Iowa in recent history, Jan. 31, 2022. In the game, Mikulášiková and guards Taylor Mikesell and Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes in a 92-88 victory. It’s a game that’ll feel similar to Sunday too, based on the crowd watching.
Iowa University’s campus is four hours south of Minneapolis. All weekend, the Hawkeyes have had consistently the largest crowds. While that gives the team with the support a morale boost, it also motivates opponents to try and quiet them.
Speaking of Sheldon, the guard has come back and made an immediate impact. Sheldon’s played a +10 and +20 performance in her two return games. The last time Iowa and Ohio State competed, Sheldon was injured, taking away depth from the Buckeyes.
Ohio State will have its hands full but play a more consistent game than it did against Indiana on Saturday. Expect McMahon to attack the basket more, with the freshman working alongside Thierry to guard Clark, unless coach McGuff has a new tactic he’s unleashing in the tournament.
Clark will have a big game, but the Buckeyes will make it more difficult on Czinano. Marshall won’t have a 21-point game as she did against Maryland, playing a more down-to-Earth performance.
It’ll be another close game that will go down to the team who makes the fewest mistakes.
Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Television: ESPN
Stream: ESPN App
If there was any doubt that the Buckeyes were a top-16 team in the NCAA Tournament, it was erased on Saturday.
On March 12, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, the NCAA announces the tournament field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. After defeating the No. 2 and No. 16 team in the NCAA’s latest top-16 release, no result on Sunday seems like it’ll be enough to klick the Buckeyes out of a spot that allows them to host the first two rounds of the tournament.
However, a win could push Ohio State to a higher seed. Currently, they are in as a No. 3 seed, currently No. 12 in the NCAA top-16 ranking.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes battle for a conference trophy for their trophy cabinets.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team did the unthinkable on Saturday when they beat the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. A 24-point comeback against a top team in the nation doesn’t happen all the time, or in the case of the Big Ten — ever.
As great as the Buckeyes’ performance was in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, the job for Ohio State isn’t done. It continues Sunday night when the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 14 Ohio State face off in the tournament finale.
Preview
Before Saturday, it felt like there was a clear gap between the top three teams in the Big Ten, arguably the strongest conference in the nation with the most top 16 NCAA committee teams with five.
The Indiana Hoosiers, Maryland Terrapins, and Hawkeyes all showed the Buckeyes they were on another level, with the three sides going 5-0 against Ohio State in the regular season. After Saturday’s win, it looks like Buckeyes don’t care what those outside of the program think.
Using a strong inbounding press in the second half, Ohio State looked like the team they were in the first month of the season. The same team that beat the ranked Tennessee Volunteers and Louisville Cardinals with the help of inducing panic in opponents with their defensive tactics.
Against Iowa though, the Buckeyes have a lot going against them.
The most obvious is the Hawkeyes’ two offensive leaders: forward Monika Czinano and Naismith Player of the Year favorite, guard Caitlin Clark. Lately, though, that’s expanded.
“It’s just so tricky,” said head coach Kevin McGuff following Iowa’s win in the second semifinal on Saturday. “You’ve got to make some decisions because if you only focus on Clark and Czinano, then you can see what happened today and everyone can beat you.”
For Iowa, that means big games by guard/forward McKenna Warnock and guard Gabbie Marshall. On Saturday, against the Maryland Terrapins, Warnock and Marshall scored 21 apiece. Combined, the two went 10-for-21 from deep, with Marshall specifically hitting seven, her season high.
. Seven. 3-pointers for @GabbieMarshall #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/EBvdaJzT5d
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 5, 2023
Marshall, who started the year slowly, has picked up the pace of late. In the guard’s last seven games, she averages 57.9% from beyond the three-point line. Ohio State can’t simply prepare for the only two powerhouses.
“We’ll mix it up and try a couple different things,” said McGuff. “I think the last time Iowa got into a great rhythm offensively, so I don’t think we can plan on doing the same thing all night.”
Sunday could look like Saturday. Against Indiana, the Buckeyes had freshman forward Cotie McMahon intercepting passes sent into Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Holmes. Also, in the second half when forward Rebeka Mikulášiková picked up four fouls, the Buckeyes went small, creating a quicker lineup that still had players like forward/guard Taylor Thierry and guard Emma Shumate who can make defensive plays under the basket by blocking away shots.
Even so, stopping or holding Clark back is one of the most difficult things to do in college basketball. Put single coverage on Clark and she finds the space to shoot, sometimes from over five feet away from the three-point arc. Double-team and she finds Czinano, Marshall, or a number of other Hawkeyes who can cause damage.
Also, Clark is the most confident player in the country.
“I think our confidence level of what we have right now is really good,” said Clark following their victory over Maryland on Saturday. “We’ll welcome any defense that any team wants to bring at us.”
Clark said that with a smile on her face, a confident smile from a person who regularly backs up what they say.
Even with Iowa sitting as the favorites entering Sunday, it by no means has to be a repeat of the 83-72 defeat Ohio State suffered in Columbus on Jan. 23. The Hawkeyes are a team the Buckeyes can beat.
This year, Ohio State was humbled by Iowa at home. The Buckeyes were 19-0 and regardless of what was said to the media, it’s hard to imagine that not getting into the heads of players. When Iowa beat Ohio State, the Buckeyes went on to lose four games overall in the two weeks that followed. That’s created a different Scarlet & Gray.
“I think we just regained some confidence that was probably eroded a little bit from some of those losses. That’s part of it,” said McGuff. “Your confidence, your psyche’s a big part of it and I think we’re in a much better place now.”
On top of the psyche, Ohio State’s beaten Iowa in recent history, Jan. 31, 2022. In the game, Mikulášiková and guards Taylor Mikesell and Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes in a 92-88 victory. It’s a game that’ll feel similar to Sunday too, based on the crowd watching.
Iowa University’s campus is four hours south of Minneapolis. All weekend, the Hawkeyes have had consistently the largest crowds. While that gives the team with the support a morale boost, it also motivates opponents to try and quiet them.
Speaking of Sheldon, the guard has come back and made an immediate impact. Sheldon’s played a +10 and +20 performance in her two return games. The last time Iowa and Ohio State competed, Sheldon was injured, taking away depth from the Buckeyes.
Projected Lineups
Lineup Notes
- Against Indiana, both Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry had double-doubles, the first time both Buckeyes have accomplished the feat this season
- Guard Rikki Harris scored 13 points and had six assists versus Indiana, but most importantly she created key steals in the fourth quarter, not to mention the game-winning free throw
- Emma Shumate’s 20 minutes is nine more than her season average of minutes, with McGuff opting for the guard as the second guard off the bench after Sheldon
Lineup Notes
- The starting five is consistent for Iowa, playing through both this season and last season
- Freshman forward Hannah Stuelke won B1G Sixth Player of the Year this season, averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game
- Clark had a triple-double the last time she faced Ohio State, scoring 28 points with 15 assists and 10 rebounds
Prediction
Ohio State will have its hands full but play a more consistent game than it did against Indiana on Saturday. Expect McMahon to attack the basket more, with the freshman working alongside Thierry to guard Clark, unless coach McGuff has a new tactic he’s unleashing in the tournament.
Clark will have a big game, but the Buckeyes will make it more difficult on Czinano. Marshall won’t have a 21-point game as she did against Maryland, playing a more down-to-Earth performance.
It’ll be another close game that will go down to the team who makes the fewest mistakes.
How to Watch
Date: Sunday, March 5, 2023
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Television: ESPN
Stream: ESPN App
LGHL Score Prediction: 88-87 Ohio State Buckeyes
One Week Out
If there was any doubt that the Buckeyes were a top-16 team in the NCAA Tournament, it was erased on Saturday.
On March 12, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, the NCAA announces the tournament field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. After defeating the No. 2 and No. 16 team in the NCAA’s latest top-16 release, no result on Sunday seems like it’ll be enough to klick the Buckeyes out of a spot that allows them to host the first two rounds of the tournament.
However, a win could push Ohio State to a higher seed. Currently, they are in as a No. 3 seed, currently No. 12 in the NCAA top-16 ranking.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State women’s half time talk that made history
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Ohio State women’s half time talk that made history
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The Buckeyes erased a 24-point deficit in Minneapolis to keep their Big Ten Tournament alive
Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff is a family man. McGuff has six children with his wife Letitia. On Saturday at halftime, when the Buckeyes were down 20 points to the No. 1 tournament seeded Indiana Hoosiers, they came to his mind, but not in the way you might think.
“First thought in my head is it’s my son’s confirmation tomorrow, and should I talk to Beth about getting the plane ready so we can get back and I can make that?,” said McGuff. “But then I thought, I don’t want to do it.”
Ohio State didn’t plan any red eye flights, instead they broke a Big Ten record by coming back from 24 points in a 79-75 victory. Before the Buckeyes got there, they had a chat in the halftime locker room. Part of that message, oddly enough, was centered around continuing to do what the Buckeyes did to start the game.
In that first half, Ohio State scored 26 points on 28.6% shooting. In one stretch, the Scarlet & Gray missed 14 shots in a row from the run of play. When it began, the Buckeyes were tied 10-10, but when it ended after 7:41 of game clock, Ohio State was down 14 points to a side who twice this season beat them by double-digits.
“We talked about continuing to get good shots. I thought the shots that we got were fine in the first half,” said McGuff. “We just weren’t making them.”
In the third quarter, it got better. After shooting going 1-for-13 from three-point range in the first half, the Buckeyes went 3-for-8 in the third quarter. Also, their shooting percentage increased nearly 20 points to 42.9%.
Compare that to the Buckeyes’ regular season average of 47.3% and it doesn’t leap off the page. However, when Ohio State is hitting shots, the full court press joins the conversation, and it talks over everything.
“When we had intensity on our press, we got a lot of stops,” said guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry. “Obviously with Jacy (Sheldon) back, it helps us have a lot of energy and pressure in the press. So it shows that we can get stops, and that kind of helped us come back.”
Thierry’s teammate, guard Jacy Sheldon, played her second game in a row and was the defensive catalyst, grabbing a team high four steals, but she was hardly alone in the defensive category.
Point guard Rikki Harris had three steals on top of 13 points and six assists. Harris tied Sheldon in +/- on the night too with +20 point differential when they were on the court. On one steal by Harris, she ended up seated on the media table to dive for an interception and keep it in bounds as she hit the deck.
Thierry and forward Cotie McMahon, who each had double-doubles with 19 points and 12 rebounds for Thierry and 12 points and 14 rebounds for McMahon, each had three steals themselves. Ohio State was everywhere on the court making life extremely tough for the Hoosiers.
Ohio State had nine more attempts from the field in the second half and it wasn’t simply forcing turnovers. When Indiana did shoot, their second half efficiency was 27.6%. That means Buckeyes made it to the right spots to defend. Also, McMahon guarded forward Mackenzie Holmes exclusively all night, without any practice with that pairing before the game.
“She (Holmes) absolutely murdered us the first game and the second game. We had no answer,” said coach McGuff. “We knew we had to make some type of adjustment there, either double her, so we put Cotie on and fronted just to try to keep it out of her hands.”
McMahon grabbed two of her three steals in that position. Indiana is successful because they lob the ball into Holmes and let her use her size, speed and efficiency in the paint. Instead of trying to get between the rim and Holmes,
McGuff’s strategy of not letting her get the ball in the first place was a game-changer. How effective was it? Holmes had two points in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-3 from the floor.
On Jan. 26 and Feb. 13, Holmes scored a combined 59 points against the Buckeyes. Saturday, Holmes ended the night with 12 points. Holmes’ lowest point total in any Big Ten game this season, tying a total she had against Morehead State where the forward only played 18 minutes.
Doing the same thing wasn’t the only halftime adjustment. In the second half, McGuff went for a smaller set of players, bringing in guard Emma Shumate and sitting both forwards Eboni Walker and Rebeka Mikulášiková on the bench.
It worked well considering Shumate’s long arms and ability to defend and block in the paint. Also, it gave the Buckeyes more speed to close down shooters on the perimeter. While small adjustments, they overall paid dividends in the comeback victory.
There was more said by McGuff in that locker room. It explains a lot of what fans saw in the second half.
“The last thing I said, I said, ‘hey, guys, there’s nothing to save this for. We’re not playing until the NCAA Tournament, which is weeks away,’” said McGuff, recalling the halftime talk. “‘So everything we got, we’ve got to show some fight because, if we want to truly play our best basketball down the stretch of the season, we’ve got to fight.’”
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The Buckeyes erased a 24-point deficit in Minneapolis to keep their Big Ten Tournament alive
Ohio State women’s basketball coach Kevin McGuff is a family man. McGuff has six children with his wife Letitia. On Saturday at halftime, when the Buckeyes were down 20 points to the No. 1 tournament seeded Indiana Hoosiers, they came to his mind, but not in the way you might think.
“First thought in my head is it’s my son’s confirmation tomorrow, and should I talk to Beth about getting the plane ready so we can get back and I can make that?,” said McGuff. “But then I thought, I don’t want to do it.”
Ohio State didn’t plan any red eye flights, instead they broke a Big Ten record by coming back from 24 points in a 79-75 victory. Before the Buckeyes got there, they had a chat in the halftime locker room. Part of that message, oddly enough, was centered around continuing to do what the Buckeyes did to start the game.
In that first half, Ohio State scored 26 points on 28.6% shooting. In one stretch, the Scarlet & Gray missed 14 shots in a row from the run of play. When it began, the Buckeyes were tied 10-10, but when it ended after 7:41 of game clock, Ohio State was down 14 points to a side who twice this season beat them by double-digits.
“We talked about continuing to get good shots. I thought the shots that we got were fine in the first half,” said McGuff. “We just weren’t making them.”
In the third quarter, it got better. After shooting going 1-for-13 from three-point range in the first half, the Buckeyes went 3-for-8 in the third quarter. Also, their shooting percentage increased nearly 20 points to 42.9%.
Compare that to the Buckeyes’ regular season average of 47.3% and it doesn’t leap off the page. However, when Ohio State is hitting shots, the full court press joins the conversation, and it talks over everything.
“When we had intensity on our press, we got a lot of stops,” said guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry. “Obviously with Jacy (Sheldon) back, it helps us have a lot of energy and pressure in the press. So it shows that we can get stops, and that kind of helped us come back.”
Thierry’s teammate, guard Jacy Sheldon, played her second game in a row and was the defensive catalyst, grabbing a team high four steals, but she was hardly alone in the defensive category.
Point guard Rikki Harris had three steals on top of 13 points and six assists. Harris tied Sheldon in +/- on the night too with +20 point differential when they were on the court. On one steal by Harris, she ended up seated on the media table to dive for an interception and keep it in bounds as she hit the deck.
Q4 | Defenseoffense, courtesy of @rik_2019 and Taylor Thierry!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/7r7NxUUSsH
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) March 4, 2023
Thierry and forward Cotie McMahon, who each had double-doubles with 19 points and 12 rebounds for Thierry and 12 points and 14 rebounds for McMahon, each had three steals themselves. Ohio State was everywhere on the court making life extremely tough for the Hoosiers.
Ohio State had nine more attempts from the field in the second half and it wasn’t simply forcing turnovers. When Indiana did shoot, their second half efficiency was 27.6%. That means Buckeyes made it to the right spots to defend. Also, McMahon guarded forward Mackenzie Holmes exclusively all night, without any practice with that pairing before the game.
“She (Holmes) absolutely murdered us the first game and the second game. We had no answer,” said coach McGuff. “We knew we had to make some type of adjustment there, either double her, so we put Cotie on and fronted just to try to keep it out of her hands.”
McMahon grabbed two of her three steals in that position. Indiana is successful because they lob the ball into Holmes and let her use her size, speed and efficiency in the paint. Instead of trying to get between the rim and Holmes,
McGuff’s strategy of not letting her get the ball in the first place was a game-changer. How effective was it? Holmes had two points in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-3 from the floor.
On Jan. 26 and Feb. 13, Holmes scored a combined 59 points against the Buckeyes. Saturday, Holmes ended the night with 12 points. Holmes’ lowest point total in any Big Ten game this season, tying a total she had against Morehead State where the forward only played 18 minutes.
Doing the same thing wasn’t the only halftime adjustment. In the second half, McGuff went for a smaller set of players, bringing in guard Emma Shumate and sitting both forwards Eboni Walker and Rebeka Mikulášiková on the bench.
It worked well considering Shumate’s long arms and ability to defend and block in the paint. Also, it gave the Buckeyes more speed to close down shooters on the perimeter. While small adjustments, they overall paid dividends in the comeback victory.
There was more said by McGuff in that locker room. It explains a lot of what fans saw in the second half.
“The last thing I said, I said, ‘hey, guys, there’s nothing to save this for. We’re not playing until the NCAA Tournament, which is weeks away,’” said McGuff, recalling the halftime talk. “‘So everything we got, we’ve got to show some fight because, if we want to truly play our best basketball down the stretch of the season, we’ve got to fight.’”
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LGHL Ohio State has largest comeback in B1G tournament history, beating Indiana 79-75
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Ohio State has largest comeback in B1G tournament history, beating Indiana 79-75
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
After two defeats to the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes had one more chance to get into the win column on Saturday
The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament continued Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although the fun of upsets weren’t evident in the later rounds of the five-round tournament, with all four top seeds advancing to the semifinals, a match-up between the strongest in the conference was must see basketball. The first of two semifinals games featured the Ohio State women’s basketball team and the Indiana Hoosiers.
After losing both games against the Hoosiers this season, and four straight entering Saturday, the Buckeyes got over the hump, beating the Hoosiers 79-75. They did it after coming back from down 24 points, the largest comeback in Big Ten Tournament history.
With the win, the Scarlet & Gray head back to the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time since a 2020 loss to the Maryland Terrapins.
Ohio State started the game with a second straight appearance by guard Jacy Sheldon, who returned Friday after playing once since Nov. 30, 2022. Also in good injury news was point guard Rikki Harris back in the lineup after suffering a late fall on Friday against the Michigan Wolverines.
From the tip-off, the Hoosiers had the momentum. It started with a three-point shot by Indiana guard Grace Berger, only her 10th from distance this season. After almost three minutes, Indiana went up six points, and it felt like a Buckeyes timeout was incoming.
Instead, head coach Kevin McGuff let the Scarlet & Gray work out of it, and they did. In less than a minute, the Buckeyes wiped the deficit away thanks to a trio of layups. The first came from an impressive pass through three defenders by Harris, who found guard Taylor Thierry on the other end for an open make.
Then, picking up where she left off Friday, forward Cotie McMahon did a spin move to get through Berger and forward Mackenzie Holmes, making the layup. After trading free throws, it looked like it could be a more evenly matched game but instead the Hoosiers went streaking.
Ohio State missed their next 10 shots while Indiana went on an 11-point run. A stretch of 5:34 without a single shot made by the Buckeyes, going into the second quarter down 12-23.
It continued into the second quarter, with the Buckeyes starting with a travel violation right off the inbound pass. Nothing was working For Ohio State in the slightest.
For example, the Scarlet & Gray grabbed a steal, the second by McMahon, and went down the court attempting a layup. That attempt missed, as was a follow-up offensive rebound and attempt by Thierry. On the subsequent Indiana possession, guard Sydney Parrish drained a three, extending their Hoosiers streak to 16 points.
It would continue to get worse for the Buckeyes.
The Scarlet & Gray missed 14 shots in a row from the midway point of the first quarter into the second quarter. From there, it didn’t get much better, going 5-for-14 for the remainder of the half.
Hurting the Buckeyes the most were shots from beyond the arc. Ohio State entered the locker room 1-for-13 from deep, with the lone make coming from substitute forward Rebeka Mikulášiková with 54 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
At that point, the Hoosiers offense wasn’t slowing down scoring 46 first half points. Ohio State scored the last four points of the half but it only lowered their deficit to 20 points entering the locker room, down 46-26.
It seemed like the Buckeyes were out, but the third quarter was some of the best basketball Ohio State’s played all season. The Scarlet & Gray outscored the Hoosiers 27-17 in the third quarter, didn’t have a single turnover and forced five from Indiana.
Ohio State accomplished it with their full court press. Sheldon had two steals along with Harris and Thierry grabbing one apiece. They forced Indiana to have their worst shooting quarter of the game, going 4-for-10, compared to 21 attempts by the Buckeyes.
Leading the way offensively for Ohio State were Thierry and Harris. The two scored eight and seven respectively and at the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes were down only 10 after being down 20 points at the half.
That clean basketball in the third was replaced with a tough start to the fourth quarter. Ohio State had three turnovers in the first 3:37 of the fourth quarter. In that span, Indiana pushed their lead back up to double-digits with Ohio State getting it down to five in the first two minutes of the final quarter, scoring the first five of the last 10 minutes of the game.
Again the Buckeyes shrunk the lead thanks to forcing turnovers. Harris had two following a timeout to bring the game back within five points. Of the two, one of them saw Harris leap in the air and land on the media table with Thierry getting a layup and bonus shot on a foul.
Then, after being down 24 points in the second quarter and down 10 points the start of the fourth quarter, Ohio State got their first lead since the 17 second mark in the first quarter.
Sheldon and Mikesell outscored IU in their own 8-3 run. With 1:10 remaining, after IU got the one point lead, Thierry got Ohio State back in the lead with with two free throws.
Indiana had the ball after the free throws and Holmes hit the layup with 45.4 second remaining, putting the Hoosiers up 75-74. The Buckeyes had possession and a timeout to draw up a play.
Harris hit the layup on the inbound, giving Indiana the ball with a one-point deficit with 37.9 seconds remaining. Berger missed the layup and Ohio State had the ball back with 26 seconds remaining and two shots from Indiana going to the bonus. Mikesell hit one of two free throws giving the Buckeyes a two-point lead.
Ohio State pulled off the unquestionable though, holding the lead thanks to hitting free throws in the bonus. The Buckeyes win 79-75.
This season, guard Taylor Mikesell played 13 games where she hit all 40 minutes of game time. All season, she averages 35.6 minutes per game, but heading into the fourth quarter, Mikesell had only 21 minutes. In none of the quarters did the guard play all 10 minutes. That could be a tactic for staying healthy with the NCAA Tournament looming or more.
Playing the No. 2 team in the country and conference champions doesn’t allow for much room for error. Ohio State’s first half was a hole that looked too large to get out of after 1-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc plagued the Buckeyes in the first half.
The Buckeyes recovered from the tough shooting half and got back into within single digits, but a lot of questions surround what could have been if shots fell in the first half.
With Ohio State’s victory, the Buckeyes sit and wait for the winner of the other semifinal between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Maryland Terrapins. Ohio State is 0-3 against the two teams this season, losing twice to Maryland and once at home to the Hawkeyes.
If the Scarlet & Gray pull out the final victory, it’ll be their sixth win overall, but fifth official win with the 2018 title vacated by the NCAA.
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1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
After two defeats to the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes had one more chance to get into the win column on Saturday
The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament continued Saturday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although the fun of upsets weren’t evident in the later rounds of the five-round tournament, with all four top seeds advancing to the semifinals, a match-up between the strongest in the conference was must see basketball. The first of two semifinals games featured the Ohio State women’s basketball team and the Indiana Hoosiers.
After losing both games against the Hoosiers this season, and four straight entering Saturday, the Buckeyes got over the hump, beating the Hoosiers 79-75. They did it after coming back from down 24 points, the largest comeback in Big Ten Tournament history.
With the win, the Scarlet & Gray head back to the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time since a 2020 loss to the Maryland Terrapins.
Ohio State started the game with a second straight appearance by guard Jacy Sheldon, who returned Friday after playing once since Nov. 30, 2022. Also in good injury news was point guard Rikki Harris back in the lineup after suffering a late fall on Friday against the Michigan Wolverines.
From the tip-off, the Hoosiers had the momentum. It started with a three-point shot by Indiana guard Grace Berger, only her 10th from distance this season. After almost three minutes, Indiana went up six points, and it felt like a Buckeyes timeout was incoming.
Instead, head coach Kevin McGuff let the Scarlet & Gray work out of it, and they did. In less than a minute, the Buckeyes wiped the deficit away thanks to a trio of layups. The first came from an impressive pass through three defenders by Harris, who found guard Taylor Thierry on the other end for an open make.
Then, picking up where she left off Friday, forward Cotie McMahon did a spin move to get through Berger and forward Mackenzie Holmes, making the layup. After trading free throws, it looked like it could be a more evenly matched game but instead the Hoosiers went streaking.
Ohio State missed their next 10 shots while Indiana went on an 11-point run. A stretch of 5:34 without a single shot made by the Buckeyes, going into the second quarter down 12-23.
It continued into the second quarter, with the Buckeyes starting with a travel violation right off the inbound pass. Nothing was working For Ohio State in the slightest.
For example, the Scarlet & Gray grabbed a steal, the second by McMahon, and went down the court attempting a layup. That attempt missed, as was a follow-up offensive rebound and attempt by Thierry. On the subsequent Indiana possession, guard Sydney Parrish drained a three, extending their Hoosiers streak to 16 points.
It would continue to get worse for the Buckeyes.
The Scarlet & Gray missed 14 shots in a row from the midway point of the first quarter into the second quarter. From there, it didn’t get much better, going 5-for-14 for the remainder of the half.
Hurting the Buckeyes the most were shots from beyond the arc. Ohio State entered the locker room 1-for-13 from deep, with the lone make coming from substitute forward Rebeka Mikulášiková with 54 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
At that point, the Hoosiers offense wasn’t slowing down scoring 46 first half points. Ohio State scored the last four points of the half but it only lowered their deficit to 20 points entering the locker room, down 46-26.
It seemed like the Buckeyes were out, but the third quarter was some of the best basketball Ohio State’s played all season. The Scarlet & Gray outscored the Hoosiers 27-17 in the third quarter, didn’t have a single turnover and forced five from Indiana.
Ohio State accomplished it with their full court press. Sheldon had two steals along with Harris and Thierry grabbing one apiece. They forced Indiana to have their worst shooting quarter of the game, going 4-for-10, compared to 21 attempts by the Buckeyes.
Leading the way offensively for Ohio State were Thierry and Harris. The two scored eight and seven respectively and at the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes were down only 10 after being down 20 points at the half.
That clean basketball in the third was replaced with a tough start to the fourth quarter. Ohio State had three turnovers in the first 3:37 of the fourth quarter. In that span, Indiana pushed their lead back up to double-digits with Ohio State getting it down to five in the first two minutes of the final quarter, scoring the first five of the last 10 minutes of the game.
Again the Buckeyes shrunk the lead thanks to forcing turnovers. Harris had two following a timeout to bring the game back within five points. Of the two, one of them saw Harris leap in the air and land on the media table with Thierry getting a layup and bonus shot on a foul.
Then, after being down 24 points in the second quarter and down 10 points the start of the fourth quarter, Ohio State got their first lead since the 17 second mark in the first quarter.
Sheldon and Mikesell outscored IU in their own 8-3 run. With 1:10 remaining, after IU got the one point lead, Thierry got Ohio State back in the lead with with two free throws.
Indiana had the ball after the free throws and Holmes hit the layup with 45.4 second remaining, putting the Hoosiers up 75-74. The Buckeyes had possession and a timeout to draw up a play.
Harris hit the layup on the inbound, giving Indiana the ball with a one-point deficit with 37.9 seconds remaining. Berger missed the layup and Ohio State had the ball back with 26 seconds remaining and two shots from Indiana going to the bonus. Mikesell hit one of two free throws giving the Buckeyes a two-point lead.
Ohio State pulled off the unquestionable though, holding the lead thanks to hitting free throws in the bonus. The Buckeyes win 79-75.
Taylor Mikesell Minutes Limited
This season, guard Taylor Mikesell played 13 games where she hit all 40 minutes of game time. All season, she averages 35.6 minutes per game, but heading into the fourth quarter, Mikesell had only 21 minutes. In none of the quarters did the guard play all 10 minutes. That could be a tactic for staying healthy with the NCAA Tournament looming or more.
Shooting from Deep
Playing the No. 2 team in the country and conference champions doesn’t allow for much room for error. Ohio State’s first half was a hole that looked too large to get out of after 1-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc plagued the Buckeyes in the first half.
The Buckeyes recovered from the tough shooting half and got back into within single digits, but a lot of questions surround what could have been if shots fell in the first half.
What’s Next
With Ohio State’s victory, the Buckeyes sit and wait for the winner of the other semifinal between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Maryland Terrapins. Ohio State is 0-3 against the two teams this season, losing twice to Maryland and once at home to the Hawkeyes.
If the Scarlet & Gray pull out the final victory, it’ll be their sixth win overall, but fifth official win with the 2018 title vacated by the NCAA.
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LGHL Ohio State battles but comes up empty in East Lansing in season finale, 84-78
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Ohio State battles but comes up empty in East Lansing in season finale, 84-78
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State still has not won in East Lansing since 2011. Some things never change!
On Saturday afternoon Ohio State had the chance to end the regular season on a three-game winning streak, spoil someone’s senior day, and also deny a team that already beat them a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
The catch? That team is Michigan State, who already beat the Buckeyes by 21 this season. On top of that, head coach Chris Holtmann had never won at Breslin leading into today’s game. The streak extends beyond Holtmann’s tenure, though — the Buckeyes haven’t won at Breslin since March of 2011.
And after 40 minutes of grueling basketball in front of a nearly sold-out crown in East Lansing, we learned that the aforementioned streak is going to extend at least one more year, with the Spartans downing the Buckeyes 84-78.
Ohio State stuck with the same starting five they’ve been rolling with since Zed Key went down with a shoulder injury. Bruce Thornton started at guard alongside Roddy Gayle. Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing were the starting forwards, with Felix Okpara — coming off his first career double-double — at center.
Honoring their seniors, Tom Izzo went with a starting five of Tyson Walker, Jason Whitens, A.J. Hoggard, Malik Hall, and Joey Hauser.
The Spartans jumped ahead in the first few minutes. After Sueing’s right-handed layup made it 4-2 Ohio State one minute into the game, MSU went on an 8-0 run to go ahead 10-4 and force the Buckeyes to call timeout. Hall missed each of his first two three-point attempts, but his third try in the opening minutes dropped from the right wing to make it 10-4, and the crowd erupted for the senior three minutes into the game.
The Spartans used a 15-0 run to put Ohio State down 13 early, but the Buckeyes scored on three of four possessions after that to get back within 10 by the nine-minute mark. Sueing hit a baseline jumper to get the Bucks back within eight after that, but Sensabaugh left Hauser wide open on the following possession for the easiest three of his life, which he nailed. The Spartans led 25-14 at the under-eight media timeout with 7:59 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes kept the Spartans on their heels a bit trying to make it a one-possession game in the first half, but could not get it back to that point after the 16-minute mark. Ohio State cut the deficit to four points more than once, but went into the halftime locker room trailing Michigan State 43-34. The Spartans shot 56.7% in the first half and knocked down 8 of their 14 threes, good for 57.1%. Ohio State, conversely, shot 44% overall in the first half and knocked down four of their 10 tries from deep.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second half, with the Spartans hitting four of their first five and Ohio State knocking down five of their first six. Michigan State’s held a 54-46 lead at the under-16 media timeout with 15:42 remaining in the game. The Ohio State offense looked well-equipped to win this game, but the defense continued to lag.
The teams continued to go tit-for-tat during the second half, with Michigan State’s lead hovering between six and nine points for most of the half. Ohio State would cut it to six or seven, and MSU would answer and push it back to nine or 10. A Sean McNeil three — his second of the game — got Ohio State back within 64-57 with 7:55 left in the game.
Thornton knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game to get the Buckeyes back within three points with five minutes remaining, but the Buckeyes just weren’t able to overcome that early hole they put themselves in early in the first half, as they ultimately fell to the Spartans on senior day in East Lansing.
If you weren’t around today to catch Ohio State’s season finale at MSU, here are a few key moments and runs that ultimately helped propel the Spartans to a win on senior day:
Malik Hall entered today’s game as a 40% three-point shooter this season, but missed each of his first two tries in the early going. The crowd wanted to cheer for their four-year senior guard, but he clanked each of the first two tries. But with Michigan State in the middle of a 5-0 run, Hall knocked his third try down in transition to put the Spartans up 10-4 at the 16:22 mark of the first half.
After going up 4-2 in the first minute of the game, Ohio State then proceeded to miss their next eight shots while Michigan State knocked down six of their next 11. This equated to a 15-0 MSU run over the course of 6:30 of game time, putting the Spartans up 17-4 by the 13-minute mark. Okpara scored over the top of Kohler one minute later to make it 17-6 and officially end the Buckeyes’ lengthy cold streak.
After Sensabaugh left Hauser wide open for an easy three to put the Spartans up 11, Sueing went down to the other end and was fouled by Hauser at the basket. He knocked down both free throws to get OSU back within 25-16 — the first time trailing by single digits in over seven minutes.
Trailing 25-16 with roughly eight minutes left in the first half, the Buckeyes followed Sueing’s free throws with five more points — a dunk from Okpara and a three from McNeil — to get back within four points.
However, Hall answered the Buckeyes’ run with a little 5-0 run of his own, scoring on back-to-back possessions to put the Spartans up 30-21 with 5:28 remaining in the first half.
Ohio State came out of the locker room and looked for Sensabaugh right away to start the second half, with the freshman wing knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to bring MSU’s lead down to six. Gayle also got Hauser to bite on a shot fake and drive from the left corner, forcing Izzo to call timeout after the Buckeyes started the half making each of their first four shots.
However, the Spartans hit three of their first four themselves, and still led 50-44 2:45 into the second stanza.
After Thornton’s third three-pointer of the day got Ohio State back within seven points with 14:35 left, Hauser canned a triple from the corner to put the Spartans back up 10. After McNeil missed a three on the other end, Walker sprinted in transition and scored over Thornton to make it 61-49 Michigan State with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes fell behind by a dozen points with 12 minutes remaining in the game, but went on a 15-6 run over the next five-plus minutes to get right back in it. Thornton knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the day with 5:28 remaining to get the Buckeyes back within three points, 67-64.
Ohio State (13-18, 5-15) has three days off before beginning play Wednesday night in the Big Ten Tournament as the 13-seed. They will face off with the 12-seed, which is yet to be determined. Ohio State could wind up facing Penn State, Wisconsin, or Nebraska, depending on how those three teams do in their final game of the season. Ohio State’s first-round BTT game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State still has not won in East Lansing since 2011. Some things never change!
On Saturday afternoon Ohio State had the chance to end the regular season on a three-game winning streak, spoil someone’s senior day, and also deny a team that already beat them a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
The catch? That team is Michigan State, who already beat the Buckeyes by 21 this season. On top of that, head coach Chris Holtmann had never won at Breslin leading into today’s game. The streak extends beyond Holtmann’s tenure, though — the Buckeyes haven’t won at Breslin since March of 2011.
And after 40 minutes of grueling basketball in front of a nearly sold-out crown in East Lansing, we learned that the aforementioned streak is going to extend at least one more year, with the Spartans downing the Buckeyes 84-78.
Ohio State stuck with the same starting five they’ve been rolling with since Zed Key went down with a shoulder injury. Bruce Thornton started at guard alongside Roddy Gayle. Brice Sensabaugh and Justice Sueing were the starting forwards, with Felix Okpara — coming off his first career double-double — at center.
Honoring their seniors, Tom Izzo went with a starting five of Tyson Walker, Jason Whitens, A.J. Hoggard, Malik Hall, and Joey Hauser.
The Spartans jumped ahead in the first few minutes. After Sueing’s right-handed layup made it 4-2 Ohio State one minute into the game, MSU went on an 8-0 run to go ahead 10-4 and force the Buckeyes to call timeout. Hall missed each of his first two three-point attempts, but his third try in the opening minutes dropped from the right wing to make it 10-4, and the crowd erupted for the senior three minutes into the game.
The Spartans used a 15-0 run to put Ohio State down 13 early, but the Buckeyes scored on three of four possessions after that to get back within 10 by the nine-minute mark. Sueing hit a baseline jumper to get the Bucks back within eight after that, but Sensabaugh left Hauser wide open on the following possession for the easiest three of his life, which he nailed. The Spartans led 25-14 at the under-eight media timeout with 7:59 left in the first half.
The Buckeyes kept the Spartans on their heels a bit trying to make it a one-possession game in the first half, but could not get it back to that point after the 16-minute mark. Ohio State cut the deficit to four points more than once, but went into the halftime locker room trailing Michigan State 43-34. The Spartans shot 56.7% in the first half and knocked down 8 of their 14 threes, good for 57.1%. Ohio State, conversely, shot 44% overall in the first half and knocked down four of their 10 tries from deep.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second half, with the Spartans hitting four of their first five and Ohio State knocking down five of their first six. Michigan State’s held a 54-46 lead at the under-16 media timeout with 15:42 remaining in the game. The Ohio State offense looked well-equipped to win this game, but the defense continued to lag.
The teams continued to go tit-for-tat during the second half, with Michigan State’s lead hovering between six and nine points for most of the half. Ohio State would cut it to six or seven, and MSU would answer and push it back to nine or 10. A Sean McNeil three — his second of the game — got Ohio State back within 64-57 with 7:55 left in the game.
Thornton knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game to get the Buckeyes back within three points with five minutes remaining, but the Buckeyes just weren’t able to overcome that early hole they put themselves in early in the first half, as they ultimately fell to the Spartans on senior day in East Lansing.
If you weren’t around today to catch Ohio State’s season finale at MSU, here are a few key moments and runs that ultimately helped propel the Spartans to a win on senior day:
Third time’s the charm for Hall
Malik Hall entered today’s game as a 40% three-point shooter this season, but missed each of his first two tries in the early going. The crowd wanted to cheer for their four-year senior guard, but he clanked each of the first two tries. But with Michigan State in the middle of a 5-0 run, Hall knocked his third try down in transition to put the Spartans up 10-4 at the 16:22 mark of the first half.
Spartans go on 15-0 run to put Buckeyes behind the 8-ball
After going up 4-2 in the first minute of the game, Ohio State then proceeded to miss their next eight shots while Michigan State knocked down six of their next 11. This equated to a 15-0 MSU run over the course of 6:30 of game time, putting the Spartans up 17-4 by the 13-minute mark. Okpara scored over the top of Kohler one minute later to make it 17-6 and officially end the Buckeyes’ lengthy cold streak.
Sueing cuts the deficit back to single digits
After Sensabaugh left Hauser wide open for an easy three to put the Spartans up 11, Sueing went down to the other end and was fouled by Hauser at the basket. He knocked down both free throws to get OSU back within 25-16 — the first time trailing by single digits in over seven minutes.
Hall answers Ohio State’s run with his own
Trailing 25-16 with roughly eight minutes left in the first half, the Buckeyes followed Sueing’s free throws with five more points — a dunk from Okpara and a three from McNeil — to get back within four points.
However, Hall answered the Buckeyes’ run with a little 5-0 run of his own, scoring on back-to-back possessions to put the Spartans up 30-21 with 5:28 remaining in the first half.
Buckeyes hit their first four shots of the second half, cut MSU lead to six
Ohio State came out of the locker room and looked for Sensabaugh right away to start the second half, with the freshman wing knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to bring MSU’s lead down to six. Gayle also got Hauser to bite on a shot fake and drive from the left corner, forcing Izzo to call timeout after the Buckeyes started the half making each of their first four shots.
However, the Spartans hit three of their first four themselves, and still led 50-44 2:45 into the second stanza.
Walker’s transition layup puts Spartans up a dozen
After Thornton’s third three-pointer of the day got Ohio State back within seven points with 14:35 left, Hauser canned a triple from the corner to put the Spartans back up 10. After McNeil missed a three on the other end, Walker sprinted in transition and scored over Thornton to make it 61-49 Michigan State with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
Thornton’s three makes it a one-possession game
The Buckeyes fell behind by a dozen points with 12 minutes remaining in the game, but went on a 15-6 run over the next five-plus minutes to get right back in it. Thornton knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the day with 5:28 remaining to get the Buckeyes back within three points, 67-64.
Up Next:
Ohio State (13-18, 5-15) has three days off before beginning play Wednesday night in the Big Ten Tournament as the 13-seed. They will face off with the 12-seed, which is yet to be determined. Ohio State could wind up facing Penn State, Wisconsin, or Nebraska, depending on how those three teams do in their final game of the season. Ohio State’s first-round BTT game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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LGHL Ohio State women’s last minute stand against Michigan
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Ohio State women’s last minute stand against Michigan
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
What was going through their heads and looking into the plan that let the Buckeyes hold on against the Wolverines
On Friday, Feb. 24, the Ohio State women’s basketball team were two points down against the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins with less than 10 seconds remaining. The Buckeyes lost that game when freshman Cotie McMahon made a second chance shot but less than a second later than the sounding of the buzzer. Friday, in the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Buckeyes were on the other side of a similar situation.
With 23 seconds remaining, the Michigan Wolverines had possession, down 81-79 to the Scarlet & Gray. The Maize & Blue’s goal was to do what the Buckeyes couldn’t do exactly one week prior.
The possession came off a turnover from Ohio State, who were up five points 20 seconds earlier. That’s when Michigan guard Maddie Nolan cut that to the two-point lead Ohio State was forced to defend when she hit a three-point shot prior to the Buckeyes turnover. Outside of obviously stopping a shot, there were other focuses.
“If we foul, they were going to go to the line and could have had an opportunity to tie the game,” said guard Taylor Thierry. “So honestly, like I said, being aggressive but not overly aggressive to where they get a call.”
For head coach Kevin McGuff, he was concerned about the Buckeyes defense. Earlier in the game, Ohio State’s out-of-bounds inbound defense led to easy chances for Michigan.
“So I was concerned about that, I was screaming about that, making sure we didn’t do the same thing and giving them a layup,” said McGuff.
The Wolverines had multiple options available to them at that moment. Thierry thought it would go two ways. The first was guard Maddie Nolan, who entered the final possessions with three shots from deep already and 16 points on the day. The other is the obvious choice in guard Leigha Brown, Michigan’s leading scorer.
Michigan had options beyond that too. Over the last three games, including the Big Ten second round against Penn State, forward Emily Kiser averaged 21.3 points per game. Kiser also plays a position that the Buckeyes haven’t always done well at stopping inside the paint.
Ohio State had a steep challenge to stand in front of Wolverines players and not let the role players of Michigan play those roles. Instead, a backdoor cut found guard Elise Stuck with the ball. With the defense’s back to Stuck, McMahon swung around and timed a block without fouling. The ball flew out of bounds with 10.3 seconds remaining. Michigan ball.
“I thought we forced them to shoot over us, which was the goal, and everybody crashed the boards,” said coach McGuff.
It was a high pressure situation for sure. After three single possession results in the second round of the tournament, the Buckeyes and Wolverines game was the closest in the quarterfinals. With those 10.3 seconds, Michigan went to Brown.
“So it felt like we had to buckle down and focus on one thing, and that was getting the stop,” said McMahon.
That’s what Ohio State did. With defensive pressure and the awareness to avoid fouling, Brown was in the lane, with bodies surrounding her, going for the game-tying layup. Brown missed the attempt but picked up the offensive rebound, retreating to more open ground and a midrange shot.
Brown got the last shot off with too much muscle, sending the ball beyond the rim and rebounded by McMahon who grabbed the ball, sprinted away from the basket and towards her bench to celebrate as time expired.
Although it only took 23 seconds, for the Buckeyes it felt like an eternity.
“I don’t know, just felt like it took about 67 seconds,” said coach McGuff, relieved following the victory.”
The 81-79 win is important, and the defensive stand is something to celebrate, but as is the life of an athlete, especially in a day-after-day tournament, the successes are immediately forgotten. Instead, the focus shifts to the next steep challenge for the Buckeyes: Try to beat the Indiana Hoosiers.
“Yeah, definitely going into this next game we’re going to have a lot more energy,” said Thierry. “We won this game, that’s great, but we’re moving on to the next because the most important game is the next one.”
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What was going through their heads and looking into the plan that let the Buckeyes hold on against the Wolverines
On Friday, Feb. 24, the Ohio State women’s basketball team were two points down against the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins with less than 10 seconds remaining. The Buckeyes lost that game when freshman Cotie McMahon made a second chance shot but less than a second later than the sounding of the buzzer. Friday, in the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Buckeyes were on the other side of a similar situation.
With 23 seconds remaining, the Michigan Wolverines had possession, down 81-79 to the Scarlet & Gray. The Maize & Blue’s goal was to do what the Buckeyes couldn’t do exactly one week prior.
The possession came off a turnover from Ohio State, who were up five points 20 seconds earlier. That’s when Michigan guard Maddie Nolan cut that to the two-point lead Ohio State was forced to defend when she hit a three-point shot prior to the Buckeyes turnover. Outside of obviously stopping a shot, there were other focuses.
“If we foul, they were going to go to the line and could have had an opportunity to tie the game,” said guard Taylor Thierry. “So honestly, like I said, being aggressive but not overly aggressive to where they get a call.”
For head coach Kevin McGuff, he was concerned about the Buckeyes defense. Earlier in the game, Ohio State’s out-of-bounds inbound defense led to easy chances for Michigan.
“So I was concerned about that, I was screaming about that, making sure we didn’t do the same thing and giving them a layup,” said McGuff.
The Wolverines had multiple options available to them at that moment. Thierry thought it would go two ways. The first was guard Maddie Nolan, who entered the final possessions with three shots from deep already and 16 points on the day. The other is the obvious choice in guard Leigha Brown, Michigan’s leading scorer.
Michigan had options beyond that too. Over the last three games, including the Big Ten second round against Penn State, forward Emily Kiser averaged 21.3 points per game. Kiser also plays a position that the Buckeyes haven’t always done well at stopping inside the paint.
Ohio State had a steep challenge to stand in front of Wolverines players and not let the role players of Michigan play those roles. Instead, a backdoor cut found guard Elise Stuck with the ball. With the defense’s back to Stuck, McMahon swung around and timed a block without fouling. The ball flew out of bounds with 10.3 seconds remaining. Michigan ball.
“I thought we forced them to shoot over us, which was the goal, and everybody crashed the boards,” said coach McGuff.
It was a high pressure situation for sure. After three single possession results in the second round of the tournament, the Buckeyes and Wolverines game was the closest in the quarterfinals. With those 10.3 seconds, Michigan went to Brown.
“So it felt like we had to buckle down and focus on one thing, and that was getting the stop,” said McMahon.
That’s what Ohio State did. With defensive pressure and the awareness to avoid fouling, Brown was in the lane, with bodies surrounding her, going for the game-tying layup. Brown missed the attempt but picked up the offensive rebound, retreating to more open ground and a midrange shot.
Brown got the last shot off with too much muscle, sending the ball beyond the rim and rebounded by McMahon who grabbed the ball, sprinted away from the basket and towards her bench to celebrate as time expired.
Although it only took 23 seconds, for the Buckeyes it felt like an eternity.
“I don’t know, just felt like it took about 67 seconds,” said coach McGuff, relieved following the victory.”
The 81-79 win is important, and the defensive stand is something to celebrate, but as is the life of an athlete, especially in a day-after-day tournament, the successes are immediately forgotten. Instead, the focus shifts to the next steep challenge for the Buckeyes: Try to beat the Indiana Hoosiers.
“Yeah, definitely going into this next game we’re going to have a lot more energy,” said Thierry. “We won this game, that’s great, but we’re moving on to the next because the most important game is the next one.”
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