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LGHL Ohio State Women’s March Madness Memories: Ohio State takes down UConn
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Ohio State Women’s March Madness Memories: Ohio State takes down UConn
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In 2023, freshman Cotie McMahon surprised legendary head coach Geno Auriemma in the Sweet Sixteen.
In 2018, Central Michigan shocked Ohio State women’s basketball in Columbus in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a 78-95 rout against the No. 11 seeded Chippewas. The Buckeyes waited five years to host the tournament at the Schottenstein Center again, and that came to fruition in 2023.
Senior point guard Jacy Sheldon hit the game-winning shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Second Round, which sent the Buckeyes to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017.
For the Scarlet and Gray, Sheldon and backcourt partner Taylor Mikesell led Ohio State in the prior season, accounting for nearly half of the Buckeyes’ 78.2 points per game and winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
Ohio State’s victory over UNC came in a tumultuous season for injuries with Sheldon missing 23 games with a foot injury and redshirt junior guard Madison Greene tearing her ACL for a second straight season.
The entire season felt like an underdog story. Through the lineup struggles, a three-game losing streak in conference play and getting blown out in the Big Ten Tournament final against the Iowa Hawkeyes, there were moments that showed Ohio State still was not an underdog by any means.
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side won 19 games to start the regular season, including double-digit comeback victories against a ranked Tennessee Volunteers, the USF Bulls and Illinois Fighting Illini. In the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Ohio State raised a 24-point deficit to defeat the Indiana Hoosiers for the first time in over two years.
Even so, the Buckeyes’ win over the Tar Heels earned the Scarlet and Gray a trip to Seattle, Washington to face the UConn Huskies, the powerhouse of college powerhouses. Head coach Geno Auriemma led UConn to 11 National Championships. In 2023, Auriemma’s Huskies made it to 16 consecutive Elite Eights, and in six previous matchups UConn beat the Buckeyes by an average of 26.3 points per game, five of those coming with McGuff at the helm.
None of that deterred freshman forward Cotie McMahon, always known as a player who will share what is on her mind.
“I’m excited,” said freshman Cotie McMahon. “I want to play UConn so bad.”
For years, UConn was the focal point of college basketball after winning four consecutive national titles twice. The 2023 edition did not feature guard Paige Bueckers, who missed the season due to an ACL tear. UConn still had the 2021 No. 1 overall high school prospect in guard Azzi Fudd, junior forward Aaliyah Edwards and a pair of transfers in Lou Lopez Senechal and former Ohio State forward Dorka Juhász.
UConn was a 10.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes for the Saturday evening matchup and Husky fans and media outlets spent more time looking ahead to Elite Eight opponents than a serious look into the matchup between the two teams. It also seemed like Auriemma and his staff did the same.
In the first 4:03 of the opening quarter, UConn scored 10 of the first 12 points. Ohio State made it respectable early, but could not stop a diverse Huskies attack and with over two minutes left in the first quarter, the deficit sat at eight points. Ohio State scored the next 18 points, holding UConn to a scoreless run of 7:09 that stretched from the first into midway through the second quarter.
Senior forward Eboni Walker scored four points and added three assists in the first quarter and a half while McMahon scored 14 points with two assists in the same period, backing up the desire to play the most successful program in women’s basketball history with action.
The first basket for McMahon came on a rebound where the freshman grabbed the board on the defensive end and was not interested in running a play offensively. McMahon ran the length of the court to make a layup around Edwards. It foreshadowed the entire game and eventual victory for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State swung the game from an eight-point deficit to a nine-point lead in the second quarter, and hit a first half high 11-point lead. McMahon only scored four points in the second half, but other Buckeyes stepped into her place. Mikesell, who played through injury for the postseason stretch scored nine second half points, while in visible pain on the court.
Guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry had a team-high four steals, part of a 25-turnover day for UConn. Sheldon scored 17 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The Buckeyes did not only beat the Huskies, they completely stifled them in a 73-61 Sweet Sixteen victory for Ohio State, the program’s second in 26 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The freshman McMahon led the Buckeyes with 23 points, hitting two shots from beyond the arc for only the third time that season.
After the game, McMahon’s excitement that followed the UNC win, specifically wanting to play UConn, turned into an assuredness that underline the entire team’s performance against the Huskies.
“I mean, you don’t, obviously, want to come into a game expecting to lose or kind of even being nervous,” said McMahon. “I feel like, we as a team, we weren’t nervous. We looked at it as any other game. I feel like that’s really what helped us, not to feed in — you know, the fact that they are UConn.”
For the Huskies, there was the usual, emotional, player responses to playing in their final college games. Juhász and Senechal had trouble holding back their emotions after a long season where the two were the most consistent players on a UConn team that struggled with injuries too.
Head coach Auriemma was more laid back, despite not being in this position too often in his time with the Huskies. The relaxation afforded him the luxury of truth, no matter how bad it looked after the fact.
“A lot of times in these games the players that get all the attention throughout the season, the key players on your team that everybody focuses on,” said Auriemma. “And then invariably it’s somebody else that steps up and ends up being the difference-maker in the game, right?”
That was in response to a question about McMahon’s performance. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year who averaged a double-double in the Big Ten Tournament. The six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week seemed like a moment of hindsight for the iconic UConn program leader.
The lack of attention in game planning for the Centerville, Ohio freshman helped Ohio State move on to the Elite Eight. Against the Virginia Tech Hokies, forward Liz Kitley and guard Georgia Amoore were too much for the Buckeyes and Ohio State went back to Columbus with a 74-84 defeat.
Even so, it does not tarnish one of the top moments in program history, achieved by a team that faced their battles throughout the season and did not back down to a team many saw as the clear favorites.
Catch up on all the March Madness memories as Land-Grant Holy Land gets you ready for Ohio State women’s basketball and the 2025 NCAA Tournament:
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In 2023, freshman Cotie McMahon surprised legendary head coach Geno Auriemma in the Sweet Sixteen.
In 2018, Central Michigan shocked Ohio State women’s basketball in Columbus in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a 78-95 rout against the No. 11 seeded Chippewas. The Buckeyes waited five years to host the tournament at the Schottenstein Center again, and that came to fruition in 2023.
Senior point guard Jacy Sheldon hit the game-winning shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Second Round, which sent the Buckeyes to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017.
For the Scarlet and Gray, Sheldon and backcourt partner Taylor Mikesell led Ohio State in the prior season, accounting for nearly half of the Buckeyes’ 78.2 points per game and winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
Ohio State’s victory over UNC came in a tumultuous season for injuries with Sheldon missing 23 games with a foot injury and redshirt junior guard Madison Greene tearing her ACL for a second straight season.
The entire season felt like an underdog story. Through the lineup struggles, a three-game losing streak in conference play and getting blown out in the Big Ten Tournament final against the Iowa Hawkeyes, there were moments that showed Ohio State still was not an underdog by any means.
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side won 19 games to start the regular season, including double-digit comeback victories against a ranked Tennessee Volunteers, the USF Bulls and Illinois Fighting Illini. In the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Ohio State raised a 24-point deficit to defeat the Indiana Hoosiers for the first time in over two years.
Even so, the Buckeyes’ win over the Tar Heels earned the Scarlet and Gray a trip to Seattle, Washington to face the UConn Huskies, the powerhouse of college powerhouses. Head coach Geno Auriemma led UConn to 11 National Championships. In 2023, Auriemma’s Huskies made it to 16 consecutive Elite Eights, and in six previous matchups UConn beat the Buckeyes by an average of 26.3 points per game, five of those coming with McGuff at the helm.
None of that deterred freshman forward Cotie McMahon, always known as a player who will share what is on her mind.
“I’m excited,” said freshman Cotie McMahon. “I want to play UConn so bad.”
For years, UConn was the focal point of college basketball after winning four consecutive national titles twice. The 2023 edition did not feature guard Paige Bueckers, who missed the season due to an ACL tear. UConn still had the 2021 No. 1 overall high school prospect in guard Azzi Fudd, junior forward Aaliyah Edwards and a pair of transfers in Lou Lopez Senechal and former Ohio State forward Dorka Juhász.
UConn was a 10.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes for the Saturday evening matchup and Husky fans and media outlets spent more time looking ahead to Elite Eight opponents than a serious look into the matchup between the two teams. It also seemed like Auriemma and his staff did the same.
In the first 4:03 of the opening quarter, UConn scored 10 of the first 12 points. Ohio State made it respectable early, but could not stop a diverse Huskies attack and with over two minutes left in the first quarter, the deficit sat at eight points. Ohio State scored the next 18 points, holding UConn to a scoreless run of 7:09 that stretched from the first into midway through the second quarter.
Senior forward Eboni Walker scored four points and added three assists in the first quarter and a half while McMahon scored 14 points with two assists in the same period, backing up the desire to play the most successful program in women’s basketball history with action.
The first basket for McMahon came on a rebound where the freshman grabbed the board on the defensive end and was not interested in running a play offensively. McMahon ran the length of the court to make a layup around Edwards. It foreshadowed the entire game and eventual victory for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State swung the game from an eight-point deficit to a nine-point lead in the second quarter, and hit a first half high 11-point lead. McMahon only scored four points in the second half, but other Buckeyes stepped into her place. Mikesell, who played through injury for the postseason stretch scored nine second half points, while in visible pain on the court.
Guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry had a team-high four steals, part of a 25-turnover day for UConn. Sheldon scored 17 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. The Buckeyes did not only beat the Huskies, they completely stifled them in a 73-61 Sweet Sixteen victory for Ohio State, the program’s second in 26 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The freshman McMahon led the Buckeyes with 23 points, hitting two shots from beyond the arc for only the third time that season.
After the game, McMahon’s excitement that followed the UNC win, specifically wanting to play UConn, turned into an assuredness that underline the entire team’s performance against the Huskies.
“I mean, you don’t, obviously, want to come into a game expecting to lose or kind of even being nervous,” said McMahon. “I feel like, we as a team, we weren’t nervous. We looked at it as any other game. I feel like that’s really what helped us, not to feed in — you know, the fact that they are UConn.”
For the Huskies, there was the usual, emotional, player responses to playing in their final college games. Juhász and Senechal had trouble holding back their emotions after a long season where the two were the most consistent players on a UConn team that struggled with injuries too.
Head coach Auriemma was more laid back, despite not being in this position too often in his time with the Huskies. The relaxation afforded him the luxury of truth, no matter how bad it looked after the fact.
“A lot of times in these games the players that get all the attention throughout the season, the key players on your team that everybody focuses on,” said Auriemma. “And then invariably it’s somebody else that steps up and ends up being the difference-maker in the game, right?”
That was in response to a question about McMahon’s performance. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year who averaged a double-double in the Big Ten Tournament. The six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week seemed like a moment of hindsight for the iconic UConn program leader.
The lack of attention in game planning for the Centerville, Ohio freshman helped Ohio State move on to the Elite Eight. Against the Virginia Tech Hokies, forward Liz Kitley and guard Georgia Amoore were too much for the Buckeyes and Ohio State went back to Columbus with a 74-84 defeat.
Even so, it does not tarnish one of the top moments in program history, achieved by a team that faced their battles throughout the season and did not back down to a team many saw as the clear favorites.
Catch up on all the March Madness memories as Land-Grant Holy Land gets you ready for Ohio State women’s basketball and the 2025 NCAA Tournament:
- Kelsey Mitchell’s 45-point game
- Francine ‘The Machine’ Lewis, Buckeyes’ first tournament wins
- Jessica Davenport’s perfect day
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State Women’s March Madness Memories: Jessica Davenport’s perfect day
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State Women’s March Madness Memories: Jessica Davenport’s perfect day
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
The freshman center set the foundation for what Buckeye fans could expect for the next three seasons.
Before Kelsey Mitchell scored 45 points against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, freshman center Jessica Davenport was making life difficult on Ohio’s neighbor to the east. On March 20, 2004, exactly 12 years before Mitchell’s downhill scoring day, Davenport had a performance that was quality over quantity when the Columbus native introduced herself on the biggest stage — March Madness.
Davenport came from the Southeast side of Columbus, as a standout for Independence High School. The No. 2 recruit in the 2003 recruiting class was basketball obsessed in the latter years of high school, but heading into high school, Davenport felt pressured to play. Standing at 6-foot-5, Davenport was constantly asked “do you play basketball?”
“The pressure was annoying at times because everywhere I went people would ask me if I played basketball,” said Davenport. “Once I really got into playing the game and developed a winning attitude, I realized playing basketball would take me somewhere. That’s when I started to like it and eventually love it.”
Like most star high school players, Davenport played AAU ball on the amateur level and that took her around the country to play in tournaments. That experience confirmed to Davenport that she did not want to be far away from her family, so Ohio State was the obvious choice.
When Davenport joined the program, the Buckeyes were on a cold spell in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament. Since the 1993 season ended in grand fashion, going up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the NCAA Final, Ohio State made the NCAA Tournament only three times in the next 10 seasons.
Ohio State was also on a 10-season stretch without a Big Ten conference or tournament title. Davenport was the first marquee recruit for head coach Jim Foster, who ran the program started one year before Davenport arrived on campus.
The 2003 season began the Buckeyes’ road back to prominence, and it began with Davenport.
As a freshman, the center made an immediate impact, leading the Buckeyes in rebounds and blocks in Davenport’s first season, and continued that through all four years at Ohio State. While the Buckeyes still missed out on any conference hardware in Davenport's 2003-04 debut, the side lost to No. 3 Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament by only three points. Plus, Ohio State had its best conference record in 10 years at 11-5, earning the Scarlet and Gray a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Playing in Columbus against the No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers, Ohio State tried to pick up their first home win in March Madness since 1993 against a West Virginia side playing in their first NCAA Tournament since 1992.
West Virginia and Ohio State’s matchup would have been a battle inside the paint but the Mountaineers lost two bigs to knee injuries during the regular season, forcing head coach Mike Carey’s side to play a four-guard system.
Compare that to the interior duo of 6-foot-5 Davenport and 6-foot-3 senior forward/center LaToya Turner and perception leans towards WVU’s ability to outpace the Buckeyes.
“We like to consider ourselves a bad matchup,” Foster said. “On film, sometimes people don’t realize that our post players can run. People just make a generalization that bigs don’t move very well. Our big kids can flat-out run, and it gives us a different dimension.”
West Virginia starred two All-Big East selections with senior guard Kate Bulger, who led the Big East shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. An accomplishment made even more impressive considering the UConn Huskies featured basketball legend Diana Taurasi. Also, junior guard Yolanda Paige who was fourth in the NCAA with 7.9 assists per game, and top of the Big East in finding teammates who could score.
So, for the Buckeyes to avoid an upset, they had to be perfect. Davenport stepped up to the challenge.
In the first half (women’s basketball did not shift to four quarters until the 2015-16 season), there was nothing between the two sides for the first 10 minutes. Each team traded blows and the lead changed five times before the Mountaineers pushed the pace. West Virginia got out to a seven-point lead, their largest of the half, with 2:27 remaining.
Davenport responded, grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting the second chance points, giving the freshman 13 in the first half. Those two points not only cut into the lead but started a seven-point run to end the period, putting all things level at 38-38 entering halftime.
Foster’s plan for the second half was simple — keep getting the ball to Davenport.
The freshman scored nine of the first 15 points of the half, which gave Ohio State a six-point lead that the Scarlet and Gray would not give up. Davenport went a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor, only the third time in program history anyone would accomplish the feat, and the only time in the NCAA Tournament.
“Jess [Davenport] probably should have gotten the ball a lot more,” guard Kim Wilburn said. “I think it’s on the guards to get her and LaToya the ball more because they shoot such a high percentage. When Jess gets the ball, it’s going to a layup or she’s going to get fouled. So it’s up to us to get her the ball to her.”
However, that was the last scoring for Davenport in the game, leading all players with 22 points. Turner took over the inside game, hitting the last four points for a Buckeye big and that season’s leading scorer, guard Caity Matter, leading the team with 10 points in the second half.
The freshman star did not give the ball away once against the Mountaineers and added five blocks,
Ohio State avoided an upset and beat the Mountaineers 73-67. In the Second Round, the Buckeyes lost to No. 3 Boston College, who held Davenport to 2-of-10 from the floor. That was the last time Davenport was held to less than 10 points in her NCAA history. The center averaged 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3 blocks per game in eight March Madness appearances.
Davenport went on to lead the Buckeyes to three consecutive regular season titles and one conference tournament title in 2006. Individually, Davenport won the 2003-04 Freshman of the Year honor before adding three Big Ten Player of the Year awards in her final three seasons and became one of only four Buckeyes to earn multiple Associated Press All-American awards, winning three.
In 2012, Ohio State added Davenport to the Athletic Hall of Fame as the most decorated Buckeye in program history at the time when the center joined the WNBA in 2007. Davenport was a two-time OSU Scholar Athlete and Big Ten Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Also in 2012, Davenport played her final WNBA season, culminating in her only WNBA title as a member of the Indiana Fever.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
The freshman center set the foundation for what Buckeye fans could expect for the next three seasons.
Before Kelsey Mitchell scored 45 points against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, freshman center Jessica Davenport was making life difficult on Ohio’s neighbor to the east. On March 20, 2004, exactly 12 years before Mitchell’s downhill scoring day, Davenport had a performance that was quality over quantity when the Columbus native introduced herself on the biggest stage — March Madness.
Davenport came from the Southeast side of Columbus, as a standout for Independence High School. The No. 2 recruit in the 2003 recruiting class was basketball obsessed in the latter years of high school, but heading into high school, Davenport felt pressured to play. Standing at 6-foot-5, Davenport was constantly asked “do you play basketball?”
“The pressure was annoying at times because everywhere I went people would ask me if I played basketball,” said Davenport. “Once I really got into playing the game and developed a winning attitude, I realized playing basketball would take me somewhere. That’s when I started to like it and eventually love it.”
Like most star high school players, Davenport played AAU ball on the amateur level and that took her around the country to play in tournaments. That experience confirmed to Davenport that she did not want to be far away from her family, so Ohio State was the obvious choice.
When Davenport joined the program, the Buckeyes were on a cold spell in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament. Since the 1993 season ended in grand fashion, going up against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the NCAA Final, Ohio State made the NCAA Tournament only three times in the next 10 seasons.
Ohio State was also on a 10-season stretch without a Big Ten conference or tournament title. Davenport was the first marquee recruit for head coach Jim Foster, who ran the program started one year before Davenport arrived on campus.
The 2003 season began the Buckeyes’ road back to prominence, and it began with Davenport.
As a freshman, the center made an immediate impact, leading the Buckeyes in rebounds and blocks in Davenport’s first season, and continued that through all four years at Ohio State. While the Buckeyes still missed out on any conference hardware in Davenport's 2003-04 debut, the side lost to No. 3 Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament by only three points. Plus, Ohio State had its best conference record in 10 years at 11-5, earning the Scarlet and Gray a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Playing in Columbus against the No. 11 West Virginia Mountaineers, Ohio State tried to pick up their first home win in March Madness since 1993 against a West Virginia side playing in their first NCAA Tournament since 1992.
West Virginia and Ohio State’s matchup would have been a battle inside the paint but the Mountaineers lost two bigs to knee injuries during the regular season, forcing head coach Mike Carey’s side to play a four-guard system.
Compare that to the interior duo of 6-foot-5 Davenport and 6-foot-3 senior forward/center LaToya Turner and perception leans towards WVU’s ability to outpace the Buckeyes.
“We like to consider ourselves a bad matchup,” Foster said. “On film, sometimes people don’t realize that our post players can run. People just make a generalization that bigs don’t move very well. Our big kids can flat-out run, and it gives us a different dimension.”
West Virginia starred two All-Big East selections with senior guard Kate Bulger, who led the Big East shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. An accomplishment made even more impressive considering the UConn Huskies featured basketball legend Diana Taurasi. Also, junior guard Yolanda Paige who was fourth in the NCAA with 7.9 assists per game, and top of the Big East in finding teammates who could score.
So, for the Buckeyes to avoid an upset, they had to be perfect. Davenport stepped up to the challenge.
In the first half (women’s basketball did not shift to four quarters until the 2015-16 season), there was nothing between the two sides for the first 10 minutes. Each team traded blows and the lead changed five times before the Mountaineers pushed the pace. West Virginia got out to a seven-point lead, their largest of the half, with 2:27 remaining.
Davenport responded, grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting the second chance points, giving the freshman 13 in the first half. Those two points not only cut into the lead but started a seven-point run to end the period, putting all things level at 38-38 entering halftime.
Foster’s plan for the second half was simple — keep getting the ball to Davenport.
The freshman scored nine of the first 15 points of the half, which gave Ohio State a six-point lead that the Scarlet and Gray would not give up. Davenport went a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor, only the third time in program history anyone would accomplish the feat, and the only time in the NCAA Tournament.
“Jess [Davenport] probably should have gotten the ball a lot more,” guard Kim Wilburn said. “I think it’s on the guards to get her and LaToya the ball more because they shoot such a high percentage. When Jess gets the ball, it’s going to a layup or she’s going to get fouled. So it’s up to us to get her the ball to her.”
However, that was the last scoring for Davenport in the game, leading all players with 22 points. Turner took over the inside game, hitting the last four points for a Buckeye big and that season’s leading scorer, guard Caity Matter, leading the team with 10 points in the second half.
The freshman star did not give the ball away once against the Mountaineers and added five blocks,
Ohio State avoided an upset and beat the Mountaineers 73-67. In the Second Round, the Buckeyes lost to No. 3 Boston College, who held Davenport to 2-of-10 from the floor. That was the last time Davenport was held to less than 10 points in her NCAA history. The center averaged 17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3 blocks per game in eight March Madness appearances.
Davenport went on to lead the Buckeyes to three consecutive regular season titles and one conference tournament title in 2006. Individually, Davenport won the 2003-04 Freshman of the Year honor before adding three Big Ten Player of the Year awards in her final three seasons and became one of only four Buckeyes to earn multiple Associated Press All-American awards, winning three.
In 2012, Ohio State added Davenport to the Athletic Hall of Fame as the most decorated Buckeye in program history at the time when the center joined the WNBA in 2007. Davenport was a two-time OSU Scholar Athlete and Big Ten Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Also in 2012, Davenport played her final WNBA season, culminating in her only WNBA title as a member of the Indiana Fever.
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