ThomasCostello
Guest
Celeste Taylor, Taylor Thierry’s intensity difference for Ohio State women over Maine
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Buckeyes move on thanks to the play of two Taylors
Ohio State women’s basketball came away with the win many expected when the Buckeyes received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side won 80-57, putting the defeat to the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten Tournament in the distant past, both in winning and how the team won. Leading the way were guards Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry.
While Guard Jacy Sheldon led the way in scoring with 19 points, the intensity and all-around performance of Taylor and Thierry couldn’t be ignored. Especially considering when the two were most effective.
In the first quarter, the Maine Black Bears gave the Scarlet and Gray everything. The visitors began the day making their first five shots, with four coming from beyond the arc. Black Bears head coach Amy Vachon’s team played the way it has all season, on offense. Maine passed the ball around, used screens to break away from the defense, and found open players.
Disrupting the Maine momentum in the first was Taylor.
“You see the energy and passion she plays with on the defensive end,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “Just getting her hand on the basketball and tipping and just disrupting the other team’s flow on their offense is just really impactful for us.”
The first quarter for Taylor showed that impact. On Maine’s first offensive possession, Taylor set the tone for her entire game when forward Adrianna Smith went in for a layup. Taylor didn’t block the shot. Instead, she grabbed the ball before Smith could even get off the ground.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, Taylor also swatted away a shot by outstanding Maine guard Anne Simon. On the next possession, Taylor followed it up with what would end up being the game-winning shot, a three-point shot, eliminating the visitor’s lead. It was three of her team-leading six points in the quarter.
“I think honestly the defense is what gets us going, gets me going, so just trying to be in those passing lanes, trying to do as much as I can in the press,” said Taylor. “When you have some dogs out in the front, it kind of helps a lot, too.”
Junior hybrid forward/guard Taylor was one of those dogs in the first quarter.
Thierry’s known for her athleticism and ability to do things on the court that nobody else can do. However, Taylor’s also one of the quieter players on the court. All season, Coach McGuff was hoping for her to play with more aggression. In the second quarter, Taylor delivered.
“Early on her offensive rebounding gave us extra possessions, really set the tone for us,” said McGuff.
Those extra possessions were created by Thierry, heading into halftime. The 6-foot-1 Thierry used her height advantage to lead the floor in offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the entire Maine roster 5-to-3 offensively. Of those five, two came in the second quarter.
Ohio State shot three more times than the Black Bears in the second period, holding Maine to eight points. Thierry scored six, and two of those six came on the end of stellar defensive work.
On an attempted three-point shot from guard Olivia Rockwood, Thierry blocked the attempt, landing in the hands of forward Rebeka Mikulášiková. The Slovakian tossed the ball upcourt, with Thierry charging down the court after she saw the ball fall to her teammate’s hands. Thierry hit the layup. The rest of her points came from the foul line.
Teammates found Thierry in the paint, and the forward didn’t shy away from the contact. It was the kind of play the Buckeyes set out to play.
“One of my many goals into any game I go into is to play aggressive,” said Thierry. “I kind of let the game come to me and build off of that.”
At the end of the first half, Taylor and Thierry scored 17 of the Buckeyes’ points, nearly matching Maine’s 24 total points in the half. It set the tone for the rest of Ohio State’s performance.
Both guards finished the day with 12 points. Taylor added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals, all of which led the Scarlet and Gray.
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
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
Buckeyes move on thanks to the play of two Taylors
Ohio State women’s basketball came away with the win many expected when the Buckeyes received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side won 80-57, putting the defeat to the Maryland Terrapins in the Big Ten Tournament in the distant past, both in winning and how the team won. Leading the way were guards Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry.
While Guard Jacy Sheldon led the way in scoring with 19 points, the intensity and all-around performance of Taylor and Thierry couldn’t be ignored. Especially considering when the two were most effective.
In the first quarter, the Maine Black Bears gave the Scarlet and Gray everything. The visitors began the day making their first five shots, with four coming from beyond the arc. Black Bears head coach Amy Vachon’s team played the way it has all season, on offense. Maine passed the ball around, used screens to break away from the defense, and found open players.
Disrupting the Maine momentum in the first was Taylor.
“You see the energy and passion she plays with on the defensive end,” said head coach Kevin McGuff. “Just getting her hand on the basketball and tipping and just disrupting the other team’s flow on their offense is just really impactful for us.”
The first quarter for Taylor showed that impact. On Maine’s first offensive possession, Taylor set the tone for her entire game when forward Adrianna Smith went in for a layup. Taylor didn’t block the shot. Instead, she grabbed the ball before Smith could even get off the ground.
With three minutes left in the first quarter, Taylor also swatted away a shot by outstanding Maine guard Anne Simon. On the next possession, Taylor followed it up with what would end up being the game-winning shot, a three-point shot, eliminating the visitor’s lead. It was three of her team-leading six points in the quarter.
“I think honestly the defense is what gets us going, gets me going, so just trying to be in those passing lanes, trying to do as much as I can in the press,” said Taylor. “When you have some dogs out in the front, it kind of helps a lot, too.”
Junior hybrid forward/guard Taylor was one of those dogs in the first quarter.
Thierry’s known for her athleticism and ability to do things on the court that nobody else can do. However, Taylor’s also one of the quieter players on the court. All season, Coach McGuff was hoping for her to play with more aggression. In the second quarter, Taylor delivered.
“Early on her offensive rebounding gave us extra possessions, really set the tone for us,” said McGuff.
Those extra possessions were created by Thierry, heading into halftime. The 6-foot-1 Thierry used her height advantage to lead the floor in offensive rebounds, out-rebounding the entire Maine roster 5-to-3 offensively. Of those five, two came in the second quarter.
Ohio State shot three more times than the Black Bears in the second period, holding Maine to eight points. Thierry scored six, and two of those six came on the end of stellar defensive work.
On an attempted three-point shot from guard Olivia Rockwood, Thierry blocked the attempt, landing in the hands of forward Rebeka Mikulášiková. The Slovakian tossed the ball upcourt, with Thierry charging down the court after she saw the ball fall to her teammate’s hands. Thierry hit the layup. The rest of her points came from the foul line.
Teammates found Thierry in the paint, and the forward didn’t shy away from the contact. It was the kind of play the Buckeyes set out to play.
“One of my many goals into any game I go into is to play aggressive,” said Thierry. “I kind of let the game come to me and build off of that.”
At the end of the first half, Taylor and Thierry scored 17 of the Buckeyes’ points, nearly matching Maine’s 24 total points in the half. It set the tone for the rest of Ohio State’s performance.
Both guards finished the day with 12 points. Taylor added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals, all of which led the Scarlet and Gray.
Continue reading...