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Game Preview: No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Grand Valley State
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The Buckeyes take on the top Division II for the second time in just over a year.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball closes out its final home game of the 2024 calendar year Tuesday, when they welcome the Grand Valley State Lakers for some weekday lunchtime basketball.
The Scarlet and Gray defeated the Lakers last year soundly, but its a different year for both teams, and Grand Valley comes in with a distinct advantage.
On Dec. 15, 2023, the Buckeyes welcomed the Lakers to the Schottenstein Center, sending the Division II side back near the shores of Western Michigan with a 73-49 defeat. In the game, guard Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State scorers with 15 points in a game where head coach Kevin McGuff used 13 players on his roster to coast to a comfortable victory.
The same could very well happen Tuesday, but Grand Valley State is no slouch when it comes to Division II basketball. The Lakers are No. 1 in the country among DII programs, carrying an 11-0 record and outscoring opponents by 30.2 points per game.
Compare that to entering their matchup with Ohio State last season, still undefeated with a couple overwhelming wins over opponents, but it also included a few close games. This season, Grand Valley isn’t showing mercy on the court and hasn't won a game by less than 15 points.
They’re able to excel this year because of the strong backbone of Lakers players returning after last year’s run to the Regional Semifinal, what Division I calls the Elite Eight.
The No. 1 seeded Lakers lost to Ferris State in the postseason, and coincidentally in the regular season too as the only other team they lost to all season outside of the Buckeyes, ending the 23-24 campaign with a 31-3 record.
In that game against Ohio State, guard Ellie Droste led all scorers with 17 points. Droste returns along with 10 other Lakers players from the defeat last season.
Now look at Ohio State’s roster, and there are questions. The Buckeyes return three players from last year’s game, and injuries may keep some players out again, especially with a trip to San Fransisco and a matchup with Stanford on Friday looming.
Guards Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge both missed against Youngstown State Saturday with injury, the right shoulder for freshman point guard Jaloni and lower leg injury for her defensive-minded older sister. After the Saturday victory, McGuff said Kennedy is close to returning, as evidenced by the redshirt sophomore no longer wearing a boot on her leg over the weekend.
The question mark surrounds Jaloni. When asked if Jaloni could’ve played if against a power conference opponent, McGuff gave an unconvincing “maybe,” acting unsure if the No. 1 point guard recruit really could’ve went.
With Jaloni potentially still out, graduate senior Madison Greene is more than capable to fill in, playing staunch defense and bringing an air of calm to the team offensively. The only wild card is if Grand Valley State learned how to break the press.
Last year, Ohio State forced 32 turnovers and scored 34 points off those extra possessions. With a potentially new group of less experienced Buckeyes running the show, can they adjust how they play this time around?
G- Madison Greene
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
G - Nicole Kamin
G - Abre Cabana
G - Molly Anderson
F - Rylie Bisballe
F - Kathryn Schmidt
The Buckeyes will overpower the Lakers regardless of who starts at point guard for Ohio State. The size of forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä won’t be stopped by Grand Valley State, even with the experienced group.
Ohio State won’t have any problems with looking ahead to Stanford on Friday, with Petty leading the team scoring. If Grand Valley puts more pressure in the paint, it’ll give Chance Gray and Cotie McMahon the chance to hurt the Lakers from the outside.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
Tuesday is the final game of 2024 in the Schottenstein Center. In 17 games, the Buckeyes won 15, with the lone loss coming in the NCAA Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils.
It’s another early game too, following an 11 a.m. ET tipoff time against Youngstown on Saturday. The reason for this earlier-than-normal start is the same as Saturday. Instead of hockey following the game, like over the weekend, it's the men’s basketball team playing Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Head coach Jake Diebler’s side welcomes the Valparaiso Crusaders, hoping to recover from a lopsided loss to the No. 2 Auburn Tigers over the weekend.
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
The Buckeyes take on the top Division II for the second time in just over a year.
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball closes out its final home game of the 2024 calendar year Tuesday, when they welcome the Grand Valley State Lakers for some weekday lunchtime basketball.
The Scarlet and Gray defeated the Lakers last year soundly, but its a different year for both teams, and Grand Valley comes in with a distinct advantage.
Preview
On Dec. 15, 2023, the Buckeyes welcomed the Lakers to the Schottenstein Center, sending the Division II side back near the shores of Western Michigan with a 73-49 defeat. In the game, guard Jacy Sheldon led Ohio State scorers with 15 points in a game where head coach Kevin McGuff used 13 players on his roster to coast to a comfortable victory.
The same could very well happen Tuesday, but Grand Valley State is no slouch when it comes to Division II basketball. The Lakers are No. 1 in the country among DII programs, carrying an 11-0 record and outscoring opponents by 30.2 points per game.
Compare that to entering their matchup with Ohio State last season, still undefeated with a couple overwhelming wins over opponents, but it also included a few close games. This season, Grand Valley isn’t showing mercy on the court and hasn't won a game by less than 15 points.
They’re able to excel this year because of the strong backbone of Lakers players returning after last year’s run to the Regional Semifinal, what Division I calls the Elite Eight.
The No. 1 seeded Lakers lost to Ferris State in the postseason, and coincidentally in the regular season too as the only other team they lost to all season outside of the Buckeyes, ending the 23-24 campaign with a 31-3 record.
In that game against Ohio State, guard Ellie Droste led all scorers with 17 points. Droste returns along with 10 other Lakers players from the defeat last season.
Now look at Ohio State’s roster, and there are questions. The Buckeyes return three players from last year’s game, and injuries may keep some players out again, especially with a trip to San Fransisco and a matchup with Stanford on Friday looming.
Guards Jaloni and Kennedy Cambridge both missed against Youngstown State Saturday with injury, the right shoulder for freshman point guard Jaloni and lower leg injury for her defensive-minded older sister. After the Saturday victory, McGuff said Kennedy is close to returning, as evidenced by the redshirt sophomore no longer wearing a boot on her leg over the weekend.
The question mark surrounds Jaloni. When asked if Jaloni could’ve played if against a power conference opponent, McGuff gave an unconvincing “maybe,” acting unsure if the No. 1 point guard recruit really could’ve went.
With Jaloni potentially still out, graduate senior Madison Greene is more than capable to fill in, playing staunch defense and bringing an air of calm to the team offensively. The only wild card is if Grand Valley State learned how to break the press.
Last year, Ohio State forced 32 turnovers and scored 34 points off those extra possessions. With a potentially new group of less experienced Buckeyes running the show, can they adjust how they play this time around?
Projected Starters
Ohio State
G- Madison Greene
G- Chance Gray
G- Taylor Thierry
F- Cotie McMahon
F- Ajae Petty
Lineup Notes
- Despite averaging 18.7 minutes per game, Greene is third on the team with 22 steals, one behind Jaloni Cambridge and Taylor Thierry who are tied at 23.
- Ajae Petty grabbed her 600th rebound against the Penguins Saturday, now sitting at 601 in her NCAA career.
- Chance Gray is 51 points away from scoring her 1,000th NCAA point.
Grand Valley State
G - Nicole Kamin
G - Abre Cabana
G - Molly Anderson
F - Rylie Bisballe
F - Kathryn Schmidt
Lineup Notes
- Grand Valley State has 11 players averaging double-digit minutes per game, and nobody averages more than 20 minutes per game, a by-product of their 11 blowout wins.
- Rylie Bisballe leads the Lakers with 14.1 points per game, a career high for the redshirt senior.
- GVSU allows 48.9 points per game, the third lowest in Division II NCAA women’s basketball.
Prediction
The Buckeyes will overpower the Lakers regardless of who starts at point guard for Ohio State. The size of forward Ajae Petty and center Elsa Lemmilä won’t be stopped by Grand Valley State, even with the experienced group.
Ohio State won’t have any problems with looking ahead to Stanford on Friday, with Petty leading the team scoring. If Grand Valley puts more pressure in the paint, it’ll give Chance Gray and Cotie McMahon the chance to hurt the Lakers from the outside.
How to Watch
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Stream: B1G+
LGHL Score Prediction: Ohio State 80, Grand Valley State 52
Closing Out the Calendar
Tuesday is the final game of 2024 in the Schottenstein Center. In 17 games, the Buckeyes won 15, with the lone loss coming in the NCAA Tournament against the Duke Blue Devils.
It’s another early game too, following an 11 a.m. ET tipoff time against Youngstown on Saturday. The reason for this earlier-than-normal start is the same as Saturday. Instead of hockey following the game, like over the weekend, it's the men’s basketball team playing Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Head coach Jake Diebler’s side welcomes the Valparaiso Crusaders, hoping to recover from a lopsided loss to the No. 2 Auburn Tigers over the weekend.
Continue reading...