ThomasCostello
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No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball has complete performance over Stanford 84-59
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
The Buckeyes rolled into the Bay Area Women’s Classic and come home with a signature non-conference win before Big Ten play begins
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball had all five starters in double figures, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 84-59 Friday night in San Francisco.
From the jump, it was defensive pressure that gave Ohio State the chance to overcome early shooting troubles. The Buckeyes missed their first six shots of the game, which normally spells disaster, but the Scarlet and Gray didn't allow a Stanford shot until the 7:50 mark in the first quarter.
The Cardinal entered Friday night averaging 12.5 turnovers per game and was the second-best shooting team from beyond the arc (41.9%). In the first quarter, Ohio State forced five turnovers for eight points and the Cardinal went 0-of-5 from three-point range.
Ohio State survived through rough shooting to start with passing and playing patiently when in the half court with five Buckeyes hitting shots and point guard Madison Greene leading with five early points.
Greene started in place of freshman Jaloni Cambridge for the third straight game. Cambridge’s name was back on the injury report with a right shoulder injury sustained against Ball State on Dec. 10.
Stanford eventually found their way around the Ohio State press at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, but the Buckeyes half-court defense was superb. The Cardinal didn’t make a shot from the floor in 6:47 of game clock, scoring only two free throws during the drought.
Guard Chance Gray and forward Ajae Petty picked up the scoring load in the second quarter. The two transfers combined for 12 points in the second period, almost matching Stanford’s 13 points in the second quarter.
At halftime, Ohio State built a 14-point lead and that was without forward Cotie McMahon taking over the game offensively. McMahon tried early in the first, but shots weren’t falling for the Buckeyes’ leading scorer. The forward went 1-of-9 in the half, scoring four points.
Coming out of the locker room, Stanford focused solely on the paint. The Cardinal started the second half going 3-of-5 from the floor, all of those shots coming near the rim. McMahon answered with some interior play of her own. McMahon hit her first half-point total within 2:58 in the second quarter. Both of the junior’s first two shots hit, plus a free throw after her second drive ended with McMahon on the court. McMahon fed off it, going to her knees and pounding her hands on the court in celebration.
Ohio State didn't have any kind of third-quarter lull like they’ve been prone to do this season. Instead, the speed that gave Stanford fits continued, and so did those fits.
After the Cardinal scored eight of the first 12 points of the half, Ohio State went on an eight-point run, wiping away Stanford’s effort. The Buckeyes pushed their lead up to 20 points with 3:51 remaining in the quarter, forcing a timeout from Cardinal head coach Kate Paye.
Out of the timeout, Stanford trimmed the lead down, but only slightly. Forward Nunu Agara scored five points in the final 2:42 of the quarter, but freshman guard Ava Watson responded for Ohio State. Watson hit two threes in the third and the Buckeyes carried an 18-point lead into the final quarter.
No matter what head coach Paye tried, whether it was going to a zone, attacking more inside, or switching on defensive assignments, Ohio State adjusted. Stanford started the fourth quarter hitting two shots but the Buckeyes had a six-point run to answer back.
Then Scarlet and Gray senior Taylor Thierry pulled off the basket of the night. Petty received a pass in the paint and the Cardinal crashed the forward. That left Thierry wide open to run in behind the defenders and Petty connected a pass that Thierry caught, went up for a layup, swung the ball below a leaping Stanford defender, and hit a reverse layup.
With five minutes remaining, the starting five of Ohio State were all at double figures in the scoring column, with three grabbing at least six rebounds.
Even though the Buckeyes were up 20 points, head coach Kevin McGuff didn’t want the Buckeyes’ intensity to diminish. McGuff yelled after Ohio State offensive plays, demanding his players get back faster on defense, and they listened.
Stanford tried taking advantage of a slow response time, but McMahon and Gray pursued and rushed a layup that turned into an Ohio State rebound. It was that kind of night for the Buckeyes, who picked up their 11th win in a row, and the most impressive coming against the lone power conference team on the 2024-25 schedule.
Ohio State forced 18 turnovers in the win, and held Stanford to 12.5 percent shooting from the floor, going 2-of-15.
McMahon led the scoring in the win with 16 points, Greene was right behind her with 15 points and Gray and Petty were right behind the senior with 14 points apiece. Watson led scorers off the bench with 11 points, giving the Buckeyes six players scoring double-digits.
For Stanford, Nunu Agara continued her team-leading scoring with 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Tess Heal adding 10 points.
The Buckeyes are now on a break until Dec. 29, that’s when Big Ten play starts back up for the Scarlet and Gray. Up first are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who have lost four straight to Ohio State but feature a strong tandem of freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller and senior forward Destiny Adams.
Rutgers is 7-4 on the season but 0-1 in conference play. On Dec. 8, the Scarlet Knights traveled to Wisconsin and lost to the Badgers 66-64.
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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
The Buckeyes rolled into the Bay Area Women’s Classic and come home with a signature non-conference win before Big Ten play begins
No. 11 Ohio State women’s basketball had all five starters in double figures, defeating the Stanford Cardinal 84-59 Friday night in San Francisco.
From the jump, it was defensive pressure that gave Ohio State the chance to overcome early shooting troubles. The Buckeyes missed their first six shots of the game, which normally spells disaster, but the Scarlet and Gray didn't allow a Stanford shot until the 7:50 mark in the first quarter.
The Cardinal entered Friday night averaging 12.5 turnovers per game and was the second-best shooting team from beyond the arc (41.9%). In the first quarter, Ohio State forced five turnovers for eight points and the Cardinal went 0-of-5 from three-point range.
Ohio State survived through rough shooting to start with passing and playing patiently when in the half court with five Buckeyes hitting shots and point guard Madison Greene leading with five early points.
Greene started in place of freshman Jaloni Cambridge for the third straight game. Cambridge’s name was back on the injury report with a right shoulder injury sustained against Ball State on Dec. 10.
Stanford eventually found their way around the Ohio State press at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, but the Buckeyes half-court defense was superb. The Cardinal didn’t make a shot from the floor in 6:47 of game clock, scoring only two free throws during the drought.
Guard Chance Gray and forward Ajae Petty picked up the scoring load in the second quarter. The two transfers combined for 12 points in the second period, almost matching Stanford’s 13 points in the second quarter.
At halftime, Ohio State built a 14-point lead and that was without forward Cotie McMahon taking over the game offensively. McMahon tried early in the first, but shots weren’t falling for the Buckeyes’ leading scorer. The forward went 1-of-9 in the half, scoring four points.
Coming out of the locker room, Stanford focused solely on the paint. The Cardinal started the second half going 3-of-5 from the floor, all of those shots coming near the rim. McMahon answered with some interior play of her own. McMahon hit her first half-point total within 2:58 in the second quarter. Both of the junior’s first two shots hit, plus a free throw after her second drive ended with McMahon on the court. McMahon fed off it, going to her knees and pounding her hands on the court in celebration.
Ohio State didn't have any kind of third-quarter lull like they’ve been prone to do this season. Instead, the speed that gave Stanford fits continued, and so did those fits.
After the Cardinal scored eight of the first 12 points of the half, Ohio State went on an eight-point run, wiping away Stanford’s effort. The Buckeyes pushed their lead up to 20 points with 3:51 remaining in the quarter, forcing a timeout from Cardinal head coach Kate Paye.
Out of the timeout, Stanford trimmed the lead down, but only slightly. Forward Nunu Agara scored five points in the final 2:42 of the quarter, but freshman guard Ava Watson responded for Ohio State. Watson hit two threes in the third and the Buckeyes carried an 18-point lead into the final quarter.
No matter what head coach Paye tried, whether it was going to a zone, attacking more inside, or switching on defensive assignments, Ohio State adjusted. Stanford started the fourth quarter hitting two shots but the Buckeyes had a six-point run to answer back.
Then Scarlet and Gray senior Taylor Thierry pulled off the basket of the night. Petty received a pass in the paint and the Cardinal crashed the forward. That left Thierry wide open to run in behind the defenders and Petty connected a pass that Thierry caught, went up for a layup, swung the ball below a leaping Stanford defender, and hit a reverse layup.
With five minutes remaining, the starting five of Ohio State were all at double figures in the scoring column, with three grabbing at least six rebounds.
Even though the Buckeyes were up 20 points, head coach Kevin McGuff didn’t want the Buckeyes’ intensity to diminish. McGuff yelled after Ohio State offensive plays, demanding his players get back faster on defense, and they listened.
Stanford tried taking advantage of a slow response time, but McMahon and Gray pursued and rushed a layup that turned into an Ohio State rebound. It was that kind of night for the Buckeyes, who picked up their 11th win in a row, and the most impressive coming against the lone power conference team on the 2024-25 schedule.
Ohio State forced 18 turnovers in the win, and held Stanford to 12.5 percent shooting from the floor, going 2-of-15.
McMahon led the scoring in the win with 16 points, Greene was right behind her with 15 points and Gray and Petty were right behind the senior with 14 points apiece. Watson led scorers off the bench with 11 points, giving the Buckeyes six players scoring double-digits.
For Stanford, Nunu Agara continued her team-leading scoring with 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Tess Heal adding 10 points.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes are now on a break until Dec. 29, that’s when Big Ten play starts back up for the Scarlet and Gray. Up first are the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who have lost four straight to Ohio State but feature a strong tandem of freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller and senior forward Destiny Adams.
Rutgers is 7-4 on the season but 0-1 in conference play. On Dec. 8, the Scarlet Knights traveled to Wisconsin and lost to the Badgers 66-64.
Continue reading...