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No. 15 Ohio State women’s basketball finish holiday weekend, stuffing Cornell 83-40
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Ohio State University athletic department
Buckeyes give Cornell a sour ending to its holiday weekend, winning big in last game before Tennessee
Before the Thanksgiving leftovers were even finished, the Ohio State women’s basketball team was back on the court, continuing its 23-24 season. Sunday’s opponent was the Cornell Big Red, a team sitting in the bottom half of the Ivy League table, looking for a big upset in Big Ten country.
Head Coach Kevin McGuff’s side wasn’t having it though, taking care Cornell 83-40 at the Schottenstein Center.
Cornell started the game with the first points after three offensive OSU possessions came out fruitless, but the Buckeyes found its rhythm
Celebrating Friendsgiving in the arena, the Buckeyes found friends on the court to start the game, mainly to forward/guard Taylor Thierry. The hybrid player scored six quick points to start the game, adding five rebounds (three on offense) in a little over six minutes on the clock.
Out of the media timeout, Cornell found its stride offensively, making three shots in a row, with Ohio State struggling going 2-for-6 in the same period. However, it didn’t last for Big Red. Cornell’s final five shots of the quarter couldn't convert, and Ohio State took advantage, with impressive work by freshman Dana Collins.
Off a steal by guard Celeste Taylor on an inbound pass, Taylor threw up a pass that made Collins leap to grab it. Instead of coming back to the ground, the Sweden international hesitated in the air before popping in a shot near the rim. The freshman followed that up with a rebound, block and steal of her own in only four first quarter minutes.
Entering the second quarter, the 11-point lead didn’t slow Ohio State down, it seemed to energize them even more. The Buckeyes scored six points off steals by Taylor and fellow graduate senior guard Jacy Sheldon. A blistering start to the 10 minutes forced a Cornell timeout after 36 seconds, needing to stop the scarlet and gray momentum.
After playing arguably its worst offense in games so far this year in the second quarter, Ohio State used the second on Sunday to turn the screw on Big Red. With four minutes until halftime, the Buckeyes held Cornell to two total points, outscoring the visitors 19-2. A big piece of that was Taylor.
Although the guard only had two first half points, she was responsible for 15 points overall. Taylor did it by turning her defensive game disruption powers into assists on offense. In 13 first half minutes, Taylor had six assists to six different Buckeyes, including a three-pointer by Sheldon, who was 2-for-3 from deep in 13 first half minutes of her own.
Defensively, the scarlet and gray couldn’t have done much better. Ohio State held Cornell to two total points in the second quarter, with six steals in the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Buckeyes scored 22 points off turnovers in the first half, carrying a 45-13 lead into the locker room.
Returning to the court for the second half, Cornell looked like a different side. Big Red was more fluid in its passing, and finding open teammates. It pushed the visitors to an early 9-2 run, outscoring its entire second quarter of points in its first two offensive possessions.
The Buckeyes were still up 26 at the end of the run and responded in a big way, going on an 18-6 run to balloon the lead up to 40 points. In that run was another standout moment for Ohio State’s Taylor.
Clarke Jackson, the local Gahanna High School guard, grabbed a steal for Cornell and went on the fast break all alone. Or so Jackson thought. Rushing from behind was Taylor who leapt into the air as Jackson went up near the rim for a layup. Taylor swatted the ball out of bounds, causing the crowd in attendance to all rise to their collective feet.
Taylor and the rest of the Buckeyes’ starters got a break to end the final quarter, giving bench players the chance to take the win over the finish line. They did, defeating Cornell Big Red 83-40.
Coach McGuff wanted the bench to provide more consistent scoring in games and the group had its chance on Sunday. No starters played in the fourth quarter, allowing guards Rikki Harris, Emma Shumate, Collins and forward Taiyier Parks ample time on the court.
In the first half, playing in mixed lineups with starters, Harris, Collins and Parks all got on the board. The most impact came from Parks. The big had four points and four rebounds in nine first half minutes, playing behind starting forward Rebeka Mikulášiková who shared a game high 14 points for OSU with McMahon.
For Shumate, the guard had at least two three-pointers made for the third time this season. Last season, in 31 appearances, Shumate had only two games where she hit at least two, and never more than two.
The second quarter of Sunday’s win wasn't just good, it was record breaking. Cornell’s two points is the lowest total Ohio State’s allowed in a second quarter of any game in program history. Overall, it’s the second best quarter of defense with the Cincinnati Bearcats scoring one points back on Dec. 4, 2016.
With the Ivy League side dispatched, the Buckeyes now face its second big test of the season, going to Knoxville, Tennessee for a Big Ten/SEC matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Last season, the Buckeyes defeated the Volunteers in a shock win to start the 22-23 season, but the Volunteers have grown a lot in a year. Tennessee was in Seattle, Washington with the Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament, showing the bounce back ability of the Tennessee program.
Thus season, the Volunteers have already fallen to the Big Ten, losing to the Indiana Hoosiers 71-57 on Thanksgiving day.
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
Buckeyes give Cornell a sour ending to its holiday weekend, winning big in last game before Tennessee
Before the Thanksgiving leftovers were even finished, the Ohio State women’s basketball team was back on the court, continuing its 23-24 season. Sunday’s opponent was the Cornell Big Red, a team sitting in the bottom half of the Ivy League table, looking for a big upset in Big Ten country.
Head Coach Kevin McGuff’s side wasn’t having it though, taking care Cornell 83-40 at the Schottenstein Center.
Cornell started the game with the first points after three offensive OSU possessions came out fruitless, but the Buckeyes found its rhythm
Celebrating Friendsgiving in the arena, the Buckeyes found friends on the court to start the game, mainly to forward/guard Taylor Thierry. The hybrid player scored six quick points to start the game, adding five rebounds (three on offense) in a little over six minutes on the clock.
Out of the media timeout, Cornell found its stride offensively, making three shots in a row, with Ohio State struggling going 2-for-6 in the same period. However, it didn’t last for Big Red. Cornell’s final five shots of the quarter couldn't convert, and Ohio State took advantage, with impressive work by freshman Dana Collins.
Off a steal by guard Celeste Taylor on an inbound pass, Taylor threw up a pass that made Collins leap to grab it. Instead of coming back to the ground, the Sweden international hesitated in the air before popping in a shot near the rim. The freshman followed that up with a rebound, block and steal of her own in only four first quarter minutes.
Entering the second quarter, the 11-point lead didn’t slow Ohio State down, it seemed to energize them even more. The Buckeyes scored six points off steals by Taylor and fellow graduate senior guard Jacy Sheldon. A blistering start to the 10 minutes forced a Cornell timeout after 36 seconds, needing to stop the scarlet and gray momentum.
After playing arguably its worst offense in games so far this year in the second quarter, Ohio State used the second on Sunday to turn the screw on Big Red. With four minutes until halftime, the Buckeyes held Cornell to two total points, outscoring the visitors 19-2. A big piece of that was Taylor.
Although the guard only had two first half points, she was responsible for 15 points overall. Taylor did it by turning her defensive game disruption powers into assists on offense. In 13 first half minutes, Taylor had six assists to six different Buckeyes, including a three-pointer by Sheldon, who was 2-for-3 from deep in 13 first half minutes of her own.
Defensively, the scarlet and gray couldn’t have done much better. Ohio State held Cornell to two total points in the second quarter, with six steals in the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Buckeyes scored 22 points off turnovers in the first half, carrying a 45-13 lead into the locker room.
Returning to the court for the second half, Cornell looked like a different side. Big Red was more fluid in its passing, and finding open teammates. It pushed the visitors to an early 9-2 run, outscoring its entire second quarter of points in its first two offensive possessions.
The Buckeyes were still up 26 at the end of the run and responded in a big way, going on an 18-6 run to balloon the lead up to 40 points. In that run was another standout moment for Ohio State’s Taylor.
Clarke Jackson, the local Gahanna High School guard, grabbed a steal for Cornell and went on the fast break all alone. Or so Jackson thought. Rushing from behind was Taylor who leapt into the air as Jackson went up near the rim for a layup. Taylor swatted the ball out of bounds, causing the crowd in attendance to all rise to their collective feet.
Taylor and the rest of the Buckeyes’ starters got a break to end the final quarter, giving bench players the chance to take the win over the finish line. They did, defeating Cornell Big Red 83-40.
Improving the Bench
Coach McGuff wanted the bench to provide more consistent scoring in games and the group had its chance on Sunday. No starters played in the fourth quarter, allowing guards Rikki Harris, Emma Shumate, Collins and forward Taiyier Parks ample time on the court.
In the first half, playing in mixed lineups with starters, Harris, Collins and Parks all got on the board. The most impact came from Parks. The big had four points and four rebounds in nine first half minutes, playing behind starting forward Rebeka Mikulášiková who shared a game high 14 points for OSU with McMahon.
For Shumate, the guard had at least two three-pointers made for the third time this season. Last season, in 31 appearances, Shumate had only two games where she hit at least two, and never more than two.
Record Breaking Defense
The second quarter of Sunday’s win wasn't just good, it was record breaking. Cornell’s two points is the lowest total Ohio State’s allowed in a second quarter of any game in program history. Overall, it’s the second best quarter of defense with the Cincinnati Bearcats scoring one points back on Dec. 4, 2016.
What’s Next
With the Ivy League side dispatched, the Buckeyes now face its second big test of the season, going to Knoxville, Tennessee for a Big Ten/SEC matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Last season, the Buckeyes defeated the Volunteers in a shock win to start the 22-23 season, but the Volunteers have grown a lot in a year. Tennessee was in Seattle, Washington with the Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament, showing the bounce back ability of the Tennessee program.
Thus season, the Volunteers have already fallen to the Big Ten, losing to the Indiana Hoosiers 71-57 on Thanksgiving day.
Continue reading...