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Ohio State falls on overtime last-second shot in regular season finale at Maryland 93-90
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images
In a barn-burner of a game, the Buckeyes came up short, but showed tons of grit.
On the final day of the Big Ten regular season, No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball traveled to College Park, Maryland to face the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins. The Buckeyes and Terrapins showed why the Big Ten schedule makers put the two teams against each other twice this season. In a chippy, back-and-forth matchup, Ohio State had the chance to win in overtime but came up short, falling to the terrapins 93-90.
Before the game began, the Terrapins honored senior guard and Aurora, Ohio native, Shyanne Sellers. The team leader and fan favorite received a standing ovation, playing in her final game in Maryland. Then, on the court, Sellers gave Maryland fans something to cheer for again, hitting two three-point shots in the first 91 seconds of the game.
It got the Terps going, but the Buckeyes kept the game close with hot shooting from beyond the arc. The Buckeyes missed their first attempted three but hit the next three. It cut an early six-point lead for the home side into a single possession game but then shooting went cold.
The Buckeyes missed their next six shots from the field and settled for five free throws in the final half of the quarter, while Maryland attacked the basket. Maryland had 10 points in the paint and out rebounded Ohio State 12-7 in the first 10 minutes.
To make matters worse for the visiting Buckeyes, foul trouble hampered both point guard Jaloni Cambridge and forward Cotie McMahon with both picking up two in the first quarter and spending time on the bench.
Ohio State regrouped in the second quarter and got off to a hot start with 11 of the first 16 points of the period. Each time Maryland made a basket, the Buckeyes would hit two or three in response and with 3:33 remaining in the half Ohio State took the lead, 33-32. Not part of that lead was Jaloni Cambridge, who picked up her third foul but still had eight points in 14 minutes before leaving for the bench for the remainder of the half.
Head coach Kevin McGuff found the most success in the second quarter with a different lineup than usual, with guards Madison Greene, Kennedy Cambridge and Chance Gray playing with forward Taylor Thierry and center Elsa Lemmilä. The Finnish freshman Lemmilä helped Ohio State out rebound the Terps in the second quarter, 9-8, with Lemmilä grabbing three.
However, McGuff only played McMahon four minutes in the second quarter, despite having two fouls. That’s not an abnormal coaching decision, but it came when Cambridge was playing with two fouls in the quarter.
With 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, Ohio State had a three-point lead that could have been more if not for sloppy passing under the basket. The first came on a fast break, with guard Kennedy Cambridge trying to find Thierry on the other side of the paint, but it went directly to two Maryland players. Within 30 seconds, Gray did the same and Sellers made Ohio State pay the second time with a three-point shot that cut the Buckeyes lead to one point, 38-37.
That's where the game stood at halftime, with the Scarlet and Gray holding a 38-37 lead with Thierry leading the Buckeyes with 11 points. Thierry also had to play the entire 20 minutes of the first half due to foul trouble on the Buckeyes.
The two sides traded baskets to start the second half, but then both sides lost players for different reasons. For Jaloni Cambridge, the guard picked up her fourth foul in a baffling way. Maryland forward Christina Dalce got an offensive rebound and second chance basket. Jaloni Cambridge’s back was to Dalce, didn’t get wrapped up in the player and made no contact with the forward as she went to the basket. The call perplexed McGuff too, pleading for an explanation from the officiating crew.
Then, a minute later, Sellers went up for a layup, tried to get contact and went to the court. The guard needed help up off the floor and was carried to the locker room for medical attention. Sellers already came into the game working through a right knee injury suffered back on Jan. 20 against the Texas Longhorns.
With the two stars out of the game, the matchup didn't lack any excitement. If anything, it got more heated when Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle and Ohio State forward Ajae Petty went for a loose ball. Smikle got the loose ball and threw it off Petty before it went out, giving the Terps the possession. On the inbound, Petty picked up a block but Dalce got a basket and then earned a technical for getting in the face of Petty.
At the 5:08 mark in the third quarter, as Greene took foul shots for the Buckeyes, the crowd erupted to the return of Sellers. Just walking to the bench got the crowd on its feet and Sellers walked directly to the scorer’s table to enter the game.
The guard hit three free throws for the rest of the quarter, but overall the quarter looked like a game where both sides were getting caught up in the emotions of the moment. Shots were rushed, more fouls were called and the two teams kept the game within two possessions, with Maryland leading for nearly nine minutes of the period. McMahon earned a fourth foul for a push and the home side celebrated the call emphatically, with two players signaling an exaggerated push at mid court.
To start the fourth quarter, Jaloni Cambridge hit a layup to give the Buckeyes a one-point lead but then things fell apart for the visitors. Maryland responded with a five-point run and Thierry picked up two more fouls and went to the bench. Ohio State had three starters with four fouls and over eight minutes left in the game, trying to cut into a four-point deficit.
Jaloni Cambridge was the first player to succumb to fouls when the officials called a charge against the freshman. Before and after the foul, Smikle added four points to extend the home lead to six points and McGuff called a timeout to try and stop the Maryland momentum and regroup.
Out of the timeout, McMahon threw the ball away, trying to get Petty in the backcourt. That play summed up how the game was going, with Maryland holding all the momentum and Ohio State playing disjointed basketball. Smikle hit a three to put the game up nine points in the Terps’ favor. With six minutes remaining, it didn’t look like the Buckeyes had anything left, and were playing frustrated.
When it looked like the Buckeyes were without a spark, Ohio State went on a six-point run to get the game back within a possession. They did it by forcing two turnovers and grabbing three offensive rebounds. The intensity Ohio State strives to play with every game came out with the game on the line.
Ohio State tied the game with a Greene three and Thierry steal and layup seconds later. However, Kennedy Cambridge suffered a knee injury during the basket, putting a half on the game with 2:59 remaining. The redshirt sophomore was in clear pain and coach McGuff helped get the guard off the court.
Like Sellers though, Kennedy Cambridge returned for Ohio State and neither side at this point wanted to lose with both sides rarely missing in the final 3:32 of the game. Maryland went 3-of-3, with two free throws, while the Buckeyes went five-of-five. With 29.3 seconds left, the game was tied and Ohio State needed a defensive stop to have a chance.
Sellers had that final chance, but missed a turnaround jumper while trying to earn a foul call on Kennedy Cambridge who stopped the shot, sending the game to overtime.
This season, the Buckeyes already had two overtime wins and never in program history did Ohio State have three overtime wins in the same season. Despite history, the Buckeyes started by scoring the first five points of the period through Greene and Thierry.
Maryland responded with the next two baskets, making it a one-point game. McMahon responded with a layup and Smikle tried to run the court to do the same, but Greene fouled the guard in the process. It put Ohio State in a tough position because one more foul for Greene would mean no point guards available on the Buckeye roster.
McMahon kept going, hitting another basket to put the Buckeyes up three with 1:38 remaining. Maryland missed a three on their next possession but got the ball and called a timeout before a diving Greene could earn a jump ball possession. Out of the timeout, Smikle tied it at 87-87 with a three-point basket, forcing McGuff to call a timeout of his own.
Ohio State lost the ball on the inbound but a timely rebound by Petty erased the error. On the subsequent possession, McMahon went up for a basket and missed but got a second opportunity that turned into a fifth foul for Emily Fisher. McMahon hit one free throw to give Ohio State a one-point lead with 33.3 seconds remaining.
Guard Sarah Te-Biasu hit a clutch layup to put MD up one point with 26.5 seconds remaining but Ohio State had the last shot opportunity. Kennedy Cambridge took it, trying to hit a midrange shot that Smikle got a hand on but the refs called a turnover.
Ohio State had to foul and sent Kubek went to the line who missed one. The Buckeyes tied it on layup by Greene but Te-Biasu hit a three with a second remaining to come away with the Maryland upset victory.
Thierry led all Buckeyes with 18 points, while Petty added 12 points and nine rebounds. Maryland’s Smikle led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds, with Sellers not far behind with 17 points and seven assists.
With the regular season done, Ohio State heads to Indianapolis for a Friday quarterfinal in the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes locked into the No. 3 seed and a double-bye in the tournament, meaning they’ll face either the No. 11, No. 14 or No. 6 seeded side. The 11 and 14 seeds play on Wednesday to face the six seed on Thursday. Ohio State will face the winner of that game.
The Big Ten will announce the full tournament seeding at the end of Sunday’s games but as of publishing it looks like the No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers will play the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers, with the winner playing the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines.
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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 Greg Fiume/Getty Images
In a barn-burner of a game, the Buckeyes came up short, but showed tons of grit.
On the final day of the Big Ten regular season, No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball traveled to College Park, Maryland to face the No. 19 Maryland Terrapins. The Buckeyes and Terrapins showed why the Big Ten schedule makers put the two teams against each other twice this season. In a chippy, back-and-forth matchup, Ohio State had the chance to win in overtime but came up short, falling to the terrapins 93-90.
Before the game began, the Terrapins honored senior guard and Aurora, Ohio native, Shyanne Sellers. The team leader and fan favorite received a standing ovation, playing in her final game in Maryland. Then, on the court, Sellers gave Maryland fans something to cheer for again, hitting two three-point shots in the first 91 seconds of the game.
It got the Terps going, but the Buckeyes kept the game close with hot shooting from beyond the arc. The Buckeyes missed their first attempted three but hit the next three. It cut an early six-point lead for the home side into a single possession game but then shooting went cold.
The Buckeyes missed their next six shots from the field and settled for five free throws in the final half of the quarter, while Maryland attacked the basket. Maryland had 10 points in the paint and out rebounded Ohio State 12-7 in the first 10 minutes.
To make matters worse for the visiting Buckeyes, foul trouble hampered both point guard Jaloni Cambridge and forward Cotie McMahon with both picking up two in the first quarter and spending time on the bench.
Ohio State regrouped in the second quarter and got off to a hot start with 11 of the first 16 points of the period. Each time Maryland made a basket, the Buckeyes would hit two or three in response and with 3:33 remaining in the half Ohio State took the lead, 33-32. Not part of that lead was Jaloni Cambridge, who picked up her third foul but still had eight points in 14 minutes before leaving for the bench for the remainder of the half.
Head coach Kevin McGuff found the most success in the second quarter with a different lineup than usual, with guards Madison Greene, Kennedy Cambridge and Chance Gray playing with forward Taylor Thierry and center Elsa Lemmilä. The Finnish freshman Lemmilä helped Ohio State out rebound the Terps in the second quarter, 9-8, with Lemmilä grabbing three.
However, McGuff only played McMahon four minutes in the second quarter, despite having two fouls. That’s not an abnormal coaching decision, but it came when Cambridge was playing with two fouls in the quarter.
With 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, Ohio State had a three-point lead that could have been more if not for sloppy passing under the basket. The first came on a fast break, with guard Kennedy Cambridge trying to find Thierry on the other side of the paint, but it went directly to two Maryland players. Within 30 seconds, Gray did the same and Sellers made Ohio State pay the second time with a three-point shot that cut the Buckeyes lead to one point, 38-37.
That's where the game stood at halftime, with the Scarlet and Gray holding a 38-37 lead with Thierry leading the Buckeyes with 11 points. Thierry also had to play the entire 20 minutes of the first half due to foul trouble on the Buckeyes.
The two sides traded baskets to start the second half, but then both sides lost players for different reasons. For Jaloni Cambridge, the guard picked up her fourth foul in a baffling way. Maryland forward Christina Dalce got an offensive rebound and second chance basket. Jaloni Cambridge’s back was to Dalce, didn’t get wrapped up in the player and made no contact with the forward as she went to the basket. The call perplexed McGuff too, pleading for an explanation from the officiating crew.
Then, a minute later, Sellers went up for a layup, tried to get contact and went to the court. The guard needed help up off the floor and was carried to the locker room for medical attention. Sellers already came into the game working through a right knee injury suffered back on Jan. 20 against the Texas Longhorns.
With the two stars out of the game, the matchup didn't lack any excitement. If anything, it got more heated when Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle and Ohio State forward Ajae Petty went for a loose ball. Smikle got the loose ball and threw it off Petty before it went out, giving the Terps the possession. On the inbound, Petty picked up a block but Dalce got a basket and then earned a technical for getting in the face of Petty.
At the 5:08 mark in the third quarter, as Greene took foul shots for the Buckeyes, the crowd erupted to the return of Sellers. Just walking to the bench got the crowd on its feet and Sellers walked directly to the scorer’s table to enter the game.
The guard hit three free throws for the rest of the quarter, but overall the quarter looked like a game where both sides were getting caught up in the emotions of the moment. Shots were rushed, more fouls were called and the two teams kept the game within two possessions, with Maryland leading for nearly nine minutes of the period. McMahon earned a fourth foul for a push and the home side celebrated the call emphatically, with two players signaling an exaggerated push at mid court.
To start the fourth quarter, Jaloni Cambridge hit a layup to give the Buckeyes a one-point lead but then things fell apart for the visitors. Maryland responded with a five-point run and Thierry picked up two more fouls and went to the bench. Ohio State had three starters with four fouls and over eight minutes left in the game, trying to cut into a four-point deficit.
Jaloni Cambridge was the first player to succumb to fouls when the officials called a charge against the freshman. Before and after the foul, Smikle added four points to extend the home lead to six points and McGuff called a timeout to try and stop the Maryland momentum and regroup.
Out of the timeout, McMahon threw the ball away, trying to get Petty in the backcourt. That play summed up how the game was going, with Maryland holding all the momentum and Ohio State playing disjointed basketball. Smikle hit a three to put the game up nine points in the Terps’ favor. With six minutes remaining, it didn’t look like the Buckeyes had anything left, and were playing frustrated.
When it looked like the Buckeyes were without a spark, Ohio State went on a six-point run to get the game back within a possession. They did it by forcing two turnovers and grabbing three offensive rebounds. The intensity Ohio State strives to play with every game came out with the game on the line.
Ohio State tied the game with a Greene three and Thierry steal and layup seconds later. However, Kennedy Cambridge suffered a knee injury during the basket, putting a half on the game with 2:59 remaining. The redshirt sophomore was in clear pain and coach McGuff helped get the guard off the court.
Like Sellers though, Kennedy Cambridge returned for Ohio State and neither side at this point wanted to lose with both sides rarely missing in the final 3:32 of the game. Maryland went 3-of-3, with two free throws, while the Buckeyes went five-of-five. With 29.3 seconds left, the game was tied and Ohio State needed a defensive stop to have a chance.
Sellers had that final chance, but missed a turnaround jumper while trying to earn a foul call on Kennedy Cambridge who stopped the shot, sending the game to overtime.
This season, the Buckeyes already had two overtime wins and never in program history did Ohio State have three overtime wins in the same season. Despite history, the Buckeyes started by scoring the first five points of the period through Greene and Thierry.
Maryland responded with the next two baskets, making it a one-point game. McMahon responded with a layup and Smikle tried to run the court to do the same, but Greene fouled the guard in the process. It put Ohio State in a tough position because one more foul for Greene would mean no point guards available on the Buckeye roster.
McMahon kept going, hitting another basket to put the Buckeyes up three with 1:38 remaining. Maryland missed a three on their next possession but got the ball and called a timeout before a diving Greene could earn a jump ball possession. Out of the timeout, Smikle tied it at 87-87 with a three-point basket, forcing McGuff to call a timeout of his own.
Ohio State lost the ball on the inbound but a timely rebound by Petty erased the error. On the subsequent possession, McMahon went up for a basket and missed but got a second opportunity that turned into a fifth foul for Emily Fisher. McMahon hit one free throw to give Ohio State a one-point lead with 33.3 seconds remaining.
Guard Sarah Te-Biasu hit a clutch layup to put MD up one point with 26.5 seconds remaining but Ohio State had the last shot opportunity. Kennedy Cambridge took it, trying to hit a midrange shot that Smikle got a hand on but the refs called a turnover.
Ohio State had to foul and sent Kubek went to the line who missed one. The Buckeyes tied it on layup by Greene but Te-Biasu hit a three with a second remaining to come away with the Maryland upset victory.
Thierry led all Buckeyes with 18 points, while Petty added 12 points and nine rebounds. Maryland’s Smikle led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds, with Sellers not far behind with 17 points and seven assists.
What’s Next
With the regular season done, Ohio State heads to Indianapolis for a Friday quarterfinal in the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes locked into the No. 3 seed and a double-bye in the tournament, meaning they’ll face either the No. 11, No. 14 or No. 6 seeded side. The 11 and 14 seeds play on Wednesday to face the six seed on Thursday. Ohio State will face the winner of that game.
The Big Ten will announce the full tournament seeding at the end of Sunday’s games but as of publishing it looks like the No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers will play the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers, with the winner playing the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines.
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