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Ohio State Women’s March Madness Memories: Kelsey Mitchell’s 45-point game
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jay LaPrete - Associated Press
With the NCAA Tournament fast approaching, Land-Grant looks back at historic moments from program history.
Former Ohio State guard and All-American Kelsey Mitchell had four games in her four seasons as a Buckeye where she scored at least 40 points. What makes it more remarkable is they all came in Mitchell’s sophomore season.
Of the four, none was bigger than Mitchell’s performance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, on March 20, 2016.
Try to imagine Ohio State making it to the semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament and getting blown out after a hard-fought win in the quarterfinals. While that might not be a mental stretch, in 2016 it happened to the Buckeyes.
Mitchell scored 43 points to lead a second half comeback against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the quarterfinals. However, the Michigan State Spartans sent the Buckeyes home the next night with an 82-63 rout, which only looked that close because Ohio State outscored Sparty by 17 in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes made easy work of the Buffalo Bulls in the first round and two days later took on the West Virginia Mountaineers at St. John Arena.
Led by 2016 WNBA draft pick Bria Holmes, the Mountaineers were third in the Big 12, and included Holmes and two other players drafted into the WNBA. For Ohio State, they had Mitchell and senior guard Ameryst Alston, although Alston left the Buckeyes’ Big Ten tournament semifinal against Michigan State after injuring her right wrist after 10 minutes on the court.
Alston did not practice or play against Buffalo, and was limited against the Mountaineers with six points in 21 minutes. The senior’s wrist injury was one of many suffered by Ohio State that season, leading to only seven players making it to the court against the Mountaineers.
The matchup between West Virginia and Ohio State was of two teams who liked to push the pace, and there were not many people in the country who could push the pace like Mitchell. Even so, the Mountaineers got out to a 21-15 lead in the first quarter.
Ohio State responded in the second quarter, forcing 10 of its 27 turnovers, which resulted in 40 points for the Buckeyes. Mitchell was most involved in this, scoring 15 points in the second quarter alone, matching the game high of the second-leading Buckeye on the day.
By halftime, Mitchell had 20 points, and she was only getting started. However, the Mountaineers tried to counter the Buckeye scoring star by making it difficult for her to get anywhere inside the paint. Mitchell hit deep shots but was known for her blistering pace inside the arc, frequently making it to the basket.
In the first half, Mitchell went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. In the second half, Mitchell went 13-of-16.
“When she [Mitchell] comes right at you, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” said West Virginia Head coach Mike Carey.
That was evident in the third quarter when Mitchell hit seven free throws in the third quarter, part of a period where Mitchell added 17 more points to her record-breaking day for Ohio State. By the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes turned their six-point deficit after the first 10 minutes into a 67-60 lead, but West Virginia was not done, and Mitchell was losing energy.
“Just a little fatigue settled in,” said Mitchell. “ lost a little focus as far as keeping my eye on the glass and finishing the easy baskets.”
From the 31-second mark of the third quarter until the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, Mitchell missed 11 consecutive baskets in the run of play, but still added six points from the free throw line.
With 25 seconds remaining though, the Mountaineers were only down four points and called a timeout. Head coach Kevin McGuff was not ready to take his superstar sophomore out of the game.
“I was confident,” said McGuff. “I’m saying, ‘Go down there and shoot it. Put the game out of reach right now.’ We’ve got Kelsey with the ball in the full court and she did exactly what I was hoping she would do — go to the rim.”
The Mountaineers turned the ball over on the inbound pass, and Mitchell grabbed it and ran down for a fast-break layup. The basket gave Mitchell 45 points for the day.
Mitchell’s teammates picked up for the guard’s exhausted arms in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points to keep up with West Virginia in an 88-81 Buckeyes victory.
To this day, Mitchell’s 45 points is the most scored by an individual player in the first or second rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State lost 78-62 in the Sweet Sixteen to the Tennessee Volunteers, with the Vols holding Mitchell to 20 points, below her 26.3 points per game average entering the regional semifinal.
However, the 15-16 season Mitchell’s best season statistically as a member of the Buckeyes. Mitchell averaged 26.1 points per game, with 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The Associated Press named Mitchell a First Team All-American, the only time in her four years making it to the first team (Mitchell was second team the other three seasons).
In 2018, the Indiana Fever of the WNBA drafted Mitchell with the second overall pick, behind the Las Vegas Aces’ forward A’ja Wilson. Mitchell played for a struggling Indiana side in her first seven seasons in the league but, in the past two seasons, Mitchell earned her first and second All-Star selections. In 2024, Mitchell cracked the top-10 in MVP voting at No. 10.
On Jan. 29, Mitchell re-signed with the Fever to return for her eighth season and second with former Iowa Hawkeye guard Caitlin Clark alongside Mitchell in the backcourt.
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
Jay LaPrete - Associated Press
With the NCAA Tournament fast approaching, Land-Grant looks back at historic moments from program history.
Former Ohio State guard and All-American Kelsey Mitchell had four games in her four seasons as a Buckeye where she scored at least 40 points. What makes it more remarkable is they all came in Mitchell’s sophomore season.
Of the four, none was bigger than Mitchell’s performance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, on March 20, 2016.
Try to imagine Ohio State making it to the semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament and getting blown out after a hard-fought win in the quarterfinals. While that might not be a mental stretch, in 2016 it happened to the Buckeyes.
Mitchell scored 43 points to lead a second half comeback against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the quarterfinals. However, the Michigan State Spartans sent the Buckeyes home the next night with an 82-63 rout, which only looked that close because Ohio State outscored Sparty by 17 in the fourth quarter.
The Buckeyes made easy work of the Buffalo Bulls in the first round and two days later took on the West Virginia Mountaineers at St. John Arena.
Led by 2016 WNBA draft pick Bria Holmes, the Mountaineers were third in the Big 12, and included Holmes and two other players drafted into the WNBA. For Ohio State, they had Mitchell and senior guard Ameryst Alston, although Alston left the Buckeyes’ Big Ten tournament semifinal against Michigan State after injuring her right wrist after 10 minutes on the court.
Alston did not practice or play against Buffalo, and was limited against the Mountaineers with six points in 21 minutes. The senior’s wrist injury was one of many suffered by Ohio State that season, leading to only seven players making it to the court against the Mountaineers.
The matchup between West Virginia and Ohio State was of two teams who liked to push the pace, and there were not many people in the country who could push the pace like Mitchell. Even so, the Mountaineers got out to a 21-15 lead in the first quarter.
Ohio State responded in the second quarter, forcing 10 of its 27 turnovers, which resulted in 40 points for the Buckeyes. Mitchell was most involved in this, scoring 15 points in the second quarter alone, matching the game high of the second-leading Buckeye on the day.
By halftime, Mitchell had 20 points, and she was only getting started. However, the Mountaineers tried to counter the Buckeye scoring star by making it difficult for her to get anywhere inside the paint. Mitchell hit deep shots but was known for her blistering pace inside the arc, frequently making it to the basket.
In the first half, Mitchell went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. In the second half, Mitchell went 13-of-16.
“When she [Mitchell] comes right at you, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” said West Virginia Head coach Mike Carey.
That was evident in the third quarter when Mitchell hit seven free throws in the third quarter, part of a period where Mitchell added 17 more points to her record-breaking day for Ohio State. By the end of the third quarter, the Buckeyes turned their six-point deficit after the first 10 minutes into a 67-60 lead, but West Virginia was not done, and Mitchell was losing energy.
“Just a little fatigue settled in,” said Mitchell. “ lost a little focus as far as keeping my eye on the glass and finishing the easy baskets.”
From the 31-second mark of the third quarter until the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, Mitchell missed 11 consecutive baskets in the run of play, but still added six points from the free throw line.
With 25 seconds remaining though, the Mountaineers were only down four points and called a timeout. Head coach Kevin McGuff was not ready to take his superstar sophomore out of the game.
“I was confident,” said McGuff. “I’m saying, ‘Go down there and shoot it. Put the game out of reach right now.’ We’ve got Kelsey with the ball in the full court and she did exactly what I was hoping she would do — go to the rim.”
The Mountaineers turned the ball over on the inbound pass, and Mitchell grabbed it and ran down for a fast-break layup. The basket gave Mitchell 45 points for the day.
Mitchell’s teammates picked up for the guard’s exhausted arms in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points to keep up with West Virginia in an 88-81 Buckeyes victory.
To this day, Mitchell’s 45 points is the most scored by an individual player in the first or second rounds of the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State lost 78-62 in the Sweet Sixteen to the Tennessee Volunteers, with the Vols holding Mitchell to 20 points, below her 26.3 points per game average entering the regional semifinal.
However, the 15-16 season Mitchell’s best season statistically as a member of the Buckeyes. Mitchell averaged 26.1 points per game, with 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. The Associated Press named Mitchell a First Team All-American, the only time in her four years making it to the first team (Mitchell was second team the other three seasons).
In 2018, the Indiana Fever of the WNBA drafted Mitchell with the second overall pick, behind the Las Vegas Aces’ forward A’ja Wilson. Mitchell played for a struggling Indiana side in her first seven seasons in the league but, in the past two seasons, Mitchell earned her first and second All-Star selections. In 2024, Mitchell cracked the top-10 in MVP voting at No. 10.
On Jan. 29, Mitchell re-signed with the Fever to return for her eighth season and second with former Iowa Hawkeye guard Caitlin Clark alongside Mitchell in the backcourt.
Continue reading...