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WBB: #10 Ohio State Dominates North Carolina A&T
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After a week off to get ready for final exams, the #10 Ohio State women’s basketball team returned to action as they hosted North Carolina A&T. While the Aggies are not exactly a powerhouse opponent, games like this are an important opportunity for the team to focus on fundamentals and to see how well they can maintain their focus.
While Ameryst Alston opened the scoring, North Carolina A&T hit a three pointer on their first possession to take an early 3-2 lead. That lead didn’t last long as OSU rattled off 15 points in a row to take a 17-3 lead at the midpoint of the first quarter. Even after the Aggies finally broke that streak, the Buckeye offense couldn’t be stopped and OSU led 27-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter wasn’t as dominating for Ohio State as they struggled a bit with their shooting, hitting only 35% of their shots from the field but going 5 of 11 from three point range in the quarter. Despite the shooting difficulties, the Buckeyes extended their lead to 48-25 at halftime.
North Carolina A&T came out of the locker room fired up and scored nine straight points early in the third quarter to cut the Ohio State lead to 52-37 just three and a half minutes into the second half. The Aggie run was fueled by Buckeye turnovers and once OSU started taking care of the ball, they ended the Aggie threat. OSU couldn’t extend their lead much though as the two teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter; when the quarter ended, Ohio State held a 67-51 lead.
NC A&T had shot well, over 60%, in the third quarter but that ended in the final period. Ohio State continued to shoot well though as they cruised to a dominating 89-56 win.
Ohio State shot 52% from the field for the game and 35% from three point range; they also shot a good 86% from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes moved the ball well, recording 21 assists on 31 baskets while only committing 12 turnovers. Defensively OSU held North Carolina A&T to 35% from the field but did allow the Aggies to go 47% from outside. The Buckeyes forced 18 turnovers which they turned into 24 points. In another welcome sign, OSU won the rebounding battle, 40 to 33.
Kelsey Mitching led both teams with 22 points, lighting it up from outside by going 5 of 11 from three point range. Even more impressively, Mitchell dished out 6 assists while not committing a single turnover, she also came up with 3 steals. Ameryst Alston scored 20 points thanks to an amazing 9 of 10 shooting day; she dished out 5 assists but did commit 4 turnovers. Alexa Hart had her second strong game in a row, recording a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while also recording 3 blocks. Asia Doss was the fourth Buckeye in double figures, coming off the bench to score 11 points to go with 5 assists.
While this wasn’t a difficult game for the Buckeyes, there were a lot of good things in this game. After a week off and the distraction of final exams, it was great to see OSU get off to a good start in this game and not really miss a beat on offense. Games like this offer a chance to focus on fundamentals and 21 assists on 31 baskets is a sign of great ball movement. Mitchell and Alston continue to be dominant scorers and it’s encouraging to see Alexa Hart regaining her form from last season. An even better sign is the emergence of Asia Doss as a scoring threat off the bench.
Ohio State has another long break this week to finish up final exams. The Buckeyes return to action on Friday when they host Princeton in a game that tips at 7:00pm.
The post WBB: #10 Ohio State Dominates North Carolina A&T appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
After a week off to get ready for final exams, the #10 Ohio State women’s basketball team returned to action as they hosted North Carolina A&T. While the Aggies are not exactly a powerhouse opponent, games like this are an important opportunity for the team to focus on fundamentals and to see how well they can maintain their focus.
While Ameryst Alston opened the scoring, North Carolina A&T hit a three pointer on their first possession to take an early 3-2 lead. That lead didn’t last long as OSU rattled off 15 points in a row to take a 17-3 lead at the midpoint of the first quarter. Even after the Aggies finally broke that streak, the Buckeye offense couldn’t be stopped and OSU led 27-11 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter wasn’t as dominating for Ohio State as they struggled a bit with their shooting, hitting only 35% of their shots from the field but going 5 of 11 from three point range in the quarter. Despite the shooting difficulties, the Buckeyes extended their lead to 48-25 at halftime.
North Carolina A&T came out of the locker room fired up and scored nine straight points early in the third quarter to cut the Ohio State lead to 52-37 just three and a half minutes into the second half. The Aggie run was fueled by Buckeye turnovers and once OSU started taking care of the ball, they ended the Aggie threat. OSU couldn’t extend their lead much though as the two teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter; when the quarter ended, Ohio State held a 67-51 lead.
NC A&T had shot well, over 60%, in the third quarter but that ended in the final period. Ohio State continued to shoot well though as they cruised to a dominating 89-56 win.
Ohio State shot 52% from the field for the game and 35% from three point range; they also shot a good 86% from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes moved the ball well, recording 21 assists on 31 baskets while only committing 12 turnovers. Defensively OSU held North Carolina A&T to 35% from the field but did allow the Aggies to go 47% from outside. The Buckeyes forced 18 turnovers which they turned into 24 points. In another welcome sign, OSU won the rebounding battle, 40 to 33.
Kelsey Mitching led both teams with 22 points, lighting it up from outside by going 5 of 11 from three point range. Even more impressively, Mitchell dished out 6 assists while not committing a single turnover, she also came up with 3 steals. Ameryst Alston scored 20 points thanks to an amazing 9 of 10 shooting day; she dished out 5 assists but did commit 4 turnovers. Alexa Hart had her second strong game in a row, recording a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while also recording 3 blocks. Asia Doss was the fourth Buckeye in double figures, coming off the bench to score 11 points to go with 5 assists.
While this wasn’t a difficult game for the Buckeyes, there were a lot of good things in this game. After a week off and the distraction of final exams, it was great to see OSU get off to a good start in this game and not really miss a beat on offense. Games like this offer a chance to focus on fundamentals and 21 assists on 31 baskets is a sign of great ball movement. Mitchell and Alston continue to be dominant scorers and it’s encouraging to see Alexa Hart regaining her form from last season. An even better sign is the emergence of Asia Doss as a scoring threat off the bench.
Ohio State has another long break this week to finish up final exams. The Buckeyes return to action on Friday when they host Princeton in a game that tips at 7:00pm.
The post WBB: #10 Ohio State Dominates North Carolina A&T appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...