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WBB: Ohio State Falls Just Short Against #3 Notre Dame
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The women’s basketball season may be less than a month old but Ohio State has already been tested by fire, having already played the top 3 ranked teams in the country after traveling to #3 Notre Dame last night as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. There is some history between these programs as OSU coach Kevin McGuff used to be an assistant coach at Notre Dame under Muffet McGraw where he helped lead the Irish to a national title.
The game opened as a back and forth affair and OSU grabbed an early 6-5 lead but Notre Dame quickly went on a 13 to 3 run to take an 18-9 lead with about three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. The OSU offense was struggling due to Notre Dame making shots and not letting the Buckeyes get out in transition and the Irish zone defense was really shutting down the inside. Ohio State finally got their offense going a bit and twice cut the Notre Dame lead to five but the Irish scored the last four points of the quarter to extend their lead to 26-17.
After only hitting a pair of free throws in the first quarter, Kelsey Mitchell opened the scoring with an old-fashioned three point play. The Buckeyes got several more chances to cut into the lead do to Notre Dame misses but couldn’t take advantage due to unforced turnovers. An Irish three pointer pushed their lead back to 9 two minutes into the quarter. After trading baskets, Mitchell drained a three pointer that started a 7 to 3 run that pulled the Buckeyes to within five, 34-29, midway through the quarter. The Irish responded with four straight to push their lead back to nine only to have Michell hit another long shot that keyed a run of nine unanswered points that tied the game at 38 with a minute and a half remaining in the half. The Irish weren’t going away, scoring the next five points to seemingly regain the momentum heading into the half but Mitchell drove coast-to-coast for a layup that also drew a foul but Mitchell missed the free throw. The Buckeye defense didn’t get back quick enough and the Irish drove for the final basket of the half to take a 45-40 lead into intermission.
Both teams struggled to score in the third quarter. Ohio State really stepped up their defensive pressure which disrupted the flow of the Notre Dame offense. Unfortunately the Buckeyes couldn’t take full advantage due to continuing struggles with turnovers. OSU was able to slowly chip away at an early seven point Notre Dame lead and an Asia Doss three pointer pulled the Buckeyes within one in the closing minute of the quarter. An Irish turnover gave the Buckeyes the ball back and Mitchell hit a layup to put OSU up 55-54 with six seconds remaining. Once again the OSU defense didn’t get back fast enough at the end of the quarter and Notre Dame took advantage, hitting a long two to retake the lead, 56-55, heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter started off as a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to really put together much of a run early. Notre Dame eventually got up by six before a Shayla Cooper jumper and a Kelsey Mitchell three pointer pulled OSU within one, 64-63, with six minutes remaining in the game. OSU had two nice drives on their next two possessions that gave them the chance to take the lead but the Irish did a great job of getting in position and drawing back-to-back charges. Notre Dame then made Ohio State pay, scoring five straight points to extend their lead. A jumper by Cooper swung the momentum back to OSU as the Buckeyes scored 7 straight to take a 70-69 lead with two and a half minutes to go. After a pair of empty possessions by both teams, Notre Dame hit a three pointer to go up 72-70 with one minute remaining. Ameryst Alston responded on the next possession to tie the game at 72. Ohio State stepped up the pressure on defense but got called for a foul, sending Notre Dame to the line. The Irish only made one free throw, giving OSU a chance at the win but Kelsey Mitchell missed a somewhat forced jumper and Notre Dame got the rebound. Ohio State fouled and the Irish drained both free throws. The Buckeyes had one last chance but Mitchell missed a three pointer at the buzzer and Notre Dame held on for a 75-72 win.
Ohio State shot a great 50% from the field and a solid 33% from three point range. The Buckeyes were sloppy with the ball for stretches of the game, committing 20 turnovers to go with only 10 assists. Defensively the Buckeyes held Notre Dame to 38% shooting from the field and 29% from three point range while forcing 18 turnovers. As has become customary, OSU struggled on the boards, getting outrebounded 45 to 34, the biggest difference being on the offensive glass as Notre Dame came down with 19 offensive rebounds to only 8 for Ohio State.
Kelsey Mitchell led all players with 27 points and had 3 steals, a pair of assists, and a block but committed 5 turnovers. Shayla Cooper had her second career double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds; Cooper also added a pair of assists and a pair of steals. Ameryst Alston also reached double digits with 13 points and a team high 5 assists though she committed 6 assists. Cait Craft didn’t get many scoring opportunities, tallying only 2 points, but she played great defense, recording a game high 4 steals and disrupting the Irish offense on several other occasions.
This was a challenging game for the Buckeyes and while the result was disappointing, OSU definitely showed that they can compete with the top teams. After some defensive struggles in the first quarter, Ohio State made some adjustments and started to really disrupt the Notre Dame offense as they started pressing; there is still some room for improvement on getting out on three point shooters. The Buckeyes shot well despite being on the road in a hostile environment and Shayla Cooper showed that she can be a force to be reckoned with.
Despite those good things, there are still several things for Ohio State to improve on. They are still undisciplined at times which led to several unforced turnovers and charges that proved costly. Rebounding is still an issue and while OSU isn’t the biggest team in the country, the issue tonight was more one of positioning and boxing out than size. The other costly area tonight was free throw shooting as the Buckeyes were a disappointing 8 of 14 from the charity stripe, leaving several free points on the floor that could have been the difference maker.
While this loss was disappointing, there is a lot of hope to be seen. Ohio State went toe-to-toe with the number 3 team in the country, a team that has been to 5 straight Final Fours. Notre Dame is a program whose level OSU wants to reach and last night they showed that they aren’t far from that. OSU is now 4-3 on the season, 1-3 against top ten teams with the three losses coming to the #1, #2, and #3 teams in the country. This Buckeye squad is already one of the most tested teams in basketball history and that will pay dividends come Big Ten season and March. After playing 3 straight games away from home, the Buckeyes continue on the road on Sunday as they visit Cincinnati in a game that tips off at 1:00 pm.
The post WBB: Ohio State Falls Just Short Against #3 Notre Dame 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
The women’s basketball season may be less than a month old but Ohio State has already been tested by fire, having already played the top 3 ranked teams in the country after traveling to #3 Notre Dame last night as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. There is some history between these programs as OSU coach Kevin McGuff used to be an assistant coach at Notre Dame under Muffet McGraw where he helped lead the Irish to a national title.
The game opened as a back and forth affair and OSU grabbed an early 6-5 lead but Notre Dame quickly went on a 13 to 3 run to take an 18-9 lead with about three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. The OSU offense was struggling due to Notre Dame making shots and not letting the Buckeyes get out in transition and the Irish zone defense was really shutting down the inside. Ohio State finally got their offense going a bit and twice cut the Notre Dame lead to five but the Irish scored the last four points of the quarter to extend their lead to 26-17.
After only hitting a pair of free throws in the first quarter, Kelsey Mitchell opened the scoring with an old-fashioned three point play. The Buckeyes got several more chances to cut into the lead do to Notre Dame misses but couldn’t take advantage due to unforced turnovers. An Irish three pointer pushed their lead back to 9 two minutes into the quarter. After trading baskets, Mitchell drained a three pointer that started a 7 to 3 run that pulled the Buckeyes to within five, 34-29, midway through the quarter. The Irish responded with four straight to push their lead back to nine only to have Michell hit another long shot that keyed a run of nine unanswered points that tied the game at 38 with a minute and a half remaining in the half. The Irish weren’t going away, scoring the next five points to seemingly regain the momentum heading into the half but Mitchell drove coast-to-coast for a layup that also drew a foul but Mitchell missed the free throw. The Buckeye defense didn’t get back quick enough and the Irish drove for the final basket of the half to take a 45-40 lead into intermission.
Both teams struggled to score in the third quarter. Ohio State really stepped up their defensive pressure which disrupted the flow of the Notre Dame offense. Unfortunately the Buckeyes couldn’t take full advantage due to continuing struggles with turnovers. OSU was able to slowly chip away at an early seven point Notre Dame lead and an Asia Doss three pointer pulled the Buckeyes within one in the closing minute of the quarter. An Irish turnover gave the Buckeyes the ball back and Mitchell hit a layup to put OSU up 55-54 with six seconds remaining. Once again the OSU defense didn’t get back fast enough at the end of the quarter and Notre Dame took advantage, hitting a long two to retake the lead, 56-55, heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter started off as a back-and-forth battle with neither team able to really put together much of a run early. Notre Dame eventually got up by six before a Shayla Cooper jumper and a Kelsey Mitchell three pointer pulled OSU within one, 64-63, with six minutes remaining in the game. OSU had two nice drives on their next two possessions that gave them the chance to take the lead but the Irish did a great job of getting in position and drawing back-to-back charges. Notre Dame then made Ohio State pay, scoring five straight points to extend their lead. A jumper by Cooper swung the momentum back to OSU as the Buckeyes scored 7 straight to take a 70-69 lead with two and a half minutes to go. After a pair of empty possessions by both teams, Notre Dame hit a three pointer to go up 72-70 with one minute remaining. Ameryst Alston responded on the next possession to tie the game at 72. Ohio State stepped up the pressure on defense but got called for a foul, sending Notre Dame to the line. The Irish only made one free throw, giving OSU a chance at the win but Kelsey Mitchell missed a somewhat forced jumper and Notre Dame got the rebound. Ohio State fouled and the Irish drained both free throws. The Buckeyes had one last chance but Mitchell missed a three pointer at the buzzer and Notre Dame held on for a 75-72 win.
Ohio State shot a great 50% from the field and a solid 33% from three point range. The Buckeyes were sloppy with the ball for stretches of the game, committing 20 turnovers to go with only 10 assists. Defensively the Buckeyes held Notre Dame to 38% shooting from the field and 29% from three point range while forcing 18 turnovers. As has become customary, OSU struggled on the boards, getting outrebounded 45 to 34, the biggest difference being on the offensive glass as Notre Dame came down with 19 offensive rebounds to only 8 for Ohio State.
Kelsey Mitchell led all players with 27 points and had 3 steals, a pair of assists, and a block but committed 5 turnovers. Shayla Cooper had her second career double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds; Cooper also added a pair of assists and a pair of steals. Ameryst Alston also reached double digits with 13 points and a team high 5 assists though she committed 6 assists. Cait Craft didn’t get many scoring opportunities, tallying only 2 points, but she played great defense, recording a game high 4 steals and disrupting the Irish offense on several other occasions.
This was a challenging game for the Buckeyes and while the result was disappointing, OSU definitely showed that they can compete with the top teams. After some defensive struggles in the first quarter, Ohio State made some adjustments and started to really disrupt the Notre Dame offense as they started pressing; there is still some room for improvement on getting out on three point shooters. The Buckeyes shot well despite being on the road in a hostile environment and Shayla Cooper showed that she can be a force to be reckoned with.
Despite those good things, there are still several things for Ohio State to improve on. They are still undisciplined at times which led to several unforced turnovers and charges that proved costly. Rebounding is still an issue and while OSU isn’t the biggest team in the country, the issue tonight was more one of positioning and boxing out than size. The other costly area tonight was free throw shooting as the Buckeyes were a disappointing 8 of 14 from the charity stripe, leaving several free points on the floor that could have been the difference maker.
While this loss was disappointing, there is a lot of hope to be seen. Ohio State went toe-to-toe with the number 3 team in the country, a team that has been to 5 straight Final Fours. Notre Dame is a program whose level OSU wants to reach and last night they showed that they aren’t far from that. OSU is now 4-3 on the season, 1-3 against top ten teams with the three losses coming to the #1, #2, and #3 teams in the country. This Buckeye squad is already one of the most tested teams in basketball history and that will pay dividends come Big Ten season and March. After playing 3 straight games away from home, the Buckeyes continue on the road on Sunday as they visit Cincinnati in a game that tips off at 1:00 pm.
The post WBB: Ohio State Falls Just Short Against #3 Notre Dame appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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