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WBB: OSU Downs Texas A&M 95-80
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While the Ohio State football team got most of the attention today, they weren’t the only Buckeye squad in action as the 11th ranked OSU women’s basketball team took on 10th ranked Texas A&M in the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas. The Aggies entered the game 5-0 having already defeated #15 Duke and #16 California earlier in the season.
Ohio State got off to a slow start, struggling to hit anything as Texas A&M quickly jumped out to a 17-2 lead just over four minutes into the game. An Asia Doss jumper finally got the OSU offense moving a bit and they put together a 10 to 4 run to pull within single digits with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter but then the offense stalled, failing to score for the rest of the quarter while the Aggies pushed their lead to 24-12.
The second quarter started off better for the Buckeyes as they scored the first six points to ignite a 15 to 2 run that saw OSU take a 27-26 lead at the midpoint of the period. Texas A&M found their offense at this point and the lead changed hands a couple times before the Aggies managed to get a 35-21 lead with just under two minutes to go in the half. The Buckeyes would manage to inch closer but still trailed 38-36 at halftime.
Texas A&M scored the first basket of the second half before Ohio State responded with seven straight points to take a 43-40 lead two and a half minutes into the third quarter. After a Texas A&M free throw broke the Buckeye streak of consecutive points, OSU responded by scoring 13 straight to extend their lead to 56-41 with a little over three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Aggies would finally start scoring again but they couldn’t get within single digits and the Buckeyes headed into the final quarter with a 63-51 lead.
Texas A&M twice pulled within 10 points in the first minute of the fourth quarter but couldn’t get any closer as the Ohio State offense couldn’t be stopped as the Buckeyes kept their foot on the gas on the way to an impressive 95-80 win.
Kelsey Mitchell grabbed the headlines by scoring 42 points, tieing the OSU single game record set by Samantha Prahalis against Michigan State in 2011. Mitchell did a great job shooting from outside, attacking the basket, and getting to the free throw line. She also grabbed 5 rebounds, had 2 assists, and 2 steals but did commit 4 turnovers. Ameryst Alston was the only other Buckeye to reach double digits, scoring 21 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists to go with 3 turnovers. Shayla Cooper led OSU with 9 rebounds while scoring 6 points.
Despite their cold start to the game, Ohio State finished shooting an impressive 54% from the field and a solid 33% from three point range. After struggling from the free throw line yesterday, the Buckeyes shot a much better 85% from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes did a good job taking care of the ball, committing only 10 turnovers but it would be nice to see a bit more than 10 assists.
Defensively OSU forced 16 turnovers and had some great stretches of defense but still allowed Texas A&M to shoot 49% from the field and 30% from outside the arc. OSU also again struggled on the boards, getting out- rebounded 37 to 31.
This was an impressive game for Ohio State and probably their best game of the season. They struggled early and found themselves in a hole against a top 10 team. However, they didn’t panic and instead worked through their shooting difficulties to find their offense and get it in gear. Once the offense got going, the Buckeyes didn’t let up, scoring 83 points in the final three quarters including an impressive 51 to 27 margin in the second and third quarters that gave OSU a solid lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Aggies are a very good team, having already beat two top 20 teams this season and the Buckeyes posted a solid win that would have been a complete blowout if not for the first quarter. I love the fight in this OSU team and after raising some questions in their loss to Connecticut, they showed today that they can hang with the top teams and be a contender in March. There is still a lot of room for improvement though. Rebounding continues to be an issue as it has been for a few years and while Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston being nearly unstoppable is nice, other players need to get more involved in the offense.
Ohio State won’t have much time to enjoy this big win as they travel to Notre Dame on Wednesday to take on 3rd ranked Notre Dame as part of the Big Ten-ACC challenge.
The post WBB: OSU Downs Texas A&M 95-80 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
While the Ohio State football team got most of the attention today, they weren’t the only Buckeye squad in action as the 11th ranked OSU women’s basketball team took on 10th ranked Texas A&M in the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas. The Aggies entered the game 5-0 having already defeated #15 Duke and #16 California earlier in the season.
Ohio State got off to a slow start, struggling to hit anything as Texas A&M quickly jumped out to a 17-2 lead just over four minutes into the game. An Asia Doss jumper finally got the OSU offense moving a bit and they put together a 10 to 4 run to pull within single digits with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter but then the offense stalled, failing to score for the rest of the quarter while the Aggies pushed their lead to 24-12.
The second quarter started off better for the Buckeyes as they scored the first six points to ignite a 15 to 2 run that saw OSU take a 27-26 lead at the midpoint of the period. Texas A&M found their offense at this point and the lead changed hands a couple times before the Aggies managed to get a 35-21 lead with just under two minutes to go in the half. The Buckeyes would manage to inch closer but still trailed 38-36 at halftime.
Texas A&M scored the first basket of the second half before Ohio State responded with seven straight points to take a 43-40 lead two and a half minutes into the third quarter. After a Texas A&M free throw broke the Buckeye streak of consecutive points, OSU responded by scoring 13 straight to extend their lead to 56-41 with a little over three minutes remaining in the quarter. The Aggies would finally start scoring again but they couldn’t get within single digits and the Buckeyes headed into the final quarter with a 63-51 lead.
Texas A&M twice pulled within 10 points in the first minute of the fourth quarter but couldn’t get any closer as the Ohio State offense couldn’t be stopped as the Buckeyes kept their foot on the gas on the way to an impressive 95-80 win.
Kelsey Mitchell grabbed the headlines by scoring 42 points, tieing the OSU single game record set by Samantha Prahalis against Michigan State in 2011. Mitchell did a great job shooting from outside, attacking the basket, and getting to the free throw line. She also grabbed 5 rebounds, had 2 assists, and 2 steals but did commit 4 turnovers. Ameryst Alston was the only other Buckeye to reach double digits, scoring 21 points while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists to go with 3 turnovers. Shayla Cooper led OSU with 9 rebounds while scoring 6 points.
Despite their cold start to the game, Ohio State finished shooting an impressive 54% from the field and a solid 33% from three point range. After struggling from the free throw line yesterday, the Buckeyes shot a much better 85% from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes did a good job taking care of the ball, committing only 10 turnovers but it would be nice to see a bit more than 10 assists.
Defensively OSU forced 16 turnovers and had some great stretches of defense but still allowed Texas A&M to shoot 49% from the field and 30% from outside the arc. OSU also again struggled on the boards, getting out- rebounded 37 to 31.
This was an impressive game for Ohio State and probably their best game of the season. They struggled early and found themselves in a hole against a top 10 team. However, they didn’t panic and instead worked through their shooting difficulties to find their offense and get it in gear. Once the offense got going, the Buckeyes didn’t let up, scoring 83 points in the final three quarters including an impressive 51 to 27 margin in the second and third quarters that gave OSU a solid lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Aggies are a very good team, having already beat two top 20 teams this season and the Buckeyes posted a solid win that would have been a complete blowout if not for the first quarter. I love the fight in this OSU team and after raising some questions in their loss to Connecticut, they showed today that they can hang with the top teams and be a contender in March. There is still a lot of room for improvement though. Rebounding continues to be an issue as it has been for a few years and while Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston being nearly unstoppable is nice, other players need to get more involved in the offense.
Ohio State won’t have much time to enjoy this big win as they travel to Notre Dame on Wednesday to take on 3rd ranked Notre Dame as part of the Big Ten-ACC challenge.
The post WBB: OSU Downs Texas A&M 95-80 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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