#12 Buckeyes, led by Jacy Sheldon’s 25 points, defeats Indiana, 74-69; improves to 10-1 in Big Ten play

By Danielle Daniels

Jacy Sheldon (4), Ohio State guard, drives past Indiana defense on 2 4 2024 (courtesy IMAGN, photo by Doral Chenowith, Columbus Dispatch via USA Today Syndication)

2 4 2024

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 8/7 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-3, 10-1 B1G) beat No. 10/9 Indiana (18-3, 9-2 B1G) by a 74-69 margin on Sunday afternoon as the Buckeyes celebrated National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

Scoring alternated in the first quarter until the Buckeyes finished the quarter on an 8-0 run to lead 18-11 after 10 minutes of play. The Hoosiers finished the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room. Ohio State used a 23-10 third quarter to take a 55-47 lead into the fourth and did not let Indiana get closer than three points in the fourth quarter.

Jacy Sheldon was the first Buckeye to reach double figures and finished with 25 points. Cotie McMahon (20), Rebeka Mikulášiková (11) and Taylor Thierry (11) also scored in double figures.

How it Happened
Indiana opened scoring and the teams traded scores and the lead as the Hoosiers were up 7-6 midway through the quarter. Teams alternated scoring until Ohio State scored the final eight points of the quarter to take an 18-11 lead after 10 minutes.

The Buckeyes scored first in the second quarter before a 7-0 run from the Hoosiers cut the OSU lead to 20-18. Indiana used an extended 9-2 run to tie the game at 27 with 5:49 remaining in the half and took its first lead since the first quarter at 30-29 midway through the quarter. Taylor Thierry responded with a three-pointer to take the lead back but the Hoosiers scored the final seven points to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.

Ohio State tied the game at 37 with the first five points of the half before Indiana got on the board with a triple. The Buckeyes used seven-unanswered points to take a 46-42 lead into the media timeout with 4:38 remaining in the third. OSU extended its run to 11-0 and lead to 50-42 with 3:45 to play in the quarter and led 55-47 after 30 minutes.

Sheldon scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to extend Ohio State’s lead to 60-47. Indiana used an extended 8-2 run to trim its deficit to single digits at 65-57 with four minutes remaining. The Hoosiers used a 6-0 run and a pair of three-pointers to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to 70-66 with 28 seconds to play. Both teams got to the free throw line as time winded down and scoring was capped at 74-69.

Highlights

Game Notes

  • This is the Buckeyes’ second top-10 win of the season and fourth against a ranked opponent.
  • The Buckeye defense has forced at least 20 turnovers in 15 games this season as the Hoosiers committed 23 turnovers today.
  • OSU’s defense has totaled at least 10 steals in 13 games this season, finishing with 10 steals today.
  • Jacy Sheldon was the first Buckeye in double figures, scoring 10+ for the 19th time this season and finishing with 25 points. This is her ninth 20-point game of the season.
  • Cotie McMahon’s 17th game of the season with 10+ points was good for 20 points. This is her fifth 20-point game of the season. She also added seven rebounds and five assists.
  • Rebeka Mikulášiková finished with 11 points, her 10th game this season with double figures.
  • Taylor Thierry scored in double figures for the 16th time this season with 11 points today.
  • Sheldon moved up to eighth in program history in career steals (238) and 12th in career assists (347).
  • Thierry became the 27th player in program history to record 140+ career steals.
  • Q1: Ohio State had seven assists on seven made field goals in the quarter, including shooting 4-of-7 (.571) from long range.
  • Q2: McMahon scored seven points in the quarter on 3-of-5 shooting with a free throw.
  • Q3: Ohio State used a 23-10 third quarter with 8-of-15 (.533) shooting to gain the 55-47 lead going into the fourth.
  • Q4: Sheldon had 12 points in the quarter.

What They Said
Head Coach Kevin McGuff:

  • “[In the second half], I thought we were much more aggressive and energetic in our press. We turned Indiana over or at least took them out of their rhythm. They’re really hard to guard. You let them just walk the ball up, execute and throw the ball into Mackenzie Holmes – they’re really hard to guard. I though we needed the press and the third quarter we were just much better at it.”

Up Next
Ohio State travels to Minnesota on Thursday for a 9 p.m. ET tip-off. The game will be broadcast on Peacock and AM1460.

Tickets for the 2023-24 season are now on sale. For more information, visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Contact the ticket office with any questions at 1-800-GOBUCKS (select option 2) or athletic.tix@osu.edu.

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