By Danielle Daniels
2/8/2024
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The No. 5/5 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-3, 11-1 B1G) beat Minnesota (14-9, 4-8 B1G) on Thursday night by a 71-47 margin in the teams’ lone meeting of the regular season.
Ohio State scored first in a back-and-forth first quarter and led 14-13 after 10 minutes. The Buckeyes used a 7-0 run midway through the second quarter to increase their lead and had the 29-24 advantage at halftime. OSU used a 26-7 third quarter to increase its lead to 55-31 with 10 minutes to play. Scoring was even in the fourth as the Buckeyes won 71-47.
Jacy Sheldon was the first in the game to reach double figures and totaled 12 points tonight, also tying her season-high six assists. Rebeka Mikulášiková (11), Cotie McMahon (13) and Celeste Taylor (14) also scored in double figures. McMahon was one rebound shy of a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds.
How it Happened
Celeste Taylor opened scoring before Minnesota got onto the board with a triple. The teams alternated scoring as the Buckeyes held an 11-8 advantage heading into the media timeout. The Gophers used back-to-back baskets to get within one and OSU had a 14-13 lead after 10 minutes.
Eboni Walker and Taylor Thierry scored back-to-back to begin the second quarter. After a Minnesota basket, Ohio State responded with a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 25-16 with 5:25 to play in the first half. The Gophers used back-to-back baskets to get within five as the Buckeyes led 29-24 going into the locker room.
The Buckeyes scored the first seven points of the third quarter to stretch their lead to 36-24 with seven minutes remaining in the third, prompting a Gophers timeout. OSU’s defense held Minnesota without points for more than four minutes as the Buckeyes’ run got to 9-0. The Buckeyes used a pair of 6-0 runs to increase their lead to 55-31 at the end of the third.
Scoring in the fourth quarter was even at nine points per game midway through the quarter as Ohio State held the 64-40 advantage. Neither team scored more than five unanswered points in the quarter as the Buckeyes wrapped up a 71-47 win.
Highlights
- Q1: Mikulášiková three-pointer
- Q1: McMahon and-one
- Q2: Thierry fastbreak
- Q2: Sheldon shot clock
- Q3: Sheldon stretch pass to Taylor
- Q3: Harris second-chance triple
- Q4: Taylor double figures
- Q4: Greene steal
Game Notes
- This is the 16th game of the season that the Buckeye defense has forced at least 20 turnovers as the Gophers committed 23 turnovers tonight.
- This is the 14th game of the season that Ohio State has totaled at least 10 steals, finishing with 12 steals.
- Jacy Sheldon was the first in the game to reach double figures, doing so for the 20th time this season. She finished with 12 points and tied her season-high six assists.
- Rebeka Mikulášiková’s 11th double-figure performance of the season was good for 11 total points.
- Cotie McMahon recorded 10+ points for the 18th time this season and finished with 13 points. Her nine rebounds was a game-high.
- Celeste Taylor had her 12th double-figure game of the season with 14 points.
- Q1: Mikulášiková led all players with six points as the Buckeyes had five assists on five made baskets.
- Q2: The Buckeyes held the Gophers to only three points in the first 4:56 of the second quarter. In the quarter, OSU’s defense forced six turnovers and recorded three steals.
- Q3: Ohio State shot 10-of-15 (.667) from the floor and 4-of-8 (.500) from long range, also controlling the boards by a 10-3 margin.
- Q4: The Buckeyes shot 7-of-12 (.583) from the floor in the quarter.
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