MARCH 21, 2022

Box Score | Season Stats |

BATON ROUGE, La. – The sixth-seeded Ohio State women’s basketball team (25-6, 14-4 Big Ten) beat the third-seeded LSU (26-6, 13-3 SEC) on Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, winning by a 79-64 margin. The Buckeyes advance to their first Sweet 16 since 2017.

The Buckeyes had a trio reach double figures in Jacy Sheldon (23), Taylor Mikesell (18) and Rebeka Mikulášiková (12). Mikesell made at least four three-pointers for the 16^th time this season, while Sheldon recorded her 16^th 20-point game.

How it Happened

LSU scored on the opening possession from behind the arc. Ohio State got onto the board when Rikki Harris got to the line and took its first lead on a driving layup from Taylor Thierry with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter. LSU scored a quick five points to take an 8-4 lead midway through the quarter, but a 6-0 run gave the Buckeyes the 10-8 advantage with 3:15 to play. Ohio State scored the final five points of the quarter to lead 15-8 after 10 minutes, following a Taylor Mikesell three-pointer with five seconds remaining.

The Tigers opened scoring in the second quarter but Rebeka Mikulášiková responded with a triple. Mikesell had her second three-pointer of the game and Mikulášiková made a layup as Ohio State held the 23-16 advantage with 6:27 to play in the half. LSU trimmed OSU’s lead to three points before Mikulášiková responded with her second triple of the game to give the Buckeyes a 26-20 lead at the media timeout. Rikki Harris added a three-pointer out of the timeout and Braxtin Miller a triple with two minutes remaining in the half as Ohio State held the 34-26 advantage. That score stood going into the locker room.

Harris opened second-half scoring with a layup following a Buckeyes’ offensive rebound to take a double-digit lead, 36-26, for the first time. Sheldon scored on driving layup on the following possession to force a Tigers timeout. LSU scored its first points three minutes into the quarter before OSU put together a 7-0 run to take a 47-28 lead. The Buckeyes led 49-30 midway through the quarter. After a trio of Tigers free throws, Ohio State scored eight-unanswered points, including two triples from Sheldon, to increase the lead to 57-33 with 1:34 remaining in the quarter. LSU scored the final four points as OSU held the 57-37 advantage going into the final quarter.

Kateri Poole began the fourth quarter at the free throw line as the teams traded points before LSU scored five points in a row. Ohio State held the 62-46 advantage with 6:49 to play as the Tigers called timeout. LSU extended its run to 9-2 as OSU led 62-48 with six minutes to play. Another Mikesell triple gave the Buckeyes a 67-50 lead midway through the quarter. Sheldon used a pair of free throws to reach the 20-point plateau with 3:35 to play. Scoring was capped at 79-64 with a three-point play from Sheldon.

Game Notes

• Rebeka Mikulášiková was the first Buckeye to reach double figures, doing so for the 17^th time this season.
• Taylor Mikesell and Jacy Sheldon each reached double figures for the 29^th time this season.
• This is Mikesell’s 15^th game with at least four made three-pointers.
• This is Sheldon’s 16^th 20-point game of the season.
• Q1: After LSU scored on the opening possession, the OSU defense held the Tigers scoreless for more than four minutes. The Buckeyes’ defense did not allow any points for the final five minutes, while the offense went on an 11-0 run.
• Q1: After missing its first six shot attempts, Ohio State shot 50 percent from the floor for the remainder of the quarter.
• Q2: Ohio State shot 5-of-9 (.556) from behind the arc during the quarter and had seven assists on seven made field goals.
• Q2: The Buckeyes did not have a single turnover in the second quarter.
• Q3: Ohio State outscored LSU 23-11 in the third quarter as the Buckeyes shot 60 percent from the field.

Up Next

The Buckeyes will face #2 Texas on Friday, March 25 at a time to be determined in Spokane, Wash. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

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COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS