Unlike the men, the Ohio State women's basketball team survived the weekend and advances to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 88-81 win over West Virginia.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 15 | 24 | 28 | 21 | 88 |
| West Virginia | 21 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 81 |
Size was an issue issue early. Ohio State got absolutely dominated in the paint in the first half. West Virginia out-rebounded the Buckeyes 24-11 before halftime. Mountaineer center Lanay Montgomery was particularly difficult to handle. The 6-5 junior accounted for as many first-half rebounds as every Buckeye player combined (8) and was a force defensively.
Despite the size differential, the Buckeyes were able to remain in the game due in part to stellar three point shooting. Ohio State shot a ridiculous 75 percent from behind the arc in the first half. Without early contributions from Ameryst Alston, Cait Craft and Shayla Cooper shot a perfect 3-3 combined from behind the arc while Kelsey Mitchell was her normal self, putting up 20 first half points on a 3-4 performance from behind the arc.
Unlike previous games, however, Ohio State didn't want to rely on jump-shots – even if they were falling. "We started out shooting the ball pretty well from the perimeter," said Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff, "but we didn't want to settle for that all night. We wanted to try to get some balance in what we were doing."
"With this game specifically, I didn't feel like we could beat them in a half-court game," explained McGuff. "They're too big and physical around the basket. We were going to have to get the pace going really quickly, and we were going to have to turn the ball over and take those turnovers and turn it into points." That's exactly what the Buckeyes did. Ohio State held a 40 to 11 advantage in points off the turnover – the key to the game according to McGuff.
Though she didn't start, senior captain Ameryst Alston did play. The team's second leading scorer was in obvious discomfort, but still managed six points in her 21 minutes including a tough, contested layup with her injured wrist.
After halftime, the Buckeyes ramped up the defense allowing them to take and hold the lead the majority of the half. Though her plays won't show up on the stat sheet, it was senior Cait Craft, playing her last game in Columbus, who provided the spark defensively. Shades of her brother, Craft was on the floor diving for loose balls and leading a very effective press defense.
"These past two and a half weeks (the message) has been PRESSURE – in capital letters," said Mitchell after the game. "I think when we applied that, I think it helped us."
Offensively, the second half was a Kelsey Mitchell showcase. She was the best player on the court, and it was apparent particularly in the third quarter. The Buckeye star scored 25 second half points, giving her a new Ohio State NCAA tournament record total of 45, which is good for fourth all-time in NCAA tournament history. It's her fourth 40-point game on the season – another Ohio State record.
Thanks to a cold spell late in the game from the Buckeyes, West Virginia was able to make it interesting, pulling within one score with under a minute to play. Thanks to tenacious defense and a few opportune Mountaineer blunders, however, Ohio State held the lead and secured the victory.
With the next game being nearly a week away, Alston has a few more days to recover from her wrist injury. "I've got some-more time to let it rest," said Alston. "It's going to be tender, and you're going to get hit – it's basketball." She said she's just going to have to tough it out and do what she can to help her team. She estimates she played at about 75 percent health today.
Going forward, Alston's contributions will be desperately needed for an already depleted Buckeye squad. Not only is she the team's second leading scorer, she provides much needed depth to the Ohio State backcourt. In her absence, Asia Doss, Cait Craft and Kelsey Mitchell are forced to play enormous minutes causing fatigue that was evident, Sunday.
Mitchell had a record performance, but her exhaustion led to late-game struggles. She missed 12 straight shots from the field down the stretch – atypical of the typically clutch performer. "I was a little fatigued," explained the Buckeye star. She said that because of the fatigue, she missed a few key layups that she otherwise knocked down.
"She missed some shots she normally makes," said McGuff. But he noted the post players came up huge with offensive rebounds. "We had zero offensive rebounds at halftime and we ended up with 12." He praised Alexa Hart, Makayla Waterman and Shayla Cooper for their performance down low.
Though her shots weren't falling, Mitchell continued to attack, drawing fouls and getting to the line. She shot 22 free throws on the day, knocking down 18 of them. This performance breaks the school records for both free throw attempts in a game, and free throw makes in a game.
With the win, the Buckeyes advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. "I'm really proud of our kids," said McGuff. "It's a great accomplishment."
The Buckeyes will be heading to Sioux Falls, South Dakota next weekend to face the winner of tonight's Arizona State vs. Tennessee matchup, a game Alston says the Buckeyes will certainly be watching.
