| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 10 | 25 | 11 | 16 | 62 |
| Tennessee | 23 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 78 |
Ohio State's NCAA Tournament run came to an unfortunate close, Friday night, as No. 7 seed Tennessee downed the Buckeyes 78-62.
The Buckeyes struggled mightily from the start, having obvious trouble with Tennessee's size. Ohio State shot just 25 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 14-4 in the quarter, leading to a 23-10 deficit. The Lady Vols' 6-6 center Mercedes Russell wrecked havoc on the Buckeyes, tying the Buckeyes by herself with 10 first-quarter points on a perfect 5-5 shooting.
In the second, things improved for the Buckeyes, but only slightly. Ohio State finally managed to get the lid off the basket, and were able to pull down some boards. Makayla Waterman and Alexa Hart, neither of whom had a rebound in the first, combined for 6 in the second quarter. On the offensive end, Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston began to come alive, combining for 20 first half points.
Still, Tennessee controlled the game. The Lady Vols shot over 60 percent from the field in the half, and held a 22-11 advantage on the boards. Tennessee absolutely dominated the Buckeyes in the post. Russell and teammate Bashaara Graves combined for 25 points, shooting a perfect 11-for-11 from the field in the first half.
Things did not improve in the second half. Tennessee continued to own the post, out-rebounding Ohio State 51-26 and outscoring them in the paint 48-22. Russell scored a career high 25 points as OSU had no answer for her in the post.
Foul trouble and depth became an issue as well for the Buckeyes. Alston and and Waterman, the team's second and third leading scorers on the game, picked up their fourth fouls midway through the third quarter and were forced to go to the bench.
Ohio State was also without senior guard Cait Craft, who missed the game after suffering a broken wrist in practice this week. Without her, the Buckeye defense was not the same. The team's press was ineffective without her front and they were unable to force Tennessee to play at their tempo.
When all else went wrong, all eyes turned to Kelsey Mitchell. Unfortunately, so did Tennessee's. The Lady Vols were all over Mitchell, double and triple teaming her all night. The Buckeye star managed just 20 points on the game, and she had to earn every one of them.
The loss ends Ohio State's NCAA Tournament run in the Sweet 16, and ends the careers of seniors Ameryst Alston and Cait Craft. But make no mistake, the future for this young Buckeye squad. Next he team adds three five star freshmen and three former McDonald's All-American transfers, while returning all but three players.
Kevin McGuff has set this team up to do special things in 2016 and beyond.
