Both Buckeye basketball teams hosted opponents from Illinois Sunday afternoon, but only one notched a victory as the women's squad used a second-half surge to annihilate the Illini 88-64.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 20 | 21 | 29 | 18 | 88 |
| Illinois | 14 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 64 |
A game after sneaking past Big Ten bottom-feeder Wisconsin with what called a lack of effort, Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff was pleased with what he saw Sunday afternoon.
"I think we looked like our old self a little bit more today," McGuff said. "I thought our effort was great today. Even though we made mistakes and we weren't perfect by any stretch, our effort was pretty consistent today."
| OHIO STATE | STAT | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | POINTS | 64 |
| 31-69 (45%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 24-65 (37%) |
| 15-33 (45%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 8-23 (35%) |
| 11-15 (73%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 8-8 (100%) |
| 11 | TURNOVERS | 13 |
| 47 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 34 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 6 |
| 35 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 28 |
| 34 | BENCH POINTS | 24 |
| 7 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 9 | STEALS | 2 |
| 17 | ASSISTS | 11 |
The star of the game, once again, was Kelsey Mitchell. The scoring phenom hit a game-high six three-pointers and led all scorers with 22 points while also dishing out a game-high six assists.
But this time, it wasn't just Mitchell. Every healthy player on the roster scored Sunday night, with four reaching double figures. Even more impressive, six players hit a three-pointer with four hitting multiple. As a team, the Buckeyes were lights out from the perimeter, shooting 15-for-33 from behind the arc.
"We obviously shot a high percentage today and I think that was the result of a lot of extra passes that led to open threes," McGuff said. "I don't remember very many contested threes."
McGuff noted the team had a Big Ten-high 17 assists in the game.
Despite all the optimism, there was a scary moment midway through the third quarter. While the Buckeyes were in the midst of an offensive surge, Mitchell dove into the crowd after a ball and immediately headed to the locker room with blood dripping down her lip.
Mitchell was not out long. She missed about three-minutes of game-time before she was back on the bench, waiting for McGuff to sub her back in as she watched her teammates go on a 14-2 run without her.
"She'd play 40 minutes every night if I let her," McGuff joked after the game. "She always wants to be in there because she loves to play and she loves to compete, but it is nice to know that we certainly have other people who can pick up the slack when she's out."
Mitchell did return to the game, but sat most of the final quarter while bench players got valuable minutes.
It was a dominating performance with consistent effort nearly from start to finish – something the Buckeyes hadn't really shown in Big Ten play until Sunday.
Perhaps this young team is finally finding its form.
The first quarter was one of runs. Illinois opened up a quick 6-0 lead, but Ohio State countered with a 20-2 run of its own. The Illini did not go down easy, however, and hit a few consecutive threes to cut the Buckeye lead to just 20-14.
The second quarter was back and forth until Kelsey Mitchell took over just before the half. The star guard hit three straight shot from behind the arc and dished out an assist to Asia Doss for another three-pointer. Ohio State closed the half on a 12-2 run and held a 42-29 lead at the half.
The Buckeyes absolutely dominated the third quarter, lighting it up from the perimeter. Ohio State outscored Illinois 29-10 in the quarter to take control of the game by a score of 70-39.
In the fourth, Ohio State coasted, giving bench players playing time and starters rest. The Buckeyes toppled Illinois by a final score of 88-64.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 17-5 overall and 7-1 in the conference. The Buckeyes travel to face Minnesota Thursday night at 8 p.m.
