Around the Oval on Wednesday, December 18th

Around the Oval is Eleven Warriors' weekly love letter to Ohio State sports that don't get the coverage they should.

  
Ferguson records first career double-double

It was a quieter week around the oval, as Buckeye students wrapped up finals week and headed home for winter break. While the men's basketball team cruised to a pair of easy wins, the women's team battled to a 1-1 record on the week, defeating Army and losing to Cincinnati.

On Friday night, the Lady Buckeyes defeated Army by a score of 59-56, snapping a three-game losing streak in the process.

After trailing 50-40 with just under seven minutes left, the Bucks went on a 19-6 run to close out the game, not allowing a single basket in the final two minutes.

Ameryst Alston once again led the way for Ohio State with 18 points, while Raven Ferguson added 13 points and 11 rebounds (career-high) en route to the first double-double of her career. Martina Ellerbe also added 10 points and seven rebounds.

On Sunday the Lady Buckeyes traveled to Cincinnati and fell to the Bearcats 64-59. Earning her first start after recording a double-double on Friday, Raven Ferguson scored nine points and added seven boards. Alston and Darryce more chipped in 12 points each and Cait Craft had 10.

The Buckeyes are off for the rest of the week before returning to Value City Arena on Tuesday when they host UT Martin.

Join us after the jump for more on Ohio State's smaller sports.

Wrestling

The Buckeye wrestling team opened up Big Ten play on the road against the top wrestling team in the nation, Penn State. After dominating much of their schedule to this point, Ohio State suffered their first defeat of the season, 31-6.

DiJulius continues strong stretch

No. 1 wrestler Logan Stieber lost his first collegiate wrestling match in almost two years, last losing in February 2012. Stieber lost to another highly ranked wrestler, eighth-ranked Zain Retherford in a 4-2 decision.

Stieber, along with Ian Paddock and Randy Languis all lost close decisions that could have easily gone the other way and would have certainly made the match much closer.

Securing victories for Ohio State were sixth-ranked Johnni DiJulius and fifth-ranked Nick Helflin. DiJulius defeated 15th-ranked Jimmy Gulibon, while Helflin defeated Wes Phipps of Penn State.

While the final score may not indicate it, Ohio State played Penn State tough, with most of the matches being very close. The loss stings, but the Buckeyes remain one of the top teams in the country and have plenty to build on moving forward.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday: Men's Wrestling at Kent State, 7 pm

Friday: Women's Basketball vs. Appalachian State, Value City Arena, 7 pm