No. 7 Ohio State failed to avenge its 2015 loss, falling to No. 4 South Carolina for the second time in two seasons by a score of 92-80.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 18 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 80 |
| South Carolina | 17 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 92 |
The difference in the game was size; South Carolina had it in excess, Ohio State did not. The Gamecocks dominated the Buckeyes in the paint, holding a decisive advantage in rebounding and points in the paint. Ohio State had no answer except to foul, and that's what they did, racking up 29 personal foul calls in the game with two players fouling out.
“With posts as big as ours, it’s kind of not that hard to dominate the paint,” said South Carolina guard Allisha Gray.
In addition to the size advantage, South Carolina dictated the tempo, playing at a much slower pace than Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff would have like.
“Compared to last year, that was watching paint dry,” said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley after the game.
The Gamecocks got a lot of help from their new additions as Georgia Tech transfer Kaela Davis and North Carolina transfer Allisha Gray destroyed the Buckeyes. Davis finished finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double while Gray scored 24 points and added 7 rebounds.
"They're both great players, obviously," Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said after the game. "Kaela Davis was spectacular and Allisha Gray was also very good. They have a great team."
It was a sloppy game early. South Carolina had a decisive size advantage and got plenty of open looks but couldn't convert, allowing the Buckeyes time to figure things out – and they did. Ohio State made some adjustments, putting both Stephanie Mavunga and Alexa Hart on the court to counter the Gamecocks' size and had an 18-17 lead after the first quarter.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | POINTS | 92 |
| 28-70 (40%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 23-64 (48%) |
| 7-27 (26%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-11 (36%) |
| 17-24 (71%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 26-41 (63%) |
| 17 | TURNOVERS | 17 |
| 36 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 48 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 14 |
| 25 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 34 |
| 4 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 5 |
| 2 | STEALS | 9 |
| 10 | ASSISTS | 16 |
In the second quarter, South Carolina retook the lead, using its size to dominate the Buckeyes in the paint. The Gamecocks outscored Ohio State in the paint 24-12 and held a 30-20 rebounding advantage to take a 44-39 lead into the half.
The second half was much of the same. The lead was never huge, but South Carolina handled every Buckeye run and gradually extended its lead until the final tally of 92-80.
One bright spot for the Buckeyes is they shut down National Player of the Year candidate A'ja Wilson, holding her to just five points and two rebounds and forcing her to foul out with three minutes remaining in the game.
Kelsey Mitchell, however, was not even pleased with that aspect of her team's performance.
“I don’t know how much we can talk about that because they still won,” said Mitchell after the game. “Bottom line, we didn’t win.”
The Buckeyes have plenty more opportunities for big wins this season with No. 14 Syracuse, No. 22 Miami, No. 3 Connecticut, No. 6 Maryland No. 23 Indiana and likely No. 2 Baylor all on the docket.
After the loss, the Buckeyes will look to rebound against Cleveland State Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Value City arena.
"You take a tough loss, you can sit around and be upset about it or you can get better,” said McGuff.
