On the eve of The Game, the Ohio State women's hoops team officially has its first win away from home this season, as the No. 8 Buckeyes downed Florida Gulf Coast 79-66 in game one of the Gulf Coast Showcase.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 18 | 18 | 18 | 25 | 79 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 16 | 19 | 13 | 18 | 66 |
The game was close in the first half. Ohio State held a slight lead throughout, but Florida Gulf Coast went on a late-half run and cut the Buckeye lead to just one point at the half.
The second half, Ohio State pulled away a bit, behind their leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell. After scoring just six points in the first half, Mitchell caught fire after intermission, leading all scorers with 19 second-half points and finished with a game-high 25 points.
During the game, Mitchell also broke Caity Matter's school record of 270 career three-pointers. Mitchell will likely greatly improve on this record as she's only at the beginning of her junior year.
After sitting out in the Buckeyes last outing, forward Stephanie Mavuga had a big game, scoring 13 points and pulling down 12 rebounds for yet another double-double on the season. She also played stellar defense down low, blocking a game-high four shots in the game.
Ohio State will take on the winner of the Friday night's Syracuse vs George Washington matchup Saturday in game two of the Gulf Coast Showdown.
