No. 9 Ohio State Falls to No. 18 Miami 94-89 in Overtime, Suffering Second-Straight Loss

After a decisive loss to No. 5 Baylor this weekend, the Buckeyes failed to rebound against another top-20 opponent, falling 94-89 in overtime to No. 18 Miami in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge, suffering their second straight loss.

It was a Jekyll and Hyde game for the Buckeyes, playing sloppy basketball in the first half before storming back in the second and forcing overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Sierra Calhoun. Ultimately, it wasn't enough, and the Hurricanes left Columbus with the win.

The team was carried by veteran leadership through the scoring droughts and the floods. Shayla Cooper, the team's lone senior, consistently gave the most effort and was the most energetic on the court, despite the score. Meanwhile, Kelsey Mitchell led the way in scoring, as usual, finishing with a game-high 29-points.

"I know we're going to have games like this where it's tough," Cooper said after the game. "I have to be the one bring the energy, I have to be the one that does all the little things for the team. I just put them on my back."

The Buckeyes were without Stephanie Mavunga Thursday night. In her place, junior Alexa Hart and freshman Tori McCoy both played heavy minutes.

"She's been a little bit sore," Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said after the game. "I don't think it's anything long term. We're trying to get her some rest now early in the season where we think it will benefit us later in the year."

Thanks in large part to stellar free-throw shooting, Ohio State controlled the game for much of the first quarter. Mitchell and Cooper led the way for the Buckeyes, combining for 13 points to aid the team to a 22-17 first-quarter lead.

Things went downhill quickly for the Buckeyes. Ohio State struggled mightily with Miami's press, turning the ball over nine times in the second quarter alone while the Hurricanes didn't even have one. On top of that, Ohio State could not get shots to fall, going 2-for-12 from the field in the quarter.

"That's as bad a quarter as I've seen since I've been here. It was bad on offense, defense, you name it," McGuff said. "I think we got a little tired mentally and we didn't have the energy to push through."

Cooper said the struggles were due to discipline, effort and communication.

"The communication was poor," Cooper said of the poor play in the quarter. "Coach would call something then half of us would run it, half wouldn't."

The Buckeyes weren't getting much help from their star guard either. Though Mitchell led all scorers for much of half, she could not get her shot to fall, going just 2-for-11 from the field.

Miami led 41-30 at the half.

The Buckeyes stormed back in the third quarter. After shooting a putrid 1-for-13 from three-point range, Ohio State shot 4-for-5 from behind the arc in the third and Mitchell caught fire, going 4-for-4 with 11 points in the third quarter alone to cut Miami's lead to 60-59.

The fourth quarter was neck-and-neck, with the lead changing nearly every possession until the final minute. At first, Mitchell appeared to make a game-deciding error, shooting a deep three with plenty of time on the clock:

First: Probably not what the Ohio State women wanted here. pic.twitter.com/hrg5QpWhk7

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 2, 2016

But then her teammate Sierra Calhoun bailed her out with a buzzer-beater to tied the game at 84 and force overtime:

Then: This to tie. What a game. pic.twitter.com/FMFGV6VHSk

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 2, 2016

"Really, I just stepped in and knocked it down," Calhoun said after the game. "I know Coach (McGuff) has confidence in me. He has confidence in all of us. I felt good that he called my number and I knocked it down."

Still, it wasn't enough. Miami hung on in overtime and handed the Buckeyes their second-consecutive loss.

"We gotta get a lot better, I know that." McGuff said.

The Buckeyes return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. when they play host to in-state rival Cincinnati.