The Ohio State women's hoops team followed right in the men's teams footsteps, Sunday afternoon, earning a hard-fought Big Ten victory despite a sluggish start. The Buckeyes battled back from a 16-point deficit to down Purdue 61-56.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 6 | 28 | 13 | 14 | 61 |
| Purdue | 20 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 56 |
The Buckeyes struggled mightily offensively to begin the game, primarily because they failed to get to the line. Ohio State entered the game leading the country in free-throws attempted and free-throws made but did not attempt a single shot from the stripe in the first.
Free-throws were not the extent of the teams offensive problems, however. The Buckeyes had a poor offensive game across the board, shooting just 32 percent from the field, 23 percent from three and turned the ball over 18 times. Perhaps most striking was the fact that Ohio State, one of the most uptempo teams in the country, did not have a singe fast-break point in the game.
The Buckeyes weren't getting much help from their star, either. Kelsey Mitchell shot just 3-for-17 from the field and 1-for-7 from behind the arc, scoring just 14 points – almost half her season average. The post players, Tori McCoy and Stephanie Mavunga, helped pick up the scoring slack, combining for 23 points and 17 rebounds.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | Purdue |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | POINTS | 56 |
| 21-65 (32%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-61 (36%) |
| 3-13 (23%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 1-15 (7%) |
| 16-21 (76%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 14-24 (58%) |
| 18 | TURNOVERS | 18 |
| 46 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 42 |
| 16 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 30 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 26 | BENCH POINTS | 0 |
| 8 | BLOCKS | 7 |
| 9 | STEALS | 12 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 16 |
Despite the teams offensive ailments, the Buckeyes had one of their better defensive performances of the year. Ohio State held the Boilermakers to just 56 points – the fewest against Big Ten opponents this year – and just 7 percent from behind the arc. OSU allowed just 20 second-half points, and held Purdue without a field goal for the game's final 5:25.
The Buckeyes had perhaps their worst offensive quarter of the season to start the game. Ohio State scored just six points on a 25 percent shooting performance, turned the ball over seven times and did not attempt a single free throw in the quarter. Ohio State's power scorer Mitchell did not score a single point in the quarter while Purdue's Ashley Morrissette outscored the Buckeyes by herself, scoring 10 points.
In the second, Ohio State got going. The Buckeyes scored nearly five times their first-quarter scoring output, scoring 28 points in the quarter with 12 coming from the free-throw line. Mitchell responded from her scoreless first by dropping 11 points in the second, helping Ohio State climb to just a 36-34 halftime deficit.
The Buckeyes carried the momentum into the third, beginning the quarter with a 6-0 run to start a back-and-forth third-quarter. No team managed to pull away in the quarter, and Purdue took a 48-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded points until midway into the second quarter when Ohio State took over, particularly on the defensive end. The Buckeyes didn't allow a single field goal in the last 5:25 and escaped West Lafayette with a 61-56 victory.
It was a bounce back win for the Buckeyes, after they fell 94-75 to Michigan State earlier in the week. Ohio State was able to right the ship and move to 5-1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State returns home to face Wisconsin Thursday at 7 p.m.
