The No. 15 Buckeyes went on the road Thursday night and made short work of an overmatched Golden Gophers squad, trouncing Minnesota 88-76.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 13 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 88 |
| Minnesota | 14 | 17 | 25 | 20 | 76 |
Once again, an opposing guard had a huge game against the Buckeye defense. Minnesota's Carlie Wagner scored a game-high 34 points. This follows a trend; Ohio State has given up 38 points to Michigan guard Katelynn Flaherty and 42 points to Michigan State guard Tori Jankoska this season.
Thankfully for the Buckeyes, their star was on her game as well. Kelsey Mitchell led the team with 25 points on a 7-for-16 performance from the field and hit four of the team's five total threes.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | POINTS | 76 |
| 34-68 (50%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 27-67 (40%) |
| 5-15 (33%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-24 (21%) |
| 15-25 (60%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 17-20 (85%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 12 |
| 43 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 38 |
| 20 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 23 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 19 |
| 21 | BENCH POINTS | 17 |
| 6 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 5 | STEALS | 7 |
| 16 | ASSISTS | 13 |
The team's lone senior, Shayla Cooper, also had a huge night for Ohio State. Cooper had a season-high 18 points, shooting a red-hot 8-for-10 from the field. Meanwhile, Stephanie Mavunga handled things in the post, pulling down a game-high 16 rebounds.
After a fiery shooting performance against Illinois on Sunday when the Buckeyes hit a season high 15 three-pointers, Ohio State came out of the gates cold from behind the arc, missing its first five. Still, the Buckeyes proved themselves the better team with dominating post play. After a back and forth first quarter where Minnesota held a one-point lead, the Buckeyes pulled away a bit in the second and took a 39-31 lead into the half.
The Buckeyes, led by Mitchell, came to life offensively in the second half. Ohio State hit all five of its three-pointers in the second half to match the Gophers' offensive barrage and managed to maintain its lead throughout the second half, ultimately handing Minnesota a 88-76 loss.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 18-5 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are next in action Sunday afternoon when they play host to Nebraska at noon in Value City Arena.
