Ohio State will have to settle for a 1-1 record against top-10 opponents to start the season as the No. 5 Buckeyes dropped an overtime thriller to No. 9 Louisville 95-90 on Sunday afternoon, less than 48 hours after beating No. 10 Stanford 85-64 in the season opener.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #5 Ohio State | 19 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 10 | 90 |
| #9 Louisville | 21 | 20 | 25 | 14 | 15 | 95 |
Louisville's Asia Durr was the difference for the Cardinals, as she was the best player on the court on Sunday. She finished with a game-high 47 points, shooting a red-hot 9-for-15 from behind the arc.
Ohio State was unable to counter her absurd production offensively, and unlike last game, the Buckeyes also got dominated on the boards as Louisville had a 47-29 rebounding advantage.
One bright spot was the first-half play of Asia Doss. On a team full of offensive weapons, Doss was the unlikely first-half offensive hero for the Buckeyes. Typically known for her defense, Doss was on fire from the perimeter in the first half. She was 4-for-7 from behind the arc – accounting for half of the team's first-half threes – and led the team with 14 first-half points.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | POINTS | 95 |
| 29-63 (46%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 36-73 (49%) |
| 17-40 (43%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 12-20 (60%) |
| 15-23 (65%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 11-14 (79%) |
| 14 | TURNOVERS | 17 |
| 29 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 47 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 34 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 25 |
| 13 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 1 |
| 8 | STEALS | 2 |
| 18 | ASSISTS | 15 |
The first quarter was a duel between the two Asias. Louisville's Asia Durr came out red hot from the start, shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the arc for 12 first-quarter points. Meanwhile, Ohio State's Asia Doss kept the Buckeyes in the game with an uncharacteristically hot shooting performance from deep, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc for 11 points. Louisville led 21-19 after one quarter.
It was all Louisville to begin the second quarter. The Cardinals, led by Durr, continued to make shots while the Buckeyes couldn't seem to get the lid off the basket. The Louisville lead got as high as 13 points with just under three minutes left to play in the quarter, then it switched. Ohio State stormed back behind a flurry of three pointers to cut the lead to just one point, trailing 41-40 at the half.
The Cardinals controlled the game much of the third quarter, again led by Durr, who had 15 points in the quarter by herself compared to Ohio State's 18. It looked like Louisville was going to pull away, but the Buckeyes didn't die. A pair of buckets late in the quarter cut the lead to single digits and gave Ohio State some momentum entering the fourth, trailing the Cardinals 66-58.
The Buckeyes made a push to start the fourth and kept it close till the end. The Louisville lead hovered around four points much of the quarter until a Kelsey Mitchell three gave Ohio State a 79-78 lead with 2:32 left to play, and hit a free-throw to tie the game at 80 and send it to overtime.
The Buckeyes didn't have enough gas to finish. Louisville continued to score, while Ohio State couldn't knock down shots. Stephanie Mavunga fouled out, and the Buckeyes fell 95-90.
Ohio State is back in action on Wednesday when it plays host to Idaho at 7 p.m.
