Kelsey Mitchell Becomes Big Ten's Second All-Time Leading Scorer As Ohio State Beats Indiana 85-70

By Kevin Harrish on December 31, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Kelsey Mitchell becomes Big Ten's second all-time leading scorer.
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Kelsey Mitchell needed one point to pass Penn State's Kelly Mazzante for second on the Big Ten's all-time scoring list. She got that and then some, dropping 22 points to lead the Buckeyes past Indiana.

Team 1 2 3 4 Final
#12 Ohio State 32 14 27 12 85
Indiana 13 13 23 21 70

Mitchell, the NCAA's all-time leader in made three-pointers, did most of her damage inside the arc. 19 of her 22 points came from inside three point territory or at the line, including her first 17 points. She didn't hit her first three-pointer until late in the third quarter.

It wasn't just Mitchell providing the offense. Three other Buckeyes reached double figures on Sunday afternoon. Stephanie Mavunga (14), Linnae Harper (19) and Sierra Calhoun (13) each put up over 10 points and got it done on the boards as well, combining for 32 of the team's 44 rebounds.

OHIO STATE STAT INDIANA
85 POINTS 70
33-74 (45%) FGM-FGA (PCT.) 23-62 (37%)
8-28 (29%) 3PM-3PA (PCT.) 6-18 (33%)
11-15 (73%) FTM-FTA (PCT.) 18-23 (78%)
13 TURNOVERS 15
46 TOTAL REBOUNDS 37
18 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS 12
28 DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS 25
10 BENCH POINTS 3
5 BLOCKS 2
7 STEALS 3
15 ASSISTS 9

Mavunga and Harper once again put up double doubles. Mavunga pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds and Harper grabbed 10. Calhoun was near double-double numbers as well, with eight rebounds.

Victory was never really in doubt from the start, as the Buckeye led the entire game. After being held well under its nation's second leading scoring average against Nebraska on Friday, the Ohio State offense lit up the nets to start the first, putting up 32 first-quarter points to take a commanding lead early.

The scoring slowed down in the second quarter, as the teams combined for 27 points, which is less than the Buckeyes put up by themselves in the first quarter. Still, Ohio State stretched its lead slightly and took a 46-26 lead into halftime.

The Buckeyes cruised for much of the second half, enjoying their largest lead of the game, 28 points, towards the end of the third quarter. The Hoosiers didn't quit through. Indiana outscored Ohio State in the fourth and made a few runs, but the deficit was just too great, and the Buckeyes still won comfortably, 85-70.

With the win, Ohio State improves to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Next up, the Buckeyes host Minnesota on Thursday, as they look to stay perfect in conference play.

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