The month of January wasn't kind to Ohio State as the Buckeyes played four games against ranked opponents – three of which were on the road – and went just 1-3 in those contests. Ohio State closed out the month the right way though, laying a 94-64 beatdown on Penn State.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #18 Ohio State | 24 | 25 | 19 | 26 | 94 |
| Penn State | 10 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 64 |
After allowing an average of 95 points per game during three-straight losses, the Buckeye defense looked much improved for the second-straight game. Ohio State allowed Penn State to shoot just 37 percent from the field and 27 percent from three-point range, leading to just 64 Nittany Lion points.
"I thought our effort and our focus on the defensive end was really good tonight," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "It's certainly an area where we have to get better and continue to improve, but I was happy with that tonight."
Until Saturday's game against Michigan State, the Buckeyes had yet to hold an opponent to under 20 points in each of the game's four quarters. Ohio State has now done it for the second-straight time.
When you combine that defense with the typical Buckeye offense, you get a game that was never really close. The Nittany Lions never led and Kelsey Mitchell outscored Penn State by herself in the opening quarter, dropping 12 first-quarter points on the visitors thanks to three-straight three-point makes to start the game.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | PENN STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 94 | POINTS | 64 |
| 37-80 (46%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-60 (37%) |
| 10-27 (37%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 5-17 (29%) |
| 10-11 (91%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-16 (79%) |
| 7 | TURNOVERS | 15 |
| 46 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 37 |
| 14 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 8 |
| 32 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 21 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 6 | BLOCKS | 2 |
| 8 | STEALS | 2 |
| 23 | ASSISTS | 9 |
"Kelsey Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the history of the game," Penn State head coach Coquese Washington said after the game. "So that's not a surprise."
Mitchell's scoring and hot shooting does more than just directly add points to Ohio State's total, it opens up the offense for other players to make shots, explains Linnae Harper.
"When she's on, the defense tends to put their attention on her which opens up a lot for our guards and our post players," Harper said. "You can definitely feel it, especially when they're playing zone and you're just trying to find the open gaps."
Mitchell cooled off a little the remainder of the game – if only because she could have played any better to start – as she finished with 27 points, shooting 9-for-16 from the field and 5-for-12 from three-point range.
As a team, Ohio State shot a red-hot 51 percent from the field in the first half to take a commanding 49-28 lead into the intermission.
With the game well at hand, the Buckeyes coasted in the second half, but the scoring continued from nearly everyone wearing Scarlet and Gray. Eight different Ohio State players scored in the game and five reached double digits.
As usual, Stephanie Mavunga and Harper were team's next leading scorers behind Mitchell, scoring 19 and 13 respectively, and each posted yet another double-double to help lead the team to a 94-64 victory.
With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 18-5 overall and 7-3 in the conference. Ohio State is in action again on Saturday when it travels to face Wisconsin at 1 p.m.
