It wasn't easy, but the Buckeyes went to Madison and came home with a hard-fought victory, downing Wisconsin 68-55.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #18 Ohio State | 22 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 68 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 55 |
The story of the game though, was not the score or the outcome.
A scary moment occurred towards the end of the third quarter when Makayla Waterman suffered an apparent neck injury while battling for an offensive rebound. Waterman fell backwards and appeared to hit her head and neck on the body of a Wisconsin player.
The training staff stabilized Waterman's neck before putting her on a stretcher. According to BTN, Waterman was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Waterman did show movement in her hands and seemed to give a slight smile to her teammates before she was taken out of the arena.
After the game, Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff told BTN that while he didn't have an immediate update, Waterman did have feeling in all of her extremities when she left the arena.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | WISCONSIN |
|---|---|---|
| 68 | POINTS | 55 |
| 26-64 (41%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 22-59 (37%) |
| 4-18 (22%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 3-11 (27%) |
| 12-17 (71%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 8-12 (67%) |
| 9 | TURNOVERS | 17 |
| 37 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 43 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 26 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 30 |
| 7 | BENCH POINTS | 7 |
| 4 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 14 | STEALS | 4 |
| 14 | ASSISTS | 16 |
Still, a game had to be played, and the Buckeyes were able to close out the win after Waterman's injury thanks to stingy defense.
With shots not falling and scoring difficult to come by, the Ohio State had to rely on its defense for large portions of Saturday's game. The Buckeyes held Wisconsin to just 55 points in the game, 37 percent from the field and forced 17 Badger turnovers.
The stingy defense continues a three-game trend where the Ohio State has been relatively lockdown in an area where the Buckeyes have struggled for years. After giving up 95 points per game in their three-straight losses in January, Ohio State has held each of its past three opponents under 65 points, under 40 percent from the field and hasn't allowed 20 points in a quarter in 12-straight quarters.
Offensively, the Buckeyes got just enough scoring. Once again, the nation's highest scoring trio – Kelsey Mitchell, Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper – led the way. Mavunga led all scorers with 21 points, Mitchell scored 16 – setting another NCAA record in the process – and Harper had 15.
Wisconsin scored first in the game, but midway through the first quarter, the Buckeyes began to take control. The game was tied at six with just over six minutes left to play when Ohio State rattled off a 16-0 run, allowing it to take a 22-9 lead into the second quarter.
The leader for the Buckeyes during the first half was Mavunga. The team's top post player had 14 points, six rebounds and three steals all in the first half, leading Ohio State in all three categories.
The Buckeyes held a double digit lead most of the second quarter until they went cold and the Badgers made a run. Ohio State made just 1 of its last 11 shots to close the second quarter, allowing Wisconsin to cut the Buckeye lead to just 35-28 heading into halftime.
The Badger run continued in the second half. Wisconsin scored the first eight points of the third quarter, stretching its scoring run to 18-2 over the second and third quarters to take a one point lead. Ohio State was able to stop the bleeding, however, answering the Badger run with a 7-2 run of its own to close the third.
Towards the end of the third, Waterman went down with an injury, causing quite a scary scene on the court.
But as scary a situation as it was, the teams still had to finish the game, and the Buckeyes finished strong. Ohio State outscored Wisconsin 31-19 after the Badgers took a third quarter lead and left Madison with a 68-55 win.
With the win, Ohio State improves to 19-5 overall and 7-3 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes return home on Thursday when they host Rutgers at 7 p.m. in Value City Arena.
