On Thursday night, Ohio State clinched at least a share of its second-straight regular season Big Ten championship. But Sunday afternoon, the Buckeyes ensured there will be no sharing this year, clinching the title outright with a 89-64 win over Penn State.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 Ohio State | 23 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 89 |
| Penn State | 12 | 15 | 13 | 24 | 64 |
This marks the team's first outright title since the 2009-10 season and also clinches the top seed in next week's Big Ten tournament, which Ohio State hasn't won since 2011.
In their final game of the regular season, the Buckeyes put on a clinic on both sides of the ball. Ohio State dropped 89 points on Penn State, shooting a red-hot 49 percent from the floor while holding the Nittany Lions to just 64 points and 38 percent from the field.
Eight different Ohio State players scored in the game and three of them were in double figures – Kelsey Mitchell, Stephanie Mavunga and Linnae Harper. Mitchell led the way with 22 points and also pulled down five rebounds and had six assists for one of the most complete games of her career.
Fittingly, Mitchell also made history during her final regular-season game, passing Brittney Griner to take third-place on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list.
Mavunga had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Harper had 17 points and 10 boards as each player picked up yet another double-double.
Defensively, Ohio State had one of its better games of the season. Just one game after holding Northwestern to 54 points – the lowest opponent total all season – the Buckeyes held Penn State to just 64 points.
It didn't take long for Ohio State to take control on Sunday afternoon. It was a back-and-forth game for all of three minute before the Buckeyes began to take control, stretching their lead to 11 points by the end of the first quarter.
Mitchell led the way in the first, leading all scorers with nine points. She didn't score in the second quarter as she picked up three fouls – two coming on the offensive end – and sat the bench more than usual, but her team had no problem picking up the pace.
Five different players scored in the second quarter as the Buckeye lead continued to grow. By halftime, Ohio State held a 15-point advantage, leading Penn State 42-27 thanks to points from seven different players.
The second half was the same story – only Mitchell started scoring again. She dropped 11 points in the third quarter, nearly outscoring Penn State by herself, and Ohio State stretched its lead from 15 points at the start of the quarter to 26 at the end, leading the Nittany Lions 66-40.
Somehow, the lead still continued to grow during the fourth quarter until it reached its peak at 40 points midway through the quarter. From that point, the Buckeyes coasted to an easy 89-64 victory.
The has arrived BACK in Columbus #Secured pic.twitter.com/i8tLZPIOSd
— OSU W Basketball (@OhioState_WBB) February 25, 2018
With the win, Ohio State finishes the regular season 24-6 overall and 13-3 in the conference, clinching its first outright Big Ten title since the 2009-10 season. Penn State falls to 15-14 overall and 6-10 in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes also earned the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament. As such, they have a double bye and play their first game on Friday at noon when they take on the winner of Thursday's matchup between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
