Ohio State women’s basketball is celebrating an NCAA Tournament win for the first time in four years.
In their first March Madness game since 2018, the No. 6 seed Buckeyes earned a first-round win on Saturday afternoon as they defeated No. 11 seed Missouri State, 63-56, in a game played at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Moving on to the Round of 32 with the Dub Chain! #GoBucks #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/tHGUyOCBHH
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) March 19, 2022
The win didn’t come easily for the Buckeyes, who started cold offensively in both halves and were outrebounded 51-33, but they managed to grind out a tough win by forcing 22 Missouri State turnovers.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 OHIO STATE | 5 | 26 | 13 | 19 | 63 |
| #11 MISSOURI STATE | 14 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 56 |
Ohio State, which averaged 79.2 points per game during the regular season, got off to a very slow start offensively as it made only one of its 14 field goal attempts in the first quarter. The Buckeyes finished the first quarter with only five points – their lowest scoring output for a single quarter all year – and trailed Missouri State by nine points entering the second quarter.
The Buckeyes didn’t reach double digits until the 5:45 mark of the second quarter, when Jacy Sheldon hit Ohio State’s first 3-pointer of the game.
That ended up being a big spark for the Buckeyes, as Sheldon’s three started a 23-6 run to close out the second quarter on which Ohio State went from down 20-8 to up 31-26 going into the break. Sheldon finished the first half with 11 points, while fellow first-team All-Big Ten guard Taylor Mikesell had nine points in the first two quarters.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | MISSOURI STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | POINTS | 56 |
| 19-56 (33.9%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 21-63 (33.3%) |
| 5-20 (25%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 2-4 (50%) |
| 20-30 (66.7%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-17 (70.6%) |
| 10 | TURNOVERS | 22 |
| 33 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 51 |
| 11 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 22 |
| 22 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 29 |
| 13 | BENCH POINTS | 20 |
| 7 | BLOCKS | 6 |
| 13 | STEALS | 5 |
| 11 | ASSISTS | 10 |
Ohio State went cold again to start the second half, missing its first seven field goals of the third quarter, which allowed Missouri State to begin the half on a 10-4 run and retake the lead, 36-35. The Buckeyes ended up taking a one-point advantage into the fourth quarter after Rebeka Mikulasikova hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just two seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The lead went back-and-forth for most of the fourth quarter, with neither team leading by more than four points until the final 15 seconds, but Sheldon – who led the Buckeyes in points (25), rebounds (six), assists (five) and steals (five) – scored six points in the final minute that would ultimately seal a victory for Ohio State.
Sheldon and Mikesell combined to score 39 of Ohio State’s 63 points while Tanaya Beacham added eight points and five rebounds off the bench.
Ohio State will now prepare to play in the second round on Monday against No. 3 seed LSU on its home court. Game time and TV network for Monday’s game have not yet been announced.
Saturday’s win over Missouri State was the Buckeyes’ first NCAA Tournament win since Ohio State defeated George Washington in the first round of the 2018 tournament before falling to Central Michigan in the second round. Ohio State failed to qualify for the 2019 tournament, the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 and the Buckeyes served a self-imposed postseason ban for NCAA recruiting violations in 2021.
