Ohio State’s upset bid in the Sweet 16 came up just short.
The Ohio State women’s basketball team had its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion on Friday night in Spokane, Washington, where the No. 6 seed Buckeyes fell to No. 2 seed Texas, 66-63, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
While Taylor Mikesell (19), Jacy Sheldon (17) and Braxtin Miller (12) all scored in double figures for the Buckeyes, seven Longhorns scored at least six points to lead Texas to victory as Ohio State was unable to come up with the points it needed on its final two possessions of the game.
“I’m proud of our fight, proud of the toughness we showed down the stretch and we just came up short against a great, great Texas team,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said after the game.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 OHIO STATE | 20 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 63 |
| #2 TEXAS | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 66 |
Ohio State finished the first quarter with a 20-16 lead, which was highlighted by an 11-0 run for the Buckeyes. Sheldon scored seven points in the first quarter to lead all scorers through 10 minutes.
Texas responded by starting the second quarter on a 7-0 run, and the Buckeyes went cold for most of the second quarter, making just four of their 14 second-quarter field goal attempts. Texas finished the second quarter on another 7-0 run to take a 32-30 lead into halftime. Joanne Allen-Taylor scored Texas’ final nine points of the second quarter to lead all players with 13 first-half points.
The Longhorns took an eight-point lead on a 9-0 run early in the third quarter. The Buckeyes responded with a 7-0 run of their own on which Mikesell made Ohio State’s first 3-pointer of the night with just 3:53 to play in the third quarter. Ohio State would score only two more points for the remainder of the quarter after Mikesell’s three, however, as Texas took a 50-45 lead into the final period.
Texas scored 10 of the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to take a double-digit lead, but the Buckeyes didn’t go down without a fight, as Sheldon converted a three-point play and made a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to cut the Longhorns’ lead to four. A jumper by Miller cut Texas’ lead to two points with 3:28 to play, and Mikesell’s third 3-pointer of the night made it a one-point game with less than two minutes to go. After Rori Harmon put Texas back up by three with a make at the other end, Tanaya Beacham hit a jumper to cut the lead back down to one with 49 seconds to play.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | TEXAS |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | POINTS | 66 |
| 26-61 (42.6%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 26-55 (47.3%) |
| 4-12 (33.3%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 2-4 (50%) |
| 7-7 (100%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 12-15 (80%) |
| 17 | TURNOVERS | 17 |
| 32 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 32 |
| 13 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 12 |
| 19 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 20 |
| 8 | BENCH POINTS | 24 |
| 5 | BLOCKS | 4 |
| 11 | STEALS | 12 |
| 10 | ASSISTS | 9 |
The Buckeyes had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but Sheldon missed a jumper and Taylor Thierry was blocked by Texas’ Aaliyah Moore after an offensive rebound, giving the ball back to the Longhorns with a one-point lead and just 16 seconds to play.
After Harmon hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game, Ohio State was unable to get a shot off on its final possession.
Ohio State has now lost its last six consecutive Sweet 16 games dating back to 2005. The Buckeyes haven’t won a Sweet 16 game since 1993, when Ohio State made a run to the national championship game before losing to Texas Tech in the final.
Friday’s loss came after the Buckeyes beat No. 11 seed Missouri State and No. 3 seed LSU in the first two rounds of the tournament to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. Ohio State, which split the regular-season Big Ten championship with Iowa, finishes the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 25-7.
Although the Buckeyes had hoped to continue their NCAA Tournament run even further, they said after the game that they still believe this season was a success.
“It was a really fun season,” Sheldon said after the game. “I think every single person on this team contributed to what we were able to do. I think despite everything we’ve been through, we proved we’re one of the best teams in the country, and we’ll be back here and we’re excited. Gotta be excited for the offseason now, but it was a great season for us.”
McGuff said he was proud of the way his team grew over the course of the season, and he hopes they can use it as a springboard to an even deeper run next season.
“From where we were in November to where we ended now, we were a significantly different team. And that’s a real credit to their competitive character, their commitment to getting better and just the leadership that we have with our upperclassmen,” McGuff said. “I’m disappointed we didn’t take the next step now, but I’m hoping this experience at this level on the second weekend of the tournament will give us a chance to really learn and grow and give us a chance to do something like that in the coming years.”
