Defenses can be a riddle, and Ohio State seemed stumped for stretches on Monday.
The No. 13 Buckeyes (9-2) shot a mere 38.5% from the field against the look provided by No. 2 UCLA (10-0) and fell out of contention for the contest in the third quarter to lose 77-71 in Value City Arena.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 UCLA | 17 | 20 | 26 | 14 | 77 |
| #13 OHIO STATE | 17 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 71 |
Lauren Betts, the Bruins' 6-7 center, proved to be a monster on the defensive end with five blocks to go with 17 points and 11 rebounds. She led UCLA in both blocks and boards.
Guard Charisma Osbourne put up a team-high 19 points and Kiki Rice followed with 15 points. Forward Gabriela Jaquez added 11.
Jacy Sheldon put forth a fantastic performance in a losing effort for the Buckeyes, racking up 30 points and three assists. Fellow guard Taylor Thierry made a sizable impact too, shooting an efficient 6-of-9 with 20 points and four steals.
The Buckeyes turned the ball over 16 times and were outrebounded 40-30 by UCLA.
First half
Thierry came out on a tear.
She got points on Ohio State's first possession with a finger-roll finish at the rim.
Two possessions later, Thierry was left all alone for a left-wing triple and made the defense pay by knocking it down. As UCLA went to inbound the ball, Thierry smacked it out of the air, collected a steal and hit a precise bounce pass to star guard Jacy Sheldon for a layup to cap a 7-0 Buckeye run to open the contest.
Cotie McMahon converted her first shot of the evening, a clean pull-up three-pointer, but a scoreless streak of 3:17 allowed the Bruins to make an 8-0 run and tie the game 10-10.
Sheldon helped pull the Buckeyes back ahead 17-13 only for UCLA to outrun Ohio State down the floor, once off an OSU make and once off a miss, and tie things once again at 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.
Sheldon kicked off the second quarter in style, finishing a contested layup high off the glass and picking up two screens to sink a triple off the dribble.
Soon, however, UCLA was back on a run. Londynn Jones hit a deep midrange jumper, then hit a pair of free throws on the Bruins' next possession. Betts hit a pair of layups and a 12-0 run made it 31-24 UCLA with 3:28 to play in the second period.
McMahon's cold half from the field didn't help matters. Following her initial make from distance, the Buckeyes' star forward missed her next 12 shots, not making another until 75 seconds remained in the game. UCLA's interior defense, led by Betts, proved stifling. Betts accumulated four blocks in the first 17 minutes of action.
Ohio State and UCLA exchanged a few baskets before a layup from Thierry cut the Buckeyes' halftime deficit to 37-31.
Second half
| OHIO STATE | STAT | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | POINTS | 77 |
| 25-65 (38.5%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 29-60 (48.3%) |
| 9-24 (37.5%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 4-20 (20%) |
| 12-15 (80%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 15-20 (75%) |
| 16 | TURNOVERS | 17 |
| 30 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 40 |
| 12 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 13 |
| 18 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 2 | BENCH POINTS | 13 |
| 3 | BLOCKS | 8 |
| 9 | STEALS | 4 |
| 10 | ASSISTS | 18 |
UCLA worked to extend its lead at the start of the third quarter.
Betts cashed in another layup, forward Angela Dugulic canned a three and a make from Rice gave the Bruins a 13-point advantage at 48-35.
Pretty soon Ohio State was out of the game entirely.
A pair of layups each from Rice and Betts coupled with a pair of threes by Osbourne made it a 20-point lead at 62-42. The advantage got as high as 22 points at 67-45.
Ohio State did go on a fourth-quarter run to cut the lead all the way down to 10. Sheldon had five and Thierry had six during a 14-2 jaunt by Ohio State that made it 69-59 with 4:41 to play. But a three-pointer in response from Osbourne made it 72-59.
Still, the Buckeyes – Sheldon, more specifically – didn't go away. She hit a midrange jumper and a layup in the final 30 seconds that whittled UCLA's lead down to four, but the Bruins hit enough free throws down the stretch to close out the victory.
What's next
The Buckeyes play their final nonconference opponent of the season on Friday, taking on Belmont at 1 p.m. in Value City Arena. The game is available for streaming on B1G+.
