In the long, illustrious history of the Ohio State women’s basketball program, one team stands above the rest.
Led by head coach Nancy Darsch, the 1993 Ohio State women’s basketball team brought the program to all-time heights. Registering a 24-3 regular season record, including a 16-2 mark in Big Ten play, the Buckeyes earned a share of the Big Ten championship — splitting the honor with rival Iowa, whom Ohio State went 1-1 against during the regular season.
Ohio State’s dominant regular season culminated in the program earning its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Throughout the season, the Buckeyes were powered by their high-octane offense, averaging 83.2 points per game, which ranked sixth in the nation.
The conductor of that offense was freshman phenom Katie Smith, whose 18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game earned her the 1993 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Kodak All-American honors. Smith was flanked by All-Big Ten seniors Averrill Roberts and Nikki Keyton, who averaged 15.4 and 14.9 points per game, respectively.
With the top seed in tow, Ohio State blew through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, blowing out Rutgers 90-61 at St. John Arena before breezing past Western Kentucky 86-73 in the Sweet Sixteen. With a spot in the Final Four on the line, the Buckeyes dispatched Virginia 75-73 to become the first-ever Big Ten team to punch their ticket to the Final Four.
Ironically, Ohio State found itself matched up with another Big Ten foe: the hated Iowa Hawkeyes.
Led by legendary head coach C. Vivian Stringer, and the tandem of Toni Foster and Tia Jackson, the second-seeded Hawkeyes had also completed a dream run to the Final Four — which included a 72-56 drubbing of No. 1 seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes met for their rubber match at the Omni Arena in Atlanta, with a chance to play Sheryl Swoopes and Texas Tech in the national championship on the line.
Ohio State and Iowa battled tightly throughout the first half, with Jackson pacing the Hawkeyes with 16 first-half points. Despite Jackson’s scoring barrage, the Buckeyes scored the final four points of the half and took a 33-29 lead into the locker room.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes remained deadlocked throughout the second half, and following a bucket from Iowa senior guard Laurie Aaron with 1:25 remaining in regulation, things looked dire for Ohio State. Trailing 61-59 with Iowa maintaining possession, the Buckeyes received a gift in the form of a traveling violation committed by the Hawkeyes, giving Ohio State the ball with 29 seconds remaining in regulation.
The lucky break allowed Smith to become the hero for the Buckeyes. With just five seconds remaining in regulation, Smith powered through the lane and finished a layup to send the game to overtime after an Iowa miss on the other end.
Just like in regulation, Iowa seemed poised to take control of the contest. The Hawkeyes held the lead on three separate occasions — including a 70-67 advantage, their largest of the frame. But Ohio State scored six of the game’s next eight points, and a free throw from Keyton with 33 seconds pushed the Buckeyes to a 73-72 advantage.
Iowa still had plenty of time to wrestle control of the game back in their favor, but a miss by Jackson on a mid-range jumper and a subsequent rebound from Ohio State with 12 seconds remaining put the Hawkeyes in a dire situation. But, the Hawkeyes would get one more chance after a miss from Smith on the first end of a 1-and-1 free throw.
The Hawkeyes looked to take advantage of the missed opportunity from Smith, and in the chaos of the final possession, Stringer pleaded with her team to call a timeout and regroup before getting a chance at victory. Stringer’s calls fell on deaf ears, however, and the Hawkeyes’ season ended with a turnover by Aaron.
“As the game got into the closing minutes, I think it was typical of the Ohio State versus Iowa matchup,” Stringer said following the loss. “It was a defensive battle and yet it looks like, at least from the turnover point of view, that they caused more problems to us than we caused them.”
Ohio State was led by 16 points from Roberts, while Keyton and Smith added 14 and 11, respectively. Jackson led all scorers with 22 points.
With the win, the Buckeyes became the first Big Ten team to advance to the national championship. However, the Buckeyes could not overcome 47 points from Swoopes, falling to Texas Tech 84-82.
