No. 17/25 Ohio State Wins Season Opener Against Bucknell
The Buckeyes used a sharp-shooting second half to defeat the Bison.
Credit Source: Ohio State University Athletics
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s basketball team (1-0) used a strong second half to beat Bucknell (0-1) by a 71-48 margin on Wednesday night in the season opener inside Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center.
How it Happened
Ohio State won the opening tip and Taylor Mikesell scored her first points as a Buckeye in the first possession. The Buckeyes scored the first five and held the Bison scoreless in the first four minutes of play. After a Bucknell basket, Ohio State scored the next six points to lead 11-3 and force a Bison timeout. The Buckeyes stretched the lead to 20-7 with seven-consecutive points but the Bison responded with seven to end the first quarter scoring at 20-14.
Bucknell was the first to score in the second quarter with 7:14 remaining in the half and tied the game at 20. The Bison took their first lead at 22-20 with a pair of free throws but the Buckeyes responded with a 6-0 run. Jacy Sheldon ended the half with two free throws made to give Ohio State a 28-24 lead heading into the locker room.
Ohio State had three triples in the first four minutes of the second half and outscored Bucknell by a 15-6 margin in the first 4:08 of the third quarter to take a 43-30 lead. Scoring slowed for both teams as Hevynne Bristow had the next four Buckeye points and OSU had a 47-36 lead with 1:45 remaining in the quarter. Braxtin Miller ended the quarter with a pair of free throws as the Buckeyes held a 51-38 lead.
The Buckeyes scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take a 20-point lead at 58-38 and led by a 62-42 margin at the media timeout with 6:22 to play. Ohio State stretched its lead to as many as 25 points, 67-42 with 4:12 remaining, and earned the 71-48 victory. Rikki Harris made the game’s final basket with 36 seconds to go on a driving layup.
Game Notes
- Junior guard Jacy Sheldon led the Ohio State offense with 20 points – the 10th 20-point game of her career and her 38th game in double figures.
- Senior guard Taylor Mikesell reached double figures in her first game as a Buckeye, finishing with 14 points.
- Graduate forward Tanaya Beacham led the Buckeyes with seven rebounds while sophomore guard Kateri Poole had a team-high four assists.
- Q1: The Buckeyes had 10 free-throw attempts in the quarter.
- Q2: Tanaya Beacham had two blocks in the quarter.
- Q3: Ohio State shot 58.3 percent from the floor and was a perfect 6-of-6 during the third quarter.
- Q4: The Buckeyes defense limited the Bison to shooting 25.0 percent during the quarter.
What They Said
Head Coach Kevin McGuff on the first game of the season:
“It was [a typical first game]. We had some stretches where we played really good and some stretches where we struggled. We applied some stuff but a long way to go for us.”
Senior guard Taylor Mikesell on playing her first game in a Buckeye uniform:
“It felt great. I didn’t get the chance to play in the exhibition game because I wasn’t cleared yet so it was nice seeing that first shot go through. We went on a big run the first quarter and we started rolling after that. It was a good win.”
Junior guard Jacy Sheldon on the team’s increased sharing of the ball in the second half:
“That’s the first thing that was talked about [during halftime]. We definitely emphasized that coming out and we started early there to get the pass going and make that extra pass.”
Up Next
Ohio State continues its five-game home stand to open the regular season with a game against Norfolk State on Sunday. Tip time is slated for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on B1G+ (subscription required).
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