Ohio State Women Advance to face North Carolina

The Buckeyes earned the 80-66 win on Saturday afternoon inside the Schottenstein Center.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12/12 and third-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes (26-7, 12-6 B1G) beat 14th-seeded James Madison (26-8, 13-5 SBC) on Saturday by an 80-66 margin in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament inside Value City Arena in the Schottenstein Center.

JMU scored the final six points of the first quarter to hold a 26-14 lead after 10 minutes. Ohio State used a 12-0 run at the end of the second quarter to trim its deficit to 37-34 at halftime. The Buckeyes won the third quarter 20-13 to hold a 54-50 lead after 30 minutes of play. Ohio State opened the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run and held off a late JMU push to earn the win.

Cotie McMahon was the first Buckeye to reach double figures with 11 first-half points on her way to 18 total points. Jacy Sheldon reached double figures at the end of the third quarter on her way to 17 points. Taylor Thierry (15) and Taylor Mikesell (14) also reached double figures in the fourth quarter.

How it Happened

An Eboni Walker jumper on the opening possession opened scoring before back-to-back triples from James Madison. JMU built an early 8-4 lead, but OSU used a 6-0 run to take a 10-8 lead midway through the quarter. The Dukes used an extended 12-1 run to take a 20-11 lead with 2:49 to play in the first quarter. JMU held the 26-14 advantage after 10 minutes.

Both teams started slowly in the second quarter with JMU holding a 32-19 lead midway through the quarter. James Madison led by a 35-19 margin, but Ohio State responded with a 12-point run to trim the deficit to 37-34 at halftime.

The Buckeyes tied the game at 37 with a three-point play from Taylor Thierry and then again at 39 and 41. Eboni Walker gave OSU its first lead since the first quarter at 43-42 on a pair of free throws with just under six minutes remaining in the quarter. Ohio State led 48-44 at the media timeout and 52-44 with 2:14 to play in the quarter, forcing a JMU timeout. The Dukes scored the next six points to cut the Buckeyes’ lead to two but OSU held the 54-50 lead after 30 minutes.

Ohio State scored the first eight points in the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 62-50 with just under eight minutes remaining, forcing a JMU timeout. The Buckeyes strung together another seven points to stretch their lead to 69-52, allowing just one field goal in the first four minutes of the quarter. Ohio State led by as many as 16 points at 74-58 and earned the 80-66 victory despite a late push from JMU.