No. 3 Ohio State Moves To 18-0 In 76-67 Win Over Nebraska

By January 14, 2023 (4:17 pm)Basketball

No. 3 Ohio State remained undefeated with a comfortable win on Saturday, going on the road to take down Nebraska 76-67.

The Buckeyes (18-0, 7-0 Big Ten) stifled the Cornhuskers (11-7, 3-4) defensively throughout the contest. While most focus has been put on Ohio State’s full-court press this season, it was actually the Buckeyes’ half-court defense that won the game, limiting the home team to just 35.5 shooting from the field and 14.8 percent from deep.

Ohio State jumped out to a 13-2 lead to begin the contest before ending the first quarter up 25-12, holding Nebraska to just 26.3 percent shooting from the field in the first frame. Guard Taylor Mikesell and forward Rebeka Mikulášiková led the way, combining for 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Mikulášiková had five rebounds through the first 10 minutes.

The Cornhuskers scored the opening points of the second quarter, but the Buckeyes responded with an 11-4 run – featuring five points from guard Hevynne Bristow and a triple from Mikesell – to push the lead to 36-19 with 5:06 remaining in the half. With the game on the brink, Nebraska was kept in the contest by center Alexis Markowski, who scored the last six points of the frame for the Cornhuskers, who trailed 42-32 at the half.

Markowski finished the first half with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, but Nebraska struggled otherwise, with the rest of the team combining for just 20 points on 8-of-27 shooting. Mikesell and Mikulášiková similarly led the way for Ohio State, combining for 25 of the team’s 42 points.

The Cornhuskers cut the deficit to single digits early in the third quarter, opening the frame on a 7-0 run to make it 42-39 in favor of the Buckeyes. Ohio State responded with triples on back-to-back possessions by guard Rikki Harris and Bristow, but Nebraska later cut the deficit again, making it 48-45 with 5:09 remaining in the quarter.

Mikulášiková then took over, scoring the next nine points for Ohio State – a run that included a three-pointer, one of three on the evening for Mikulášiková – before some late points from guard Taylor Thierry that gave the Buckeyes a 62-50 lead heading into the fourth. Ohio State continued to pour things on in the final frame, leading by as many as 18 points in the 76-67 win.

The Buckeyes were led by Mikulášiková, who finished with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including a mark of 75.0 percent from deep, in the sixth 20-point game of the season for Mikulášiková. Mikesell had 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Harris, Mikulášiková and Thierry each had seven rebounds. Nebraska guard Sam Haiby led the Cornhuskers with 16 points.

Ohio State will return to the court on Thursday to host Northwestern, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.

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