After a two-game road stint against Syracuse and Purdue, No. 20 Ohio State (7-1) returned home for a dominant 94-50 win over visiting Mount St. Mary’s on Dec. 7.
The Buckeyes were boosted in this contest by some impeccable three-point shooting, as Ohio State finished 10 of 20 from beyond the arc.
Early in the contest, Ohio State’s full-court press worked wonders on the Mountaineers, forcing six turnovers in the first quarter en route to a 25-7 lead by Ohio State. Mount St. Mary’s ended the game with 22 total turnovers.
Senior guard Taylor Mikesell, junior forward Jacy Sheldon and junior forward Rebeka Mikulasikova were among the usual suspects on the box score in the first frame, but it was sophomore forward Gabby Hutcherson who made her presence known early, scoring eight points on 3 of 3 shooting, including two three-pointers. She finished with a career-high 13 points.
Ohio State further extended its lead in the second quarter, capitalizing on an opening 13-3 run, including three-pointers from Mikesell and Sheldon, to take a 38-12 lead.
Despite Ohio State’s dominance on both ends, the lead could have grown by more had the Buckeyes capitalized on seven offensive rebounds in the first half, which resulted in just five points, or connected at the free-throw line, where Ohio State was 2 of 8 in the first half.
The Buckeyes would go on to finish the half up 51-22, taking advantage of a pair of baskets each by Hutcherson and graduate forward Tanaya Beacham, to score 26 points in the second quarter.
The teams traded baskets through most of the third quarter as the Buckeyes enjoyed a significant lead, but an 8-0 run by Ohio State pushed it to a 71-30 lead with just over three minutes remaining. The Mountaineers got some offense going near the end of the quarter to make it 75-37 going into the fourth.
In the final frame, the Buckeyes kept things rolling with a 10-0 run to begin the quarter, propelling them to a 94-50 win over the Mountaineers.
Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 19 points on the evening, shooting 9 of 12 from the field. Beyond the arc, Mikesell finished 3 of 4 (6 of 9 from the field) with 15 points. Hutcherson led with six rebounds, while Sheldon, senior guard Braxtin Miller and sophomore guard Rikki Harris each had four assists. Michaela Harrison and Arena Taylor each had eight points for the Mountaineers.
This game served as a final test for the Buckeyes before they prepare to host No. 10 Indiana on Sunday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on BTN.
