After a triple overtime loss against No.12 Purdue, the Ohio State women’s basketball team sought to put an end to their four game losing streak.
Against Indiana Thursday, the Buckeyes did just that, defeating the Hoosiers, 68-45 at the Schottenstein Center.
In the process, OSU also notched its first Big Ten win of the year.
“We needed this win,” said senior guard Tayler Hill. “We need to stay on this path.”
Up six at the end of the first half, junior center Darryce Moore said the team went into the locker cohesively agreed that they “needed to bring energy” in the game’s second act.
Behind Hill and Moore, OSU seemed to do exactly that.
The Buckeyes tallied 38 points on 50 percent shooting during the second half while limiting Indiana to 21 points on 31 percent from the floor.
Hill led all Buckeye scorers with 15 points total. Additionally, she collected eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
OSU coach Jim Foster, though, said Hill wasn’t at her best. He said the senior had sat out much of the week’s practices because of illness.
“She didn’t have her legs,” he said.
Hill, though, still helped hold Indiana standout senior forward Aulani Sinclair to five points on 2-for-15 shooting.
“Given the defense she played on the Sinclair kid, you have to give her a lot of credit,” Foster said.
Perhaps another key to OSU’s win was Moore’s presence in the paint.
Foster said Moore, who had 14 points and six rebounds, is slowing her game down.
It’s also something Hill noticed.
“Darryce is doing an excellent job,” Hill said. “She’s slowing down, she’s rebounding and scoring the way we knew she could. She’s playing to her potential so I’m proud of her.”
Freshman guard Ameryst Alston, played 30 minutes and tied Hill for the most rebounds with eight. Coming off the bench, junior center Aleksandra Dobranic added 10 points, four rebounds and one block.
And while OSU had four double-digit scorers, Hoosier coach Curt Miller said it was the Buckeye defense that gave them fits.
“(Hill’s) strength and athleticism bothered (Sinclair). When they went man-to-man, (Hill) made shots a lot more difficult,” he said after the game.
OSU will look to continue such success against Wisconsin on Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
