Sophomore guard Cait Craft (13) shoots a free throw during a game against Florida Atlantic Nov. 10 at the Schottenstein Center. OSU won, 91-88.
Credit: Ryan Robey / For The Lantern
Even with the high volume of games collegiate basketball players participate in, three games in three days is a rare challenge for the Ohio State women’s basketball team.
“I know in three days we’re all going to be very tired,” senior center Darryce Moore said. “You just have to band together and push each other.”
The Buckeyes (3-1, 0-0) are set to take part in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, hosting three games this weekend. OSU is scheduled to play Old Dominion at 8 p.m. Friday, Marist at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. All three games are scheduled to be played at the Schottenstein Center.
Coach Kevin McGuff said he will have to adjust his rotations accordingly, but there is only so much you can do with a thin roster.
“The plan would be to be a little bit deeper,” he said.”(But) we can only go so deep, cause we’ve only got so many people.”
OSU has 11 players on roster for this season, but only seven have consistently been playing. McGuff received a roster boost for his team’s loss at then-No. 22 Georgia Nov. 17 in the form of junior guard Raven Ferguson, who sat out the first three games of the year because of a suspension stemming from a violation of team rules.
“It’s great to have another body, because we’ve been so thin and struggling with that,” McGuff said. “She didn’t look as comfortable (Sunday) as I think she would have had she been playing.”
Sophomore guard Ameryst Alston said a key to victory will be doing better from the free throw line. The Buckeyes were 9-17 at the charity stripe against Georgia Nov. 17 and 19-31 against VCU Nov. 14.
“That’s definitely something that we have been working on,” Alston said. “As a team, we didn’t shoot that good on the free throw line (against Georgia) … They are ‘free,’ so there is no reason why we should miss half of them.”
Alston added the team has to make sure to play hard, especially with such a full schedule.
“Three games, back-to-back, naturally you’re going to be tired,” she said. “Just be mentally tough and we’ll get through.”
While the Buckeyes’ run of consecutive games does not extend past Sunday, their stay in the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge does. OSU is scheduled to host Lehigh Nov. 27 before traveling to the home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., for a game against top-ranked Connecticut.
