The Ohio State Buckeyes huddle up after getting back on the court after a timeout during the Ohio State-Purdue game on Feb. 18. Ohio State won 100-85. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
At the end of the first half, sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon made a buzzer-beating shot that would have put the Buckeyes up 32-31 at the break.
Instead, video review waved off the basket, proving to be all the difference in the end.
Penn State (9-11, 6-10) knocked off No. 15 Ohio State (13-5, 9-5) 69-67, snapping its four-game skid and notching its first win over the Buckeyes since a 74-54 victory Feb. 9, 2014, in Columbus.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said the game came down to just a few plays.
“They made a couple plays late and we had some good looks at the basket late,” McGuff said. “We just didn’t finish.”
Ohio State went into the fourth quarter leading 52-51, but the Nittany Lions got hot, converting 6-of-7 possessions throughout the middle stages of the final frame. Their run was capped off with a 3-pointer from senior guard Niya Beverley that gave the Nittany Lions a 67-65 lead with 3:17 left in the game.
With 1:01 left in the fourth quarter, Penn State sophomore guard Makenna Marisa drove hard to the lane, laying in what proved to be the game-winning bucket with one second remaining on the shot clock.
Ohio State’s scoring down the stretch faltered, as the Buckeyes went the final 2:44 without a point.
“We just got to hang our hat on our defense to get stops, we just didn’t get enough down the stretch,” McGuff said.
The Buckeyes punched Penn State in the mouth early, taking a 17-4 advantage, but the offense went cold, allowing Penn State to claw back into it by the end of the first quarter. Ohio State did not record a field goal for the final 4:50 of the first quarter, allowing Penn State to cut the game to 18-13.
Ohio State junior forward Dorka Juhasz dominated on the offensive end in the first quarter with 10 points and three rebounds.
She bounced back from her season-low 1-point performance against Michigan Sunday, as she led the Buckeyes in scoring with 21 points and 11 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season.
The second quarter featured much of the same as the Buckeyes were outscored 18-12 in the frame, featuring an 0-of-8 field-goal drought. Ohio State shot a dismal 4-of-15 from the floor while Penn State shot 50 percent.
The offensive charge from Penn State was led by a three-headed monster of Beverley, Marisa and senior forward Johnasia Cash, which accounted for 54 of the 69 Nittany Lion points.
Beverley finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-11 from the floor, while Marisa and Cash logged 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Juhasz said that the physicality of Cash was crucial in Penn State’s victory.
“She played 19 minutes and she scored 16 points which is showing us we weren’t tough enough to box her out and make sure she’s not getting easy layups,” Juhasz said. “Obviously, she was a difference maker.”
Ohio State junior forward Aaliyah Patty was also in double figures — the 10th time she has done so in the Buckeyes’ last 11 games. She finished with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
This marks the first time all season in which Ohio State has lost back-to-back games.
Juhasz said it’s difficult not having a Big Ten Tournament to look forward to, but that the team needs to turn around quickly and be prepared for Saturday.
“We have three games left and I think we need to show we finish the season how we want it,” Juhasz said. “We don’t have time to just think about like, ‘Hey, you know, we’re going to figure it out in the near future.’ I mean, we have one week left so we got to do that tomorrow.”
The Buckeyes look to bounce back against Indiana at the Schottenstein Center Saturday 3 p.m. on BTN.
