Ohio State sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon (4) looks for an opening during the Ohio State-Duquesne game on Nov. 29. Ohio State won 82-47. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Following a bounce-back performance against Iowa, the Ohio State offense and sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon will look to build momentum Sunday.
No. 11 Ohio State (11-3, 7-2) takes on Minnesota (5-8, 4-7) Sunday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
After struggling for a couple games, Sheldon broke through Thursday scoring 29 points and going 12-14 from the free-throw line — both career bests for the sophomore.
Junior forward Aaliyah Patty said that it was good for the offense to have Sheldon’s performance Thursday.
“She’s great. She can score inside or outside,” Patty said. “She’s definitely a threat. Her being a threat really helped us get a win tonight.”
Sheldon said that her team looks to get offensive production early and limit turnovers on defense, in contrast to their slow start in the previous three games.
“That’s a mindset I think we need to fix and coming in strong, especially on the defensive end that’s an easy fix for us,” Sheldon said. “Coming in with more focus could definitely help us there.”
The Buckeyes face a Minnesota offense that thrives off of their one-two punch of sophomore guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia.
The Gophers will need to put up points as they bring the worst defense in the Big Ten, surrendering an average of 80.8 points per game.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said after Thursday’s game that his team needs to build on their recent success on the offensive side of the floor.
“I think overall we were pretty good offensively. We really shared the ball. We made some shots,” McGuff said. “That’s something, certainly that I think will be important to build on that as we head towards Minnesota.”
Although their defense is lacking, the Gophers shoot well from the free-throw line, converting 74.4 percent of their opportunities.
Minnesota is also aggressive on the offensive glass, averaging 13.7 offensive rebounds per game.
McGuff said that his team is going to focus on defensive play in transition to counter Minnesota’s offense.
“Minnesota is a really good offensive team so I think our transition defense and our defense overall will need to be at a high level. We need to continue to be really focused and work on that.
The Buckeyes are a game and a half back in the conference standings, trailing No. 10 Maryland, No. 13 Michigan and No. 17 Indiana, all teams which Ohio State has defeated this season.
As the Buckeyes make their push for a Big Ten regular season title, Patty said that she is enjoying her time on the court.
“I always have fun in my games whether it’s good or bad,” Patty said. “I’m just going out there being physical, playing hard, getting buckets, getting and ones, my teammates and the up and down it’s a rush and it’s a good feeling.”
Ohio State will take on Minnesota for the first and only time this season, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Sunday at 1 p.m.
