Senior guard Taylor Mikesell (24) led No. 3 Ohio State to a 66-57 win over No. 14 Michigan Saturday at the Covelli Center. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
In front of a sold out crowd at the Covelli Center, No. 3 Ohio State defeated rival No. 14 Michigan in a close 66-57 showdown Saturday. Senior guard Taylor Mikesell led the team in scoring with 16 points.
After getting off to a shaky start, an all-around team effort helped the Buckeyes (15-0, 4-0 Big Ten) come out on top against a focused Michigan team. They once again dominated with their press, forcing 27 turnovers from the Wolverines to pick up their fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Wolverines (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) threw the first punch by starting the game on an 8-0 run. Ohio State missed its first five attempts from the floor, struggling to get anything going for the first 4 1/2 minutes.
That’s when freshman forward Cotie McMahon took matters into her own hands. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week scored seven-straight points to cut the deficit to 10-9 through the first 10 minutes of play.
Despite being down early, head coach Kevin McGuff kept his team calm and collected. The St. Joseph’s (Indiana) alum said his team just needed to settle down after the Wolverines forced them into some tough shots early.
“We were kind of taking quick shots and you can’t do that against Michigan,” McGuff said. “It’s you got to be able to move the ball side to side to kind of break them down.”
The intensity only increased as the two teams battled into the second quarter. Michigan maintained the edge for most of the quarter, but a strong final two minutes polished off by a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Emma Shumate put the Buckeyes up 30-27 at the half.
Still riding the momentum from the end of the half, Ohio State began to create separation at the start of the third quarter. Through the first eight minutes of the period, the Buckeyes outscored the Wolverines 18-5 with five different players contributing in the scoring column.
With time running out, Michigan made one final push in the closing quarter, going on a 12-2 run which found them down 52-50 with 6:47 remaining. However, Ohio State responded with a 12-2 run of their own to put the game out of reach.
Redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris said the team knew they needed to “lock in” when the Wolverines made their final push. The Indianapolis native made five clutch free throws during Ohio State’s final run to help the cause.
“We had done it earlier in the game, and we gave up a few baskets and let them get closer,” Harris said. “We just had to toughen up and lock in on our stuff, so we wouldn’t turn the ball over as much.”
It was a physical game with the two rivals combining for 47 fouls. Michigan sophomore guard Laila Phelia and fifth-year senior Leigha Brown were both forced out of the game after picking up five fouls, and McMahon also fouled out for Ohio State.
McGuff said he expected a tough, physical game entering the matchup and that he’s proud of how his team responded through the adversity.
“I thought we played incredibly hard,” McGuff said. “We showed a lot of toughness with our press continuing to press. I thought it kind of wore on them a little bit, but a great win for us.”
Ohio State’s first game in 2023 is Thursday on the road against Minnesota at Williams Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
