Ohio State redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris (1) high fives her teammates after drawing a foul during the then-No. 2 Ohio State-Purdue game Jan. 29. Ohio State lost 73-65. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
With the No. 13 Ohio State women’s basketball team’s season dwindling down and March Madness quickly approaching, the Buckeyes look to end the season strong as they travel to Penn State Thursday for their first meeting with the Nittany Lions this season.
This is the Buckeyes’ second-to-last road trip, coming off a tough home loss against No. 2 Indiana Monday, in which a late 24-14 third-quarter run led by freshman forward Cotie McMahon fell short.
With only three games left of regular season play, McMahon said the Buckeyes must get back to trusting each other on the court as they look to secure wins against top-ranked teams they’ll likely see in the tournament.
“We did a great job of [trusting each other] to start the season and kind of midseason,” McMahon said. “It’s kind of just the hardships of things shifting back and forth. I’d say just trusting every single person from the people on the floor to the end of the bench, that’s really it.”
The biggest issue Ohio State faced against Indiana was rebounding. The Buckeyes got outrebounded 35-23, with the Hoosiers grabbing 10 more defensive boards.
There was also a large discrepancy when it came to bench points, with the Buckeyes scoring none compared to Indiana’s 24.
In the most recent meeting versus Penn State, Ohio State scored 32 bench points and earned a 78-55 victory on Feb. 24, 2022, in Columbus.
The Buckeyes will look to pull out a win at Bryce Jordan Center where the Nittany Lions have the 19-8 advantage when facing them at home.
Penn State enters the game with a 13-12 record and a 4-10 mark in Big Ten play and is coming off a tough overtime loss at Michigan State after a late foul with 30 seconds left derailed the Nittany Lions from securing a victory, handing them back-to-back losses.
Senior guard Makenna Marisa is coming off a 22-point game against Michigan and leads the Penn State offense with 18 points per game, while redshirt sophomore guard Leilani Kapinus leads the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Penn State is 0-5 this season when facing a ranked opponent and holds Big Ten victories against Rutgers, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue.
The Buckeyes look to get off to an early start Thursday night. Their slow starts and late-third quarter runs to begin the season ended in victories, most notably their 17-point comeback win against Illinois in January, as they set a program record, 19-0.
In its last five losses, Ohio State has come up short.
Its 33 percent shooting performance in the first quarter against Indiana led to an early 10-point deficit. Head coach Kevin McGuff said although the third quarter runs are encouraging to see, the team must get off to an early start especially in order to get wins against top-ranked opponents.
“We played hard and competed,” McGuff said. “I think we played the right way in the third quarter. But we just put ourselves in too big of a hole.”
Senior guard Jacy Sheldon sat out for the second-straight game after returning against Maryland from a lower leg injury that kept her from playing the last 16 games, while senior forward Rebeka Mikulasikova is nursing a high ankle sprain she suffered against Minnesota Feb. 8.
McGuff said Sheldon is day-to-day while Mikulasikova’s absence against Indiana was a game-time decision, as senior forward Eboni Walker filled in. McMahon said injuries play a part in the Buckeyes’ struggles and practice has not translated during game time, but they must find a way to adjust to changes in the lineup.
“It’s not just one person adjusting, it’s the whole team,” McMahon said. “Just adjusting to getting used to that and then on top of the hardships of losing and trying to figure out what we are doing. It’s kind of a lot.”
Walker, who tied her Buckeye career high of 12 points against Indiana, will play a key role on Thursday night if Mikulasikova’s playing time is limited.
Walker said defense has been one of the biggest issues for the Buckeyes in their losing stint, but hopes her presence will help the Buckeyes as they look to perfect their defense down the stretch.
“My game, it’s hard to describe essentially, but I love doing the intangibles,” Walker said. “I’m not going out there trying to score 30 points. If that happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m not going out there trying to have the most rebounds on the team. I’m just doing whatever it takes to help my team win.”
The Buckeyes outscored the Nittany Lions in each quarter in their previous matchup last season, as the Ohio State defense held Penn State to shooting just 30 percent from the floor and 18 percent from behind the arc. Ohio State’s defense forced 20 turnovers and held the Lions to nine points in the second quarter.
Penn State enters the game as the No. 6 3-point shooting percentage team in the Big Ten behind an average of 33.8 percent, with Ohio State trailing two spots behind at No. 8.
McMahon said with three regular season games left, the Buckeyes look to return to their normal style of play as they focus on the remaining games in front of them.
“Play our game, play how we practice because we practice great,” McMahon said. “Practice is amazing. We just have to incorporate that into the game. So hopefully, we’ll focus on the next three.”
Tipoff between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions is set for 7 p.m. on BTN+.
