Ohio State redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris (1) takes contact in the lane before kicking it out. Harris’s distribution was key during No. 2 Ohio State’s (19-0) 84-54 win over Northwestern (6-12) in Columbus on Jan. 19. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 13 Buckeyes secured a top-four finish in the Big Ten standings ahead of the conference tournament after a career-best 23 points from redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris, putting away No. 12 Michigan 74-61 at the Crisler Center Monday night.
A top-four finish in the conference secures the Buckeyes a double-bye into the third round of the Big Ten Tournament, allowing the team to get some much-needed rest while sending the Wolverines into the first two rounds earlier than expected.
For the Buckeyes, it’s their first back-to-back wins since beginning the season 19-0.
Three Buckeyes scored in double figures, led by Harris who had seven steals, also a career best. Sophomore guard Taylor Thierry scored 15 points, and senior guard Taylor Mikesell chipped in with 12 on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.
Freshman forward Cotie McMahon was held to seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, but the reigning six-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week made her presence felt in the fourth quarter. She grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and helped lead the Buckeyes to victory.
The Wolverines were led by fifth-year guard Leigha Brown who scored a career-high 36 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Brown, who scored 14 in the second quarter, was one of two Wolverines to drain a bucket in that frame with sophomore guard Jordan Hobbs putting up six.
Three Wolverines scored in double figures. Graduate forward Emily Kiser put up 11 points, and Hobbs finished with 10 after filling in for injured sophomore guard Laila Phelia, the Wolverines’ second leading scorer behind an average of 17 points per game.
Things didn’t look too good after the opening tipoff for the Buckeyes, as they struggled to put points on the board and turned the ball over consecutively in the waning minutes of the first quarter, while Michigan knocked down its first four of five field goals.
A jumper for senior forward Eboni Walker put the Buckeyes on the board a little more than two minutes in. And still, the Wolverines went on a 10-2 run, leading head coach Kevin McGuff to call a timeout with 6:41 left in the quarter.
From that point, the Buckeyes went on a 3-point shooting barrage.
Mikesell led the charge as she nailed her 86th triple of the season, tying the game 14-14 with Harris also contributing to the Buckeyes’ run. Harris saved the ball from going out of bounds and found Mikesell at the top of the key for another 3, as the Buckeyes made 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
Ohio State went on a 22-7 run in the final 6:47 of the opening frame.
The Buckeyes’ 3-point shooting performance continued into the second period, as senior forward Rebeka Mikulasikova made an appearance off the bench while still dealing with an ankle injury and knocked down another 3 at the start of the quarter. Ohio State went 8-of-11 from distance in the first half.
However, the Wolverines didn’t go away. Brown scored 14 of her 21 first-half points to help Michigan keep the halftime deficit to 41-37.
Michigan’s length also wreaked havoc in the paint for the Buckeyes, scoring 20 points down low and keeping McMahon scoreless in the first half.
Entering the second half, Hobbs drained another 3, as she went 3-of-6 on the night. McMahon scored her first bucket of the night with four minutes remaining in the third quarter but was called for her fourth foul with 3:52 left to go in the period, leading McGuff to sit her out for the rest of the frame.
The Buckeyes forced Michigan’s third 10-second violation with 45.7 seconds left in the third period, which was the Wolverines’ ninth turnover of the quarter. Ohio State finished with 27 to end the night, as the Buckeyes matched their turnovers forced against Michigan in the previous game New Year’s Eve.
Harris reached her career high with a jumper at the free throw line after a Michigan turnover. The Wolverines slowly chipped away at the Buckeyes’ lead and found themselves down by 10 with a little over two minutes to go.
Harris fouled out with less than three minutes to go, but McMahon helped prevent the Wolverines from a late fourth-quarter run as she found Thierry for a layup on two consecutive plays.
The Buckeyes will head home to rematch No. 8 Maryland in their last game of the regular season. Ohio State may look to even the score after the Terrapins handed the Buckeyes their largest loss of the season — a 36-point defeat Feb. 5 at College Park, Maryland.
Tipoff is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
