Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon drains a midrange fadeaway against North Carolina on March 20, 2023. Credit: Zachary Riley, The Lantern File.
Graduate guard Jacy Sheldon, a native of Dublin, Ohio, has made history for Ohio State with game-winning shots, record-tying performances and victories over perennial powerhouse programs.
Luckily for Buckeye fans, Sheldon continues adding to her lengthy resume.
After deciding to pass on the 2023 WNBA draft and electing to stay a Buckeye for one more year, the graduate guard said she’s had countless memories on the court.
However, three memorable moments differ from the rest, she said.
3.) Defeating LSU on March 21, 2022
During the second round of the 2021-22 NCAA tournament, the No. 6 Buckeyes were matched up against the No. 3-seeded LSU.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said the game was tough because it was on the road during March Madness, so the “atmosphere was crazy.”
“They had a packed house, and they had a great season to that point, and it’s just really hard to win on the road in the NCAA tournament,” McGuff said.
The Buckeyes went into the game as underdogs but proved by the final buzzer they could compete with the best.
Ohio State won 79-64 against the Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Ohio State started slowly, shooting just 4-13 in the first quarter. Despite its shooting struggles, the Buckeye defense was dominant, forcing multiple turnovers while keeping LSU at bay with a cool 3-of-9 shooting from the floor.
Ohio State started to pull away in the second quarter as LSU couldn’t match its barrage of threes.
Going into halftime, the Buckeyes were up 34-26. The start of the second half amplified the first as the Buckeyes scored two quick layups, extending their lead to 12. By the end of the third, Ohio State had built a 20-point lead.
Sheldon had a strong shooting performance, going 9-17 for a team-high 23 points while playing all 40 minutes. She also had eight assists and three steals to lead the team in both categories.
Sheldon said it was not her individual performance but the magnitude of the game that made it memorable.
“For us, that was a huge game,” Sheldon said. “We all played really well, and we hope to see them again this year, too. Not only did we kind of prove to everyone who we were, but we kind of proved it to ourselves and played for each other.”
Redshirt-senior guard Rikki Harris said she couldn’t hear anything because of the crowd noise.
Coming out on top was memorable, she said.
“It was an amazing feeling, and we did what we were supposed to do, but that was one of my top moments as well,” Harris said.
2.) Defeating North Carolina on March 20, 2023
After defeating James Madison in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the No. 3-seeded Buckeyes were matched up against the No. 6-seeded North Carolina.
With the game being held at Value City Arena, Ohio State took advantage of playing at home, going on an early 8-0 run to start the game. Despite this, the Buckeyes were only up two at the end of the first quarter as the Tar Heels stormed back quickly.
Once again, Buckeye Nation was a factor to start the second quarter as Ohio State started with a 6-0 run. At halftime, the Buckeyes were ahead 33-28 with 20 minutes to go.
In the third, the teams went back and forth before North Carolina went on a run, cutting the lead to one. However, former Ohio State guard Taylor Mikesell’s 3-point play at the end of the quarter gave the Buckeyes a lift going into the final quarter with a 5-point lead.
Ohio State opened the fourth by scoring twice, which forced the Tar Heels to call a timeout.
As the quarter went on, the Buckeyes’ lead started to slip away with North Carolina suddenly tying the game 69-69 with 9.8 seconds left.
But Sheldon and the Buckeyes didn’t panic.
McGuff called a timeout to draw up one final play. With 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Sheldon hit a midrange fadeaway that won the game 71-69 for the Buckeyes.
While the game-winner was special, Sheldon said she specifically remembers this matchup because of the effort shown by the team.
“It was really cool to see nobody panic, and everybody kind of keep their composure and find a way to win that game,” Sheldon said. “It came down to all of us, one through 15, everybody on the bench, everybody on the court and the coaches.”
- Defeating UConn March 25, 2023
After an exciting win against North Carolina five days prior, the No. 3-seeded Buckeyes had an even tougher challenge against one of the premier powerhouses in women’s basketball: UConn.
With 11 NCAA National Championships, betting against a historically successful program like UConn is hard. The Buckeyes went into the matchup again as underdogs, and rightfully so. Going into the game, the No. 2 seed UConn had made 14 straight Final Four appearances.
However, Sheldon said they embraced the underdog mentality and wanted to prove their program belonged on the short list of the elite.
“We’re turning into a really great program too, and obviously coach McGuff, coach Carla [Morrow], they’re excellent coaches, so they got us prepared for that game,” Sheldon said.
The Buckeyes were ready for a dogfight but knew UConn wouldn’t go down easily.
At the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes were down 17-15 as the teams scored back and forth.
The second quarter belonged to Ohio State as its full-court pressure forced consecutive turnovers. Ohio State outscored UConn 21-9 in the quarter, taking a 10-point lead into the break.
The third quarter was competitive as UConn cut the Buckeye lead down to five. However, Ohio State responded well, building its lead back to 10 by the end of the quarter. In the final quarter, each team had a run of its own, but at the final buzzer, the Buckeyes came out on top 73-61. The win secured the fourth Elite Eight appearance in program history for the Buckeyes, while UConn’s 14-year streak of Final Four appearances ended. Freshman forward Cotie McMahon scored 23 points on 8-17 shooting while Sheldon had 17 points in the win.
With the season now in progress, Sheldon will look to add to her favorite moments as the No. 7 Buckeyes face several ranked teams this year, including No. 3 Iowa and No. 4 UCLA.
However, Sheldon said her biggest moment would be bringing a national championship back to Columbus at the end of the season.
“I know we have a chance to make it to Cleveland this year and get a peak for that national championship,” Sheldon said. “That’s what I wanted to do before I leave.”
