The No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball team celebrates after a timeout by No. 4 Iowa during the Buckeyes 100-92 win at the Schottenstein Center Sunday. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
It was déjà vu for Ohio State on the road versus Illinois.
What turned out to be a game of run, ended with the Buckeyes on top after a 14-4 run in the fourth quarter allowing them to rally from behind an 11-point halftime deficit to avoid a road upset against the Fighting Illini.
No. 12 Ohio State (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) defeated Illinois (8-10, 2-6 Big Ten) 67-59 Thursday at State Farm Center behind a 25-14 fourth quarter, led by graduate guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor, who scored a combined 16 points for the Buckeyes in the fourth.
After a sluggish start that included a second quarter in which the Buckeyes were outscored 20-4, they were able to find stability on offense thanks to a 25-point effort from Sheldon and a huge second half from Taylor, who scored all 14 of her points after halftime.
Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said he believes Taylor is only going to get better on the offensive end moving forward.
“She [Taylor] had some really big shots tonight, made some really big plays, so I was really happy with her play especially late in the game,” McGuff said. “I think each week she [Taylor] gets a little more comfortable in our system.”
After Ohio State outscored Illinois 20-12 in the third quarter to cut the Fighting Illini lead to three, the Buckeyes carried that momentum into the fourth as they outscored Illinois 14-4 through the first six minutes of the fourth and retook the lead with 6:21 to go.
Their lead extended to as many as seven thanks to sophomore forward Cotie McMahon’s second three of the game at the 4:39 mark in the fourth. McMahon picked up where she left off Sunday versus then-No. 2 Iowa by finishing with a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Illinois would cut into the lead thanks to a three at the end of the shot clock from senior guard Genesis Bryant with 3:42 left, but Ohio State refused to surrender its lead again. Bryant finished with 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting for the Fighting Illini.
Sheldon continued her big night with a putback layup off her own that pushed the Buckeyes’ lead back to seven, 61-54, with 57 seconds to go, putting a valiant effort from Illinois to rest.
Sheldon said the increased ball movement in the second half played a huge role in Ohio State’s second-half success.
“Once we started moving it, we started getting each other open, we started making some really good passes and settling down and taking what they gave us was key,” Sheldon said.
The momentum started to shift in favor of the Buckeyes thanks to a 9-0 run with 5:01 in the third that cut the Fighting Illini lead to 39-38. The response was needed for Ohio State after a Bryant three with 5:37 to go in the first half, sparking an 18-2 run that helped Illinois build up a double-digit lead at the break.
The 18-2 run spawned a game of runs the rest of the way after both teams started the game slowly, with Illinois not making its first field goal until nearly halfway through the first quarter.
Taylor said the Buckeyes’ willingness to keep shooting and making the right plays was key in their second-half rally.
“We know that we can hit shots, we know that anybody can go up any given night,” Taylor said. “As long as we’re taking the right shots and executing plays, the shots are going to fall.”
Ohio State travels to Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, to face Purdue Sunday at 2 p.m. The matchup will be exclusively streamed on Big Ten Plus.
